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Agriculture 4 0 Smart Farming And Beyond

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From central and state governments to business leaders, everyone is ready to join the conversation about taking the Indian agriculture sector to new heights, however, how many of them are doing the required job? Let’s understand.

Recently, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar said that farmers and farming should be treated with honour. Last month, while speaking at the Central Institute of Horticulture in Nagaland, he said that the income of brothers and sisters working in the agriculture sector should increase. 

But can we say the income of the farmers is increasing? According to a media report, the central government informed the Parliament that the recent floods have affected more than 2.4 lakh hectares of crops in several parts of India. 

Expectedly, Assam suffered the most as floods wreaked havoc in the state. Karnataka and Meghalaya also faced significant damage. 

To move forward and earn more revenues, experts pointed out that farmers will have to shift to remunerative crops and there is a need to connect with technology. 

There comes the fourth agricultural revolution (agriculture 4.0). This promises farmers to grow more food on less land while feeding more people. It is all about game-changing technologies that will drive India’s economic growth and will balance the global food system. 

But, is there any agro revolution happening in India? Well, the changes are not yet fully developed and yet to be completely integrated into one proper system. But, it is safe to say that the fourth agricultural revolution has started.

“Yes, even though it might not be visible on the surface, the process has already started. The transformation of Indian agriculture through digitisation is underway, improving farmers’ access to markets, inputs, data, advisory, credit and insurance,” said Vimal Alawadhi, Managing Director, Best Agrolife.  

Besides, there is a new generation of agri startups and agri techs that are investing in digital initiatives and such technologies are used for better monitoring of crops, plant health and precision farming, and deriving appropriate interventions. 

Amith Agarwal, CEO and Co-founder, AgriBazaar believes that agri tech is India’s agriculture 4.0. He said that scientific methods of agriculture, especially tech-driven solutions will increase yield, reduce wastage and deliver fresh food.

“It is a silent revolution that will ensure that Indian farmers are empowered through trust, technology and transparency. Indian agriculture is at an exciting cusp where traditional farm methods are being remodelled in an affordable yet scalable manner through technology,” he said. 

As India indulges in these fancy words, a farmer in his field does not care about big words and publicity gimmicks as he needs output and monetary help to sustain himself. Talking about help, official data also shed light on the reality. 

According to a study by State Bank of India (SBI) researchers, since 2014, only about half of the intended beneficiaries of farm loan waivers declared by nine Indian states, have received debt write-offs. 

“A huge challenge is in terms of information accessibility. Today, the government has equipped farmers with several schemes; however, these details hardly reach the last mile. In addition to this, It has been largely seen that farmers have been slow in deploying digital tools since it requires rebuilding from the scratch and unlearning the long-standing practices,” said Ashish Mishra, Founder & CEO, Krishi Network. 

As per the SBI research, Telangana (5 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (12 per cent), Jharkhand (13 per cent), Punjab (24 per cent), Karnataka (38 per cent) and Uttar Pradesh (52 per cent), performed badly in the implementation of farm loan waiver schemes as far as the proportion of eligible farmers who had received the benefits are concerned. 

Aneesh Jain, Founder, Gram Unnati also thinks that the majority of the Indian agriculture industry is made up of small-holder farmers, who struggle to access government policy and financial aid. 

“This is primarily caused by farmers’ lack of awareness of the numerous government programmes and subsidies and infrastructure deficit to provide accessibility to government support. Additionally, several of these programs/subsidies have a tendency to run independently of one another, which adds to the confusion. Lack of basic infrastructure for storage, transportation, and other purposes has actually led to net losses for Indian farmers, who were consequently not taxed,” Jain said. 

Let’s Help Farmers

According to the experts, the development of infrastructure that enables presence closer to farm markets together with digital technology-led services has the ability to improve present processes and boost the accessibility of government support offered to farmers.

“Pursuing high-tech farming futures will have a distinctive range of benefits as well as drawbacks. As farmers worldwide are embracing advanced technology to enhance their business operations and boost earnings, India particularly will see investments in the sector given our position as a net exporter of agricultural produce,” said Davinder Sandhu, Co-founder and Chairman, Primus Partners. 

At the I2U2 virtual summit, the UAE announced USD 2 billion investment in India’s food parks to bring farmers, processors, and retailers together in one place using the latest climate technology to minimize waste, conserve water and maximize crop yields.  

“Policymakers, investors and on-ground workers will have to work together to strategize these innovations to successfully develop India’s dynamic agricultural sector,” advised Sandhu. 

Tech To Lead The Agriculture Sector

The Indian agriculture sector grew at 3.9 per cent in 2021-22 and 3.6 per cent in 2020-21 despite the Covid-19 shock. 

The share of the agriculture and allied sector in total gross value added (GVA) of the economy has settled at around 18 per cent in the long term. In the year 2021-22, it is 18.8 per cent and in the year 2020-21 it was 20.2 per cent, the economic survey revealed.

Now, agritech is set to play a very significant role in addressing the current gaps in the agriculture sector along with providing solutions for future challenges. This is likely to boost per capita income from the current USD 1800 to USD 3600 and also double the income from farming. 

AI-powered solutions can simplify the processes by providing real-time insights into how various factors impact productivity with a significant upside for both smallholders and progressive farmers. A data-centric approach can also reap benefits for farmers and agri solutions companies by helping them gauge how financially successful a crop cycle has been,” said Alawadhi. 

The intervention of advanced technologies in agriculture is now an absolute necessity. This will help in improving the monitoring accuracy and will bring transparency to the system. Mandatory inclusion of drone technologies and the internet of things (IoT) for deciphering the crop condition and complexities at the hyperlocal level. Instead of working on different aspects of agriculture in isolation, it is now required to push all studies relating to agriculture to consider the entire value chain. 

For farmers, it empowers them to take critical decisions based on insights, supporting higher crop yields and increased incomes. Further, smallholder farming in India can benefit significantly by accessing AI models which can guide in improving farm economics through increased income and optimised input cost, and de-risking farming through timely data intervention, said Alawadhi. 

Mishra added that upcoming technologies like bio-fertilizers present huge opportunities to reduce input costs. Similarly, real-time optical analysis of grains is now enabling farmers to easily grade and sort their produce and thus realise better prices. 

Future-ready Agri Sector

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, agritech is one industry that has caught the attention of investors globally. With global bodies and governments increasingly advocating for technology-driven farming, it is estimated that the Indian agritech startups will create a value pool worth USD 30-35 billion by 2025. 

“Moreover, in the face of climate change and potential food shortage events, the advancement of Agriculture 4.0 has become integral to driving both food security and greater business efficiencies. As the global food system undergoes economic, environmental, and social change, the fourth industrial revolution will directly impact agriculture,” said Sandhu. 

Jain added that by offering a deeply integrated digital framework for operational management, technology can help to offset productivity and profitability losses in food value chains and alleviate agrarian strains. Agricultural apps, held in your palm, are transforming how land is tilled and harvested. Integrating meteorological data with irrigation, nutrient, and other systems could increase yields and better utilise resources. 

Meanwhile, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), there will be a decline in arable land and an increase in food demand because of the rising population by 2050. This estimate also demands quick and sustainable solutions so the world can avoid a food crisis.




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