Smart Agriculture

Indian Agriculture Landscape
The hovering problem

The agriculture sector plays a very important role in the Indian economy because 56 percent of the country's population is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture. Moreover, the contribution of agriculture to the country's gross domestic product is around 20 percent. Agriculture worked as an unprecedented boon for salvaging the Indian economy during the dire & critical times of COVID-19. Unfortunately, Indian agriculture is significantly vulnerable to climate changes &variability of monsoon sometimes affecting crop yield to the extent that Indian food security is challenged

Between 1901 to 2022, Indian temperature rises at the rate of 0.6°C pushing the mean temperature to 25.1 °C. The cause behind this was of course climate change. An agriculture expert survey apprehends that this rise in temperature may decrease the productivity of most of Indian crops by 10% to 40% by the year 2100.

The major impact of climate change will be on rain-fed or non-irrigated crops, which are cultivated in about 60% of the crop area. An increase of 0.5 °C in winter temperature is estimated to reduce the yield of rain-fed wheat in India by 0.45 tonnes per hectare.

All the more, increasing natural disasters add up the critical challenges to Indian agriculture The Government of India's Economic Survey (2018) estimated annual losses of US$ 9–10 billion due to the adverse effects of climate change.
In India, the effects of climate change could lead to a nationwide decline of up to nine percent in major crop yields between 2010 and 2039, which could worsen over time. Depending on the location and future climate scenario, the production loss could be up to 35 percent in rice, 20 percent in wheat, 50 percent in sorghum, 13 percent in barley, and 60 percent in maize.

According to a World Bank report, “The food security challenge will become more difficult, as the world will need to produce about 70 percent more food by 2050 to feed an estimated 9 billion people. The challenge is exacerbated by the extreme vulnerability of agriculture to climate change. The negative effects of climate change are already being felt in the form of rising temperatures, weather variability, shifts in agricultural ecosystem boundaries, invasive crops and pests, and more frequent extreme weather events. In the field, climate change is reducing crop yields, the nutritional quality of major cereals, and livestock productivity. Substantial investment in adaptation will be required to achieve increases in production and food quality to maintain current yields and meet demand.”
Obversely, agriculture is also contributing to climatic challenges. It currently generates 19–29% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Without remedial actions, this percentage could increase substantially. Notwithstanding, the Indian agriculture industry has not taken any effective steps in this direction.

Towards solutions

Climate-smart agriculture

Climate uncertainties have raised the need to adopt the concept of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change on agricultural systems in India.

Climate-smart agriculture is rooted in sustainable agriculture and rural development objectives which, if achieved, will contribute to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing hunger and better environmental management.

Smart Farming

Smart farming refers to the application of modern information and communication technology (ICT) in agriculture. It promises to revolutionize the world of agriculture through the application of supported and driven solutions such as the Internet of Things (IoT), actuators and sensors, geo-positioning systems, drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), precision instruments, robotics, Big Data, Analytics, etc. Smart farming has real potential to deliver tangibly efficient and sustainable agricultural production through data-driven insights helping in calculated decisions and better resource management.

From the farmer's perspective, smart farming will provide the farmer with the tools to make better decisions and more efficient operations and management.

Some Government Schemes & Initiatives paving ways toward the Solution

The government is promoting the adoption of smart farming methods through the use of technology and innovation in the agriculture sector in the country. The government is implementing a Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM) which includes India's Digital Agriculture Ecosystem (IDEA), Farmer Database, Unified Farmer Service Interface (UFSI), Soil Health Scheme, Soil fertility and profile mapping scheme, etc . Central Government is also funding to States on New Technology (NEGPA). The government is also promoting schemes such as The Per Drop More Crop component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY-PDMC) aiming to enhance water use efficiency at the farm level through micro-irrigation technologies. The government is also reviving Mahalanobis National Crop Forecasting Center (MNCFC),

Under the NEGPA program, funding is provided to state governments for digital agriculture projects using emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), and the Internet of Things (IoT). Block chain etc. Even drone technologies are being promoted & adopted. The government is supporting start-ups and agri-preneurs to promote smart farming.

Conclusion

Third Green Revolution or Agriculture 4.0 in India

Smart farming and IoT-driven agriculture are paving the way for what can be called the Third Green Revolution or Agriculture 4.0. After the plant breeding and genetics revolutions, the third green revolution is taking over agriculture. In the future, the smart farming revolution portends optimally efficient management of pesticides and fertilizer reducing overuse of chemicals and thus abuse of soil. IoT technologies will enable better food traceability, resulting in enhanced food safety. It would also be beneficial to the environment by promoting efficient use of water, or optimization of treatment and inputs.
Therefore, smart farming has real potential to provide a more productive and sustainable form of agricultural production based on a more precise and resource-efficient approach. There is a need to emphasize the balanced use of chemical and organic agricultural inputs in smart ways of doing agriculture.

The new farms would finally realize the eternal dream of mankind. This will feed our population, which is expected to grow to 9.8 billion by 2050. A more sustainable and natural agriculture can play an important role in promoting environmental protection.