Govt plans 'tech' tonic to boost India's agricultural productivity

In an effort to raise farm productivity, the Union government recently announced two important measures to support technology adoption in Indian agriculture. These are the launch of Krishi-Decision Support System (Krishi-DSS) and the National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS). The former is a digital platform that is set to leverage geospatial data and satellite imagery to convey real-time information on crop conditions, weather patterns, water resources, and soil health to farmers. It will also warn them about potential disasters, such as pest attacks and extreme weather events, help in crop residue management, and inform the government about the unique needs of each farm parcel unit. The latter is an artificial intelligence-based system that will help in pest management across the country. It is expected to benefit around 140 million farmers who can take photos of the infested crop or the pests and upload them using the NPSS platform. It will help address the problem of excessive pesticide use.

In the wake of climate change and the pressing need for sustainable agricultural practices, artificial intelligence-based solutions and geospatial technology can change India’s agricultural landscape. By augmenting investment in agricultural research and using technology, India will be in a better position to prepare its agricultural sector to adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate variability, ensuring climate-resilient agricultural production and food security through a sustainable food-supply system. Notably, the 2021 geospatial data policy democratised the collection and use of geospatial and mapping data, enabling the use of artificial intelligence and navigation data in precision farming in the country. India’s precision agriculture market is experiencing rapid growth.

The use of satellite imagery, remote sensing-based solutions, and artificial intelligence in agriculture is also fraught with challenges, such as high implementation costs, data interpretation difficulties, and the complexity of technology integration. Given small landholdings in the country, data up to 1-metre spatial resolution is required. However, the availability of high-resolution satellite images at a highly granular level remains a constraint. To support digital advancements in agriculture, the India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA) framework espouses the adoption of other emerging technologies in the sector, including robotics, drones, and data analytics. A study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers shows that the potential for drone-powered solutions in Indian agriculture is valued at $32 billion. Agricultural drone usage in India is set to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 38.5 per cent and reach $121.43 million by 2030. Currently, their use is restricted to spraying pesticides but can be used for assessing water, plant, and soil health, and field mapping.

While this highlights the need to transform agricultural research in the country, funding for autonomous research bodies under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare was cut by 2 per cent in this year’s Union Budget. In fact, the intensity of agricultural research, defined as agriculture research and development expenditure as a percentage of agricultural output, is a meagre 0.4 per cent in the country. Apart from leveraging geospatial data, the government must urgently carry out the digital crop survey and fine-tune farm statistics, which will help improve policy interventions.