Dignitaries and others on second day of International seminar on “Artificial Intelligence for Green Sustenance” on August 11.
Our Correspondent
Kohima | August 11
The two-day International Seminar AIGS–2026, centred on the theme “Artificial Intelligence for Green Sustenance: Collating Agriculture, Environmental Humanities and Pedagogy,” concluded at School of Engineering & Technology, Nagaland University (NU), Kohima Campus, Meriema on August 11.
Sponsored by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), Government of India and Nagaland University, the seminar was conducted in hybrid mode and brought together distinguished academicians, scientists, researchers, faculty members and young scholars from India and abroad.
The seminar was convened by Prof Prabhakar Sharma, Dr Subhashis Banerjee and Dr Prasenjit Pal.
Conceived as an interdisciplinary academic platform, AIGS–2026 sought to explore the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence beyond the conventional boundaries of technology by bringing it into dialogue with environmental sustainability, agriculture, education, humanities, ecology and responsible development.
The first plenary session was chaired by Prof Sujata Dash, with Dr Subhashis Banerjee as Co-Chair and Dr Pramod Ch Dihingia as Rapporteur.
Prof Shyam S Phartyal, Mizoram University, delivered the plenary lecture titled “Citizen Science in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Bridging Science, Humanities, and Education for Green Sustenance.”
Prof Nigamananda Das, Nagaland University, spoke on “Environmental Impact of AI.” The two presentations established the interdisciplinary orientation of the seminar by drawing attention simultaneously to the transformative potential of AI and the need to examine its ecological implications.
The afternoon sessions were organised in parallel tracks encompassing Science & Technology and Education, Humanities & Social Science.
The Science & Technology track featured Prof Amit Kumar, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, China, who discussed greenhouse-gas emissions from hydropower reservoirs; Prof. Ashutosh Tripathi on emerging pollution and environmental monitoring; Prof Ambrish Singh on AI in chemical research; Prof Joginder Singh on Bio-AI convergence; Dr Ashutosh Tripathi on AI-assisted sustainable food-waste reduction; and Nikhil Nikas on AI, blockchain and smart technologies for sustainable agriculture.
The Education, Humanities & Social Science track witnessed equally diverse deliberations. Prof Ranjan Das addressed ecosystem restoration, smart agriculture and agro-ecotourism; Prof Gyanendra Nath Tiwari explored AI, spiritual ecology and sustainable education; Prof Rajnish Ratna discussed competency-based teaching-learning; and Prof Pradipta Kumar Pattnaik examined NEP 2020 and digital integration in higher education.
Moasenla S Ozukum, Bhagyashree Ray, Sanjay Sarkar and Rusha Sil further expanded the discussions to quality assurance, sustainable employee well-being, academic information-seeking and ecological dimensions of AI writing.
The international character of the seminar was strengthened by Prof Pierre Girard, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Brazil, who spoke on AI in monitoring microplastics in water, and Dr Subhajyoti Samaddar, Kyoto University, Japan, who addressed climate-resilience measures. Dr Sayan Bhattacharya and Dr. Somnath Bandyopadhyay contributed presentations concerning microplastic pollution and intelligent ecosystem stewardship.
A dedicated Poster Session, chaired by Dr Subhashis Banerjee and co-chaired by Dr N Manda Devi, showcased research on solar-powered agricultural machinery, AI-enabled smart hydroponics, organic nitrogen management, soybean cultivation, indigenous plant materials, indigenous pest-management knowledge and biological control.
The second day of AIGS–2026 on August 11 was marked by Parallel Technical Session III. The Science & Technology track acquired a strong international dimension through presentations by Prof Manish Kumar, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico; Dr Prakash Kumar Jha, Mississippi State University, USA; and Dr Rakesh Kumar, Auburn University, USA, along with Dr Rakesh Kumar Gupta, Woxsen University, India.
Their presentations dealt with PFAS contamination, AI and smart technologies for sustainable agriculture, biochar and nutrient transport, and sustainable active food packaging.
The parallel Humanities and Social Science session reflected the interdisciplinary character of the seminar.
Dr Amrita Bhattacharyya examined the revised sublime, death and materiality in poetry from Northeast India; Sapna Langeh discussed AI and the evolution of learning; Megha Paul explored green pedagogy, vernacular AI and decolonisation of the Bengali classroom; and Dr R Kavithaa examined spiritual ecology and sustainability in Easterine Kire’s “When the River Sleeps.”
Other presentations addressed AI-driven microfinance, posthuman ecofeminism, Himalayan development and household food-waste reduction.
The next sessions explored agricultural ergonomics, solar-powered biomass technology, sustainable pineapple production in Nagaland, watershed assessment, microplastics in agro-ecosystems, groundwater dynamics, traditionally utilised Zanthoxylum species, biodegradable packaging and geospatial analysis of the Doyang River Basin.
The Humanities track simultaneously engaged with the impact of AI tools on critical thinking and research aptitude, indigenous pedagogical discourse, AI-assisted retrieval of ancestral medicinal-plant knowledge, Anthropocene studies, digital travel narratives, AI in education, immersive technologies for sustainability education in tribal schools, generative AI and Northeast Indian poetry.
The final technical sessions further broadened the academic scope through research on flood-risk assessment, microplastics in soil ecosystems, AI-assisted evaluation of invasive plant species, soil erosion, groundwater nitrate pollution, sustainable cultivation of Curcuma, kiwifruit cultivation in Arunachal Pradesh, climate-resilient agricultural operations and water-quality assessment.
The Agriculture & Social Science track brought international and regional perspectives together through contributions from Dr. Aviram Sharma and Dr Poonam Pandey, University of Vigo, Spain, alongside presentations concerning microplastics, hydropower potential, indigenous ecological knowledge and climate-resilient water sustainability.
Prof Santosh Kumar Singh, Dean, School of Sciences, addressed the valedictory programme while Dr. Subhashis Banerjee, Convenor, proposed vote of thanks.
