Digital revolution to help arrest exodus of youth from farming: FAIFA

Farmers' body FAIFA on Wednesday said the government's initiatives for digital revolution in agriculture will go a long way in arresting the exodus of youth from agriculture.

Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA), which claims to represent farmers and farm workers of commercial crops across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat, said the recently announced seven schemes totalling Rs 14,000 crore will play a key role in stopping the movement of the youth from rural to urban and from farming to other professions.

"These new schemes are not just about technological integration. This will help in relieving agrarian distress caused by climate variations and market uncertainties that have made agriculture unlucrative for our youth," FAIFA President Javare Gowda said in a statement.

These schemes are likely to create new jobs, and the demand and creation of different skill sets will open more opportunities for the youth of rural India in the times to come, FAIFA said.

In addition, the youth sensing greater openings will not feel the desperation to move to the cities and this will also reduce the current high pressure on the cities, it added.

"In fact, reverse migration could happen and we could see a more balanced urban-rural development," the farmers' body added.

FAIFA said the Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM), a key element of which is the development of an 'agri stack' encompassing a farmers registry, village land maps registry, and crop sown registry, will act as a comprehensive database, maintaining detailed records on farmers, land use, and crop patterns.

"The digital revolution in agriculture will be a great disruptor, in so far as it has the potential to generate millions of jobs in core as well as allied fields," FAIFA General Secretary Murali Babu said.

This digitisation will not just infuse lifeblood into the sector, but will ensure that it continues to be the largest employer in India, he added.