Improving the process of de-silting can play a key role in the local agriculture. There are more than 45,000 irrigation ponds in the Telangana region that need to be periodically de-silted in dry seasons to maintain their water storage capacity. Better management of the de-silting process can provide rural employment, and improve storage of rainwater for use during the dry season. Also, silt can be used as a fertilizer to improve land productivity and reduce the environmental footprint of farming in the region. An interdisciplinary student project team of Dow Sustainability Fellows at the University of Michigan (U-M) identified a need for systematic planning to include de-silting best practices into mainstream agriculture.