On October 13th September 2025, we concluded the 2nd edition of STHIRA, with the final 10 teams presenting their innovative solutions and prototypes. This year the students didn’t just pitch ideas—they tackled the biggest questions shaping our food systems today, from climate resilience to cultural revival. Working across six powerful themes, students presented bold, interdisciplinary solutions: reviving indigenous ingredients, building local and equitable food systems, reducing waste, rethinking urban food futures, using creative practice to shift food culture, and reconnecting human intuition with food in a digital world. From business models and tech-enabled solutions to storytelling and community-led interventions, their ideas reflected one thing clearly—the future of food is local, sustainable, and deeply human.
If you would like a copy of the e-book with the details of the top 10 ideas, please click here
Winner
Aakriti, Lovely Professional University, PhagwaraTheir solution tackles post-harvest losses during the monsoon by redesigning how vegetables are stored and moved. A modular rain-shielded jute sack that prevents potato sprouting and a smart ventilation crate for tomatoes with angled louvers that block rain while enabling uniform airflow.
Winner
Aakriti, Lovely Professional University, PhagwaraTheir solution tackles post-harvest losses during the monsoon by redesigning how vegetables are stored and moved. A modular rain-shielded jute sack that prevents potato sprouting and a smart ventilation crate for tomatoes with angled louvers that block rain while enabling uniform airflow.
Winner
Revival of Forgotten Fruits, The University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology (TDU), Bangalore
Their solution creates functional snacks using indigenous wild fruits, bringing nutrient rich but forgotten ingredients back into everyday diets. By combining food science, Ayurveda and chef driven recipe, their project creates a scalable model to combat nutrient deficiencies
Winner
Revival of Forgotten Fruits, The University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology (TDU), Bangalore
Their solution creates functional snacks using indigenous wild fruits, bringing nutrient rich but forgotten ingredients back into everyday diets. By combining food science, Ayurveda and chef driven recipe, their project creates a scalable model to combat nutrient deficiencies
Winner
Biotorch, XIM Bhubaneshwar University
BioTorch addresses the problem of food waste by transforming everyday kitchen scraps into usable energy through a simple Microbial Fuel Cell system. The bamboo-encased, low-tech design, is affordable, and replicable across homes, school kitchens and street food vendors, encouraging a shift from disposal to circular thinking. BioTorch reframes waste as a household resource, not a liability.
Winner
Biotorch, XIM Bhubaneshwar University
Special Mention
Ambara Krishi, Alliance University, Bangalore
Transforms under used urban rooftops into edible gardens using lightweight growing modular farming kits. It empowers communities to take part in food production while integrating agriculture into urban architectureto strengthen
environmental health, build self-reliance and make sustainable diets more accessible.
Special Mention
Ambara Krishi, Alliance University, Bangalore
environmental health, build self-reliance and make sustainable diets more accessible.
Special Mention
Grow Moto, Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture, Pune
Addresses urban challenges by up-cycling scrap automobiles into modular urban farms equipped for hydroponics, composting and solar-powered irrigation. It offers a mobile, replicable solution for growing fresh produce in dense urban environments
Special Mention
Grow Moto, Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture, Pune
Addresses urban challenges by up-cycling scrap automobiles into modular urban farms equipped for hydroponics, composting and solar-powered irrigation. It offers a mobile, replicable solution for growing fresh produce in dense urban environments
Glimpses of STHIRA Finale 2025
