Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to address several challenges in agriculture. However, to reap the gains it is also important to strengthen the ecosystem. Government support in terms of financial incentives for integrating advanced digital technologies in farming practices are promising steps towards this direction.
Agriculture in India faces significant challenges at both the production stage and the post-production stage. These challenges are influenced by several factors, including climate vulnerability, economic factors, technological gaps, and infrastructure limitations. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to significantly improve both the production and post-production phases of agriculture by enhancing productivity, reducing risks, optimizing resources, and addressing many of the challenges farmers face. In the production stage, it can enhance efficiency through precision farming, pest management, and irrigation optimization. AI can also reduce post-production losses, improve market access, and optimize supply chains. By integrating AI technologies into agriculture, farmers can reduce costs, enhance productivity, and improve overall sustainability. Additionally, AI can help mitigate the risks posed by climate change, market volatility, and logistical inefficiencies, leading to more resilient and profitable agricultural practices.
As AI continues to evolve and its impact on agriculture grows it is imperative to strengthen the ecosystem which supports technological advancements in agriculture. The Indian government recently approved 7 new schemes worth nearly Rs. 14,000cr to improve farmer incomes sustainably. These are aimed at significantly increasing the use of technology in the sector, with a focus on initiatives like digital agriculture, crop science, livestock management, and supporting agricultural education, whilst strengthening India’s food security initiatives.
Additionally, agriculture datasets are key in understanding the various aspects of the agri process. Once we have the historical data and make it available easily, then one can do a lot of experiments from different perspectives. These experiments form the basis of various use cases on how we can optimize micro-processes of each process. This could open possibilities in the field of agriculture in India where one can aspire to specialize in any aspect of the process.
Subsidies and policies supporting integration of advanced digital technologies are promising for the future of farming. However, these technologies also need to be firmly linked to the evolution of farming, to be crop specific and highly specialized, while being smart, flexible, and efficient, while also catering to newer emerging trends of farming, like crop rotation and horticulture farming, for greater farming incomes.
