AgriSpark Hackathon - Hack the Hills! to tackle agricultural burning on highlands

AgriSpark is jointly organized by Thailand's Department of Agricultural Extension (DoAE) and the GETHAC Project. This year was the first ever organizing AgriSpark hackathon with the aim to bring real-world agricultural problems on the table for AgriSparkers to find feasible, scalable and farmers-centric solutions for each particular issue.

As open burning is one of Thailand's biggest challenges, AgriSpark 2025 announced its theme under "Hack the Hills!" focusing on tackling agricultural burning on upland areas with hilly terrains in Thailand. There were 2 use cases related to upland maize residues burning for AgriSparkers to send in their proposals:

1. From Hill to Road by Enable Earth co.,

2. Burn No More by GETHAC Project

Both use cases represent different ways in how to manage upland maize residues after harvest and the use of them. While From Hill to Road focused on off-site solutions like having time and cost-efficient ways for logistics to bring the residues down the hill, Burn No More concentrated on on-site solutions where smallholder farmers are able to manage those practices by themselves easily and effectively.

On 23 September 2025 the final judging took place at AGRIFUTURE Conference 2025 event held at True Digital Park in Bangkok, where the finalists from 8 teams (3 for From Hill to Road and 5 for Burn No More) pitched solutions face-to-face in front of AgriSpark Jury Board Members and public audience from Thailand and international exceeded 200+ participants in AgriSpark breakout sessions.

The hackathon was honored to have esteemed Jury Board Members from multiple expertise; from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DoAE), Highland Research and Development Institute (HRDI), Faculty of Agriculture of Chiang Mai University (CMU), Thai Society of Agricultural Engineering (TSAE), Kasetsanjorn, bundled platform, with Enable Earth and GETHAC Project as use case owners.

From 60+ proposal received domestically and internationally for both use cases in the first round to 22 semi-finalists with private mentoring session for each team until it came to the 8 finalist teams (including one team from Bangalore, India) to present and live pitch at AgriSpark session, AGRIFUTURE Conference 2025 event in Bangkok.

Use Case 1: From Hill to Road

In the “From Hill to Road” case, the first-place winner was Team Kaset Ranger – Kaset-Go, whose online platform connects corn-farmers on slopes with buyers of agricultural residues and local transport providers, creating a win-win ecosystem for farmers, transporters and buyers. The second place went to Team Zero One – Connect Sky, which developed a drone-based system capable of hauling 50 kg of corn stubble per flight, making approximately 10 flights per rai. Third place was awarded to Team AgriBot – AgriBot Rover, whose four-wheeled robot autonomously cutting, collecting and carrying corn stubble from hillside farms to roadside collection points, reducing manual labor in steep terrain.

𝗞𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 – A young startup presenting 𝘒𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘵-𝘎𝘰, a digital platform connecting corn farmers with agricultural biomass buyers. Their goal? Build an ecosystem where everyone benefits. 

𝗭𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗢𝗻𝗲 – A high school team with big ideas! Their innovation, 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘚𝘬𝘺, is an autonomous drone system for transporting corn waste using QR code-enabled tracking. 

𝗣𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 – A team of solo robotics innovator introducing 𝘈𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘉𝘰𝘵 𝘙𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳, a fully autonomous robot designed to collect and transport large plant residues like corn stalks on steep terrains. 

Use Case 2: Burn No More

In the “Burn No More” category, Team Altarize – Altarize the World took first place with a biomass brick made from corn stubble sourced from hillside farms. The brick is durable, eco-friendly and designed to generate income for farmers while contributing to field-burn reduction. The second-place prize went to Team Mission BurnLess – Burn for Value, which converts processed corn stubble into briquettes via gasification to produce electrical lighting in mountain-agriculture communities (for example in Mae Suek, Mae Chaem District, Chiang Mai Province). The third-place winner was Team ICAN – The Phoenix Project, which produced “Phoenix microbial-balls” combining mycorrhiza and biochar from corn stubble; when applied to the field they accelerate residue decomposition, reduce the need for burning, enrich the soil and sequester carbon.

Honourable mentions included Team Elysium – Smart Burn with a tractor-mounted pelletiser converting field residue into fuel, and Team Akarat Mongkolrattanachart – Shredder for Corn Residue, featuring a tractor-towed shredder designed to process leftover corn stalks on steep ground.

𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 – A multicultural startup team with 𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, an upcycling solution that transforms corn husks and stalks into sustainable building materials for eco-friendly buildings. 

𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀 – A public sector-driven team presenting 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦, a strategy that turns crop burning into clean energy while reducing pollution and boosting household income. 

𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗡 – A research-based team from Chiang Mai delivering 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘹 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵, a low-cost biotech solution that transforms agricultural waste into soil-reviving agents using three synergistic natural processes. 

𝗘𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘂𝗺 – A team of interdisciplinary students from T. John Institute of Technology, Bangalore, India, pitching 𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯, a crawler-type machine that combines cutting, shredding, and controlled burning into one; producing biochar as a by-product. // 𝗔𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗸𝗼𝗹𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘁 – Showcasing the 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘳, a compact machine that grinds corn residue for mulching or resale, designed with wheels for stability on hilly terrain. 

The DoAE’s Deputy Director General, Mr.Krongsak Songraksa, emphasized that all participating teams displayed deep understanding of the challenges facing highland agriculture and demonstrated creative innovation solutions. He stressed that the competition goes beyond addressing the issue of burning: it fosters networks between researchers, technology developers, farmers and the private sector in support of the “3R” policy (Re-Habit, Replace with High-value Crops, Replace with Alternate Crop) and turns agricultural residues into value. This event marks a tangible step toward sustainable change in Thai agriculture.

DoAE reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the real-world application of these innovations, helping to reduce burning in agricultural areas, lower PM2.5 pollution, promote environmental benefits and increase farmer incomes.