|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
Advancing sustainable dvpt by increasing efficiency, resilience
|
|
Thursday, 05 March, 2026, 15 : 00 PM [IST]
|
|
Dr Naveen Sharma
|
Agri-tech strategies are aspiring schemes to use emerging technologies in the field of agriculture to change the environment of agriculture. Through technology-driven, farmer-centric interventions, the strategy seeks to advance sustainable development by increasing efficiency, resilience, and farmer incomes. It also uses emerging technologies to address issues like water stress, climatic variability, and productivity declines. This progressive policy aims to establish India as a global leader in agriculture, establish replicable models, support large-scale programmes like Viksit Bharat, and significantly contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, which will result in the farmers' economic transformation.
In order to promote the implementation of new and emerging technologies in agriculture, including artificial intelligence, precision farming, drone technology, and climate-smart agriculture, the government has taken a number of actions. AI-enabled agrifood traceability and accreditation systems will be made available. The government's shared digital public infrastructure will enable the stakeholders to create AI-based solutions that are focused on farmers and supported by reliable data. The policy offers a multi-tiered institutional framework that includes a State-Level Technical Committee for assessing the technical and commercial viability of projects, a State-Level Steering Committee at the highest level for approving AI-based projects, and a dedicated full-time AI and Agritech Innovation Centre run by a group of professionals from various sectors who will carry out the policy in the state.
AI and Agritech Innovation Centre will work with stakeholders to identify problem statements, seek proposals, and host hackathons to produce new ideas. It will also promote and support approved projects and keep an eye on project execution, performance, and impact evaluation. It will host the Global AI in Agriculture Conference and Investor Summit, offering a global stage for research institutes and entrepreneurs to introduce their goods, network with stakeholders, and explore joint venture prospects. A complete statewide ecosystem centred on AI and emerging technology-based farmer-centric research and innovation will be made possible by the development of AI Research and Innovation Centre, which will complement the AI and Agritech Innovation Centre. In partnership with businesses and national and international research institutes, these centres will act as focal points for the design, development, and implementation of solutions based on GenAI and other cutting-edge technologies for dealing with pressing agricultural issues.
Under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India, is carrying out the "Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development" programme with the aim of developing an incubation ecosystem and providing financial support to encourage innovation and agri-entrepreneurship in the entire country. Farm mechanisation, post-harvest, food technology and value addition, supply chain and agriculture logistics & agriculture inputs, waste to wealth & green energy in agriculture & organic farming, and precision agriculture, including applications of sensors, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, information and communication technology, and drones, are just a few of the projects that various start-ups are focusing on. To promote the use of drones in agriculture, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institutes, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, State Agriculture Universities, State and other Central Government Agricultural Institutions/Departments, and Public Sector Undertakings of the Government of India involved in agricultural activities offer financial assistance for their purchase and demonstration on farmers' fields.
Government is implementing the Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation. SMAM is now being carried out under the umbrella of the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, a Centrally-sponsored scheme. Through the development of ‘Custom Hiring Centres’, hubs for high-tech and valuable farm equipment, the distribution of various agricultural equipment, and demonstration and capacity-building activities, the programme seeks to ‘reach the unreached’ by bringing the benefits of farm mechanisation to small and marginal farmers in the core, including women farmers. Under the administrative guidance of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the government has set up four Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institutes at Budni, Madhya Pradesh; Hisar, Haryana; Garladinne, Andhra Pradesh; and Biswanath Chariali, Assam. Through a variety of training programmes on the latest agricultural mechanisation technologies, such as Kisan drones, these institutions are teaching farmers, including women farmers, technicians, engineers, unemployed youths, machinery manufacturers.
With a budget of Rs 1261 crore, Government has granted approval for "Namo Drone Didi" as a Central Sector Scheme to provide 15,000 drones to Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) between 2023–2024 and 2025–2026. The scheme's main objectives are to empower SHGs as drone service providers to boost their revenue and support their livelihoods and to promote innovative agricultural technology for improved yield, increased crop output, and lower operating costs.
Central Government sponsored Per Drop More Crop Scheme is being popularised nationwide from 2015–16 by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. The main aim of PDMC is to increase effectively farm-level water consumption by using micro-irrigation, namely drip and sprinkler irrigation systems. In addition to conserving water, micro irrigation also reduces labour costs, other input prices, fertiliser consumption via fertigation, and farmers' total revenue. Under the PDMC, the government proposes financial help for the setting up of drip and sprinkler systems at a rate of 55% for small and marginal farmers and 45% for other farmers.
The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana of the Central Government proposes to use advanced technologies in all states of India. In order to notify farmers about the programme, the National Crop Insurance Portal and the Application for Intermediary Enrolment application app were created for farmers. Through the web and apps, farmers may insure and monitor the progress of their applications, claims, and other information. Additionally, Common Service Centres have hired Village Level Entrepreneurs to enrol farmers and transmit claims, coverage details, and other materials. The government has taken a number of actions to improve the scheme's implementation, including using technology to collect production numbers and crop cuttings.
To enable an effective and productive agriculture ecosystem in the nation, the government has approved the Digital Agriculture Mission, which calls for the development of a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for agriculture, including AgriStack, the Krishi Decision Support System, and an extensive Soil Fertility & Profile Map. As a result, all farmers would have timely utilisation of reliable crop-related information, and creative farmer-centric digital solutions would be stimulated. The State Governments and Union Territories are responsible for creating and maintaining the three core registries or databases that make up the AgriStack DPI: the Farmers Registry, the Crop Sown Registry, and Geo-Referenced Village Maps. All states and UTs are receiving financial and technical assistance from the government to implement this DPI. The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare's Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre also plays a crucial role by using space and geospatial technology for the following agricultural applications: The FASAL project, which is executed by MNCFC, forecasts agricultural output using satellite remote sensing (optical and microwave data) to produce pre-harvest crop production forecasts for major crops at the national, state, and district levels. (The author is professor, Amity University Madhya Pradesh, Gwalior. He can be reached at nsharma@gwa.amity.edu)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|