डिजिटल प्रौद्योगिकी: कृषि में गेम चेंजर

Digital Agriculture, also known as Smart farming is basically modern farming management system which integrates digital technologies into crop production, field management, livestock and other processes related to farming and digitally collect, store, analyze information. It’s also about how technology integrates and works throughout the supply chain, from seeds or farm animals to the consumer and increase productivity lowering production cost which leads to profitability.

Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy, contributes 20.2% of total GDP according to 2020-2021 Economic Survey. More than sixty percent of population and two-third of rural population rely upon agriculture as primary occupation although farmer’s are getting low return from their production. In recent years, increasing farmer incomes has been the focus of Indian agriculture.

Following the Indian Prime Minister's call to quadruple farmer incomes and the ensuing budget statement, this became official government policy in this manner. To achieve the goal ‘Doubling farmer’s income’ through increasing production efficiency Digitization in the field of agriculture is utmost important.

Technologies like Artificial Intelligence-Machine learning, Remote sensing, Internet of Things, Block-chain technology, Hyperspectral imaging with smart phone, Precision farming can be the game changer. Proper adoption and efficient application of digital technology can achieve the objectives of doubling farmer’s income and National Food Security by ensuring high crop production and enhance sustainability by reducing excess inputs like water, fertilizers etc.

Some advanced technologies that can be game changing for Agriculture:

Remote sensing technologies allow farmers to make decision about cultivation based on dataset of soil type, topography, Water table, land coverage, used resources, pest & diseases, Weather. These data can come from sensor positioned across the landscape or from satellites. It can be used in precision farming to evaluate the crop and soil health, measuring parameters such as moisture, nutrients, crop disease, compaction etc.

IoT Sensors collect data from different internet connected devices is processed and sent to farmer’s smartphone, a user friendly graphical interface to analyze data and real time application can be game changer by economically, enhancing yields, reducing waste and minimizing environmental impact.

A new kind of hyperspectral imaging sensor for smartphones providing a very easier way to detect early onset of crop disease and substantially minimize crop losses.

Block-chain technologies can ensure traceability among the seller, buyer, consumer can be monitored in real time and creates a marketplace with immense transparency.

Automation Technology combines use of sensors, computers and robots. Automation is the main focus in technological advance in agriculture. Automation in irrigation when required to GPS guided tractors, planters can make farming more safe, predictable and more productive. It also contributes effective site of fertilizer, pesticide application and soil management.

Impacts of Digital technologies in Agriculture
Technology has greater impact in developing the agriculture scenario of India and make each and every farm profitable. The major impacts of Digital Technologies in agriculture include:

• Technological adoption and proper use is the only basis for sustainability as it decreases use of water, fertilizer, pesticides which reduce impact on ecosystem keeping food chain healthy and prices down.
• Machine can be used for sowing seed to harvesting of crops more accurately than of farmer and reduces famer’s efforts.
• Technology can boost the production and decrease production time and thereby farmers can cultivate more crops in one growing season.
• Technological intervention can increase cost and demand of a particular commodity which can help farmers earn more profits and access quality inputs.
• Farmers can be alerted to incoming weather calamities such as storms, cyclone, hailstorm etc. and make decision according to weather.
• Infusion of new technologies will make India into an enlightened economy and technologically empowered society.

Challenges to face in implementing Digitization in Agriculture:

 Proper implantation of digitization in the field of agriculture is not an overnight task, in a developing country like India with a population of 130Cr. It has to face so many challenges and problems as follows

• Lack of knowledge in Digital Technology & low Skills: In our Country, most of the rural people are not familiar with ICT based services, many farmers uneducated and having low technological skills which is one of the constraint in adoption of digital technology.
• Lack of awareness: It is difficult to farmers to be updated with latest technologies, there is no such platform or medium to spread information about all these. If information is available lack of literacy prevents them from using it. Awareness and low literacy is one of the hurdle in spreading digital technologies in agriculture.
• Lack of Accessibility & Connectivity: Many farms & remote villages of India do not have infrastructure and internet facility. Even having connectivity in rural areas there is still problem in adoption. This situation has to be improved by making infrastructures available in the rural areas and providing low cost internet access. The infrastructure in many agricultural areas is one of the main problem facing in digitization of Agriculture.
• Lack of Government Initiative, policy making & implementation: Somehow government is not being so efficient about implementing the policies or schemes related to digitization at ground level. Inadequate availability of trained staff for the scheme at different part about the country with low ground working, interacting with people and make them aware about now policies and influence them to adopt it.
• Lack of Affordability: Small and marginal farmers are financially not able to adopt digital technologies, existing on farm solutions are cost prohibitive. Sensors, drones and automation technologies can’t be affordable by farmers because of high capital cost. New techniques need to come to accomplish the same task at a low cost.

Programmes & Schemes launched by Government for Digitization of Agriculture:

In September 2021, union minister of Agriculture & Farmers welfare Narendra Singh Tomar announced initiative of ‘Digital agriculture mission 2021-2025’ to support and accelerate projects based on newer technologies. The ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s welfare has developed major digital application in order to boost technology adoption among farmers:

National Agricultural Market(eNam) is a pan India electronic trading platform which connects Agriculture produce market committee(APMC) mandis to create a national market for agricultural produce, eNam helps farmers to sell products without interference of any middleman and obtaining fair return of their sell.

Direct Benefit Transfer(DBT) central agri portal launched in January 2013, which is a unified central portal for agricultural schemes across the nation. Portal helps farmers adopt modern farm machineries through government subsidies.

In 2021 Ministry of agriculture & farmers welfare signed an MoU with Microsoft to create an ‘Unified farmer service interface’ through its cloud computing services, ‘Agristack’ a unified platform to provide end-to-end services across agriculture food value chain to farmers.

National e-Governance plan in agriculture (NeGPA) initially launched in 2010-2011 aims to achieve rapid development in India through use of information & communication technology for timely access to agriculture related information for the farmers.

Conclusion:

Agriculture plays a vital role in social and economic development of most of the developing countries and one of the main contributor to the economic growth and stability. Through the proper applications of newer digital technologies agriculture has been going through extensive changes. These technologies are producing new machinery and process techniques for the production, post harvest handling, and agribusiness. They are also resulting in innovations in agriculture that make agriculture a sustainable, profitable, and competitive enterprise. The challenges posed by today’s and tomorrow’s global food demand will continue to push the agriculture industry towards technological innovations.

Reference:

Beriya, Abhishek (2020) : Digital Agriculture: Challenges and Possibilities in India, ICT India Working Paper, No. 35, Columbia University, Earth Institute, Center for Sustainable Development (CSD), New York, NY

Soane, B.D., 1990. The role of organic matter in soil compactibility: a review of some   practical aspects. Soil Tillage Res., 16: 179-201.

Authors:

Sagnik Naskar¹, Dr. Princy Thakur²,

1. M.Sc. Research Scholar, 2. Assistant Professor,

Department of Soil Science and Agriculture Chemistry,

Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Jalandhar, Punjab, India

Email: :- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.