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Government expands use of satellites, AI and drones for crop monitoring
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Friday, 14 August, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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The Government of India is increasingly deploying modern technologies, including satellites, drones, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Remote Sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the Internet of Things (IoT), to strengthen crop monitoring, improve agricultural decision-making and support farmers. Under the use of Remote Sensing and GIS, the government’s FASAL (Forecasting Agricultural output using Space, Agro-meteorology and Land-based observations) programme provides pre-harvest production forecasts at the national, state and district levels for 11 major crops across 20 states. The programme uses multispectral and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite data for crop assessment.
The Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC) also generates remote-sensing-based inputs such as vegetation condition maps, soil moisture assessments, drought monitoring, flood inundation mapping and hailstorm impact assessments to support crop management and disaster response.
The Krishi Decision Support System (Krishi-DSS) integrates satellite, weather, soil, crop signature, reservoir, groundwater and government scheme data to support evidence-based agricultural decision-making. The platform is being used for crop mapping, identification of sowing patterns and crop diversification, drought and flood monitoring, and technology-based yield assessment for crop insurance claims.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), the YESTECH (Yield Estimation System based on Technology) initiative uses satellite-based crop yield models for Gram Panchayat-level yield estimation and claim settlement. It is currently being implemented for paddy, wheat and soybean across 12 states.
The government is also strengthening weather monitoring through WINDS (Weather Information Network and Data System), a national initiative under PMFBY. The programme seeks to expand the weather network with Automatic Weather Stations at Block/Tehsil/Taluk levels and Automatic Rain Gauges at the Gram Panchayat level. WINDS is currently being implemented in seven states.
Drones are another key component of the government’s technology-driven agriculture strategy. Under the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation (SMAM), financial assistance of up to 50% is provided to agriculture graduates and small and marginal farmers in the North Eastern States for purchasing Kisan Drones. Other farmers are eligible for assistance of 40% of the cost, while 40% assistance is also available for establishing Custom Hiring Centres for Kisan Drones. A total of 2,122 drones have been distributed or approved under the scheme.
The Namo Drone Didi Central Sector Scheme aims to equip selected Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) with drones to provide rental services to farmers for agricultural applications, including the spraying of fertilisers and pesticides. According to the Department of Fertilisers, 1,094 drones have been distributed to Drone Didis associated with SHGs, with members receiving training at DGCA-authorised Remote Pilot Training Organisations.
AI is also being deployed to address crop losses and provide farmers with timely advisories. The National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS) uses AI and Machine Learning to detect pest infestations and support timely interventions. Farmers can upload pest images to help identify infestations and take corrective measures. The system currently covers 73 crops and 436 pests, while 35,565 advisories have been issued through the application.
The government has also introduced BharatVistaar (Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources), a multilingual AI-powered Digital Public Infrastructure for agriculture. The platform provides location-specific agricultural advisories, information on government schemes, weather forecasts, mandi prices, pest and disease identification, soil health recommendations and grievance redressal services. It has so far served more than 5.9 lakh farmers and addressed over 93 lakh farmer queries, covering information on 18 Central Government schemes. The service is available through a web and mobile chatbot as well as a dedicated telephone line.
Meanwhile, the Kisan Sarthi ICT platform, developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), is being used by Krishi Vigyan Kendras to provide crop-specific advisories. More than 2.97 crore farmers are registered on the platform across the country.
The AgriStack project, under the Digital Agriculture Mission, along with other Remote Sensing and Information System initiatives, is supporting the delivery of digital agricultural services. These systems are being integrated with government schemes for accurate beneficiary targeting under PM-KISAN, Minimum Support Price-based procurement through the Food Corporation of India, fertiliser booking and timely settlement of PMFBY claims.
The technologies are also enabling faster delivery of government services, including disaster relief in Maharashtra, sanctioning of Kisan Credit Card loans within half an hour and improved farmer outreach for procurement schemes. Farmer IDs are being used for PMFBY enrolment, procurement under the Price Support Scheme of PM-ASHA and integration with Soil Health Cards for crop and input planning. Digital Crop Survey data is also being used to generate near real-time estimates of crop production.
Under the National Mission on Natural Farming, geo-referenced information on natural farms and clusters is being captured through the Krishi Mapper application. The information was provided by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ramnath Thakur in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, highlighting the government’s expanding use of digital and emerging technologies to improve crop monitoring, agricultural planning, disaster management and farmer services.
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