Technology is making agriculture more rewarding
In recent decades, the number of technological applications in the Indian agricultural sector has increased significantly. This transition has been led by farm mechanization, which is enabling farmers to generate larger incomes. Other facets of agriculture were also developing technologically.
Micro irrigation, biotechnology, soil health cards, mobile money, and the use of mobile phones in various agricultural techniques are just a few of the technologies that have already left their mark in India. Moreover, a variety of additional technologies, including drones, GPS, weather mapping, and digitalized mapping, are widely used in the industry.
The unpredictable monsoon, high input costs for agriculture, limited financing availability, low prices for produce, insufficient market access, and numerous localized issues are some of the difficulties that Indian farmers must deal with. In addition to adopting farm mechanization, the industry also widened its view of cutting-edge technology that can usher in change. Keep reading to know more about how technology has contributed to the agriculture sector.
Drone: Flying High
Agricultural drones with the right sensors, in the opinion of technical experts, can be a useful instrument for crop management, boosting yield, regulating irrigation water, and administering pesticides and herbicides sparingly. The experts emphasise the use of drone-derived remote sensing data and space technology. The creation of a process for evaluating the information obtained from agricultural drones is necessary. The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) sells remote sensing data for the agriculture industry.
Farm mechanization
The era has moved on to advanced technologies after the involvement of numerous basic technologies in the agricultural industry. Making advanced technology available to small and marginal farmers will help academics, policymakers, the private sector, the academic community, and the commercial sector determine how best to use it.
Mechanization necessitates a certain amount of scale among the farmers, much like industrialization does. Farm mechanization in India has been steadily expanding as a result of rising farmer awareness about the merits of mechanization and numerous government initiatives put in place to promote it.
The machinery and equipment cannot be brought to every farmer’s field. Therefore, by establishing custom hiring centres, the corporate sector can play a crucial role in this. India, where agriculture accounts for about 55% of the population, has so far automated 40% of its farms. The potential provided by the remaining 60% of the landholding can be taken advantage of by putting greater effort into mechanizing small and marginal farmers and improving access to agricultural loans.
Advanced Technologies
Modern technologies are extremely relevant and have the capacity to address issues with productivity and the sector’s overall growth. A system of integrated services delivered by the public and corporate sectors, civil society, and farmer organizations is required.
Agriculture must be changed in a scientific way in order to overcome obstacles and feed the growing population. The availability of cutting-edge technology, the potential for scaling up and repeating their adoption at the farm level, the commercialization of agriculture, and the incubation and funding of such technologies will create a platform to reaffirm the necessity of going past mechanization and embracing technology adoption and its contribution to the overall growth and productivity enhancement.
Private-Public Partnerships
Due to ongoing R&D and innovations made by both the public and private sectors, technology utilization in Indian agriculture is poised to reach new heights. The Indian agriculture industry has demonstrated the effectiveness of innovations like precision farming, satellite soil and water mapping, hydroponics, and cutting-edge machinery that is energy-efficient and adaptable to local conditions. Ensuring the increased use of technology, the emphasis is turning toward improving the synergies between diverse stakeholders.
Both the private & public sectors have made major investments in research and development (R&D) and the creation of new technology to solve sustainable agriculture. Moreover, the public-private relationship in this area should be strengthened in order to make use of each party’s competitive advantage.
Final thought
Given that more than half of the population of India depends on agriculture, it must be the foundation of the Indian economy. Technologies would unavoidably impact both the farming industry and the economy as a whole.
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