Harnessing precision farming technology for climate-smart agriculture: Empowering farmers' prosperity

ROHIT lall, Joint Project Director, National Committee on Precision Agriculture and Horticulture, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India

Climate change presents significant challenges to the agrifood sector, affecting producers' incomes and food security. Recent climate-smart innovations in agrifood that enhance producers' incomes while promoting sustainable solutions among farmers will make a big difference to the farming community. Precision agriculture, a key climate-smart innovation, employs advanced technologies and techniques to maximise resource efficiency and enhance crop yields. These technologies allow for targeted and efficient resource use, minimising waste and environmental impact. Let’s explore how precision farming will promote sustainability by reducing the ecological footprint of agricultural activities.

Agriculture remains the cornerstone of India’s economy, serving as the primary source of livelihood for nearly half of the country’s workforce. As such, advancements in agriculture directly impact the prosperity of a significant portion of the population, particularly those with lower incomes. However, the sector faces formidable challenges exacerbated by the effects of climate change, including extreme weather events and shifting seasons, which pose serious threats to agricultural productivity and farmer incomes. Addressing these challenges is crucial to ensuring the long-term sustainability and economic viability of the agrifood sector.

Moreover, India’s agricultural landscape exhibits considerable regional disparities, stemming from factors such as suboptimal input utilisation, limited access to modern technology, and stagnant technological innovation. Additionally, farmers often struggle to realise profitable prices for their produce due to inefficiencies in the agricultural marketing system, resulting in dwindling farm sizes and a decline in land cultivation, as farmers migrate in search of better job opportunities elsewhere. Because land leasing laws make it risky to lease land, increasingly, productive land is being left uncultivated. The dominance of paddy cultivation in Kharif and wheat in Rabi seasons further underscores the need for diversification toward high-value agricultural commodities such as fruits, vegetables, and animal products such as milk, poultry, fish and meat, driven by increasing incomes and urbanisation. Although per capita consumption of food grains has declined over the years, its total demand has been projected to increase due to the rise in population. To facilitate growth in productivity, it is important to ensure that farmers receive lucrative prices for their produce.

In response to these challenges, precision agriculture has emerged as a promising solution, with both central and state governments actively promoting its adoption. Notably, initiatives such as the centre’s flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) - Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) have significantly expanded micro irrigation coverage across the country, making notable strides on the global irrigation landscape. The robust participation of over 300 registered micro irrigation system suppliers registered under the PDMC scheme reflects the growing momentum toward precision agriculture adoption. Today over 15 mega hectares (mha) have been covered under micro irrigation across the country. Additionally, a conducive business environment has incentivised a greater number of Micro Irrigation Systems (MIS) suppliers to expand their manufacturing capacities, further

propelling the growth of the sector. Precision agriculture holds immense potential to enhance agricultural productivity, mitigate the impact of climate change, and improve farmer livelihoods. As India strives towards agricultural prosperity, continued support and investment in precision farming technologies will be pivotal in realising these goals.

Key benefits of Micro Irrigation reported during 2015-2020

Research conducted by NITI Aayog following the successful implementation of PMKSY highlights the following benefits from the adoption of MIS:

● Increase in crop productivity: Notable increases were observed across various regions including Andhra Pradesh (30 -100 per cent) Karnataka (30 -80 per cent) Tamil Nadu (30 per cent), Bihar (20 - 60 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (90- 95 per cent), Punjab (4060 per cent), and Ranchi district of Jharkhand (60 per cent)

● Reduction in fertiliser consumption: Significant reductions were noted in Karnataka (30- 40 per cent), and Punjab (43 per cent).

● Reduction in power consumption: Substantial decreases were observed in Andhra Pradesh (20-25 per cent), Bihar (80 per cent), Punjab (46 per cent), Karnataka (25- 40 per cent), and Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh (25-30 per cent)

● Saving of labour: Considerable reductions in labour requirements were reported in Kishanganj district of Bihar and Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh (50 per cent),

Andhra Pradesh (20- 40 per cent), and

Punjab (44 per cent).

● Reduction in pesticide consumption: Decreases were recorded in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu (10 per cent), and Andhra Pradesh (19 per cent).

Furthermore, more than 10,000 km of canals have been lined with plastic film and millions of tonnes of food grains are now stored under Cover and Plinth (CAP) covers. Additionally, significant progress has been made in various areas such as nursery bags, plastic sachets for liquid milk packaging, and crates and boxes for agricultural and horticultural produce handling and packaging.

Despite the current area under greenhouse application ranging from 10,000 to 15000 hectare in the country, there remains substantial untapped potential in states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Jammu & Kashmir, and the Northeastern states, where climatic conditions are unfavourable for open-field cultivation. The success of year-round quality produce cultivation in adverse climatic conditions and difficult terrains, such as the LehLadakh regions, has only been possible through the introduction of modern and innovative inputs combined with technical expertise.

The cultivation in greenhouses not only yields manifold production of quality produce, but also holds relevance in Indian conditions by offering on-farm employment opportunities to our rural youth.

For decades, our farmers have tried various materials as mulches such as dry leaf, paddy straw, paddy husk, trash, saw dust, dry grass, dry sugarcane leaves, dry coconut leaves, coconut husk, etc., for reducing water evaporation losses, checking weed growth, and creating a microclimate that regulates soil temperature, humidity and microbial activity. Although these materials have their benefits, they have their weaknesses and cost disadvantages.

This has led to the adoption of plastic films as mulches, which has become increasingly popular among Indian farmers. Currently, approximately 20,000 to 30,000 hectares are under plastic mulching in India, with significant expansion occurring after the launch of the flagship scheme Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), which provides financial assistance for the adoption of these indirect inputs.

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare is actively promoting protected cultivation under the MIDH scheme by providing financial assistance to growers for the adoption of these capital-intensive farming interventions. This aims to enhance productivity and quality of produce, facilitate off-season cultivation, and work towards doubling farmers’ income by 2022 through the integration of technological interventions and available expertise.

In addition to higher productivity, this sector has also attracted rural youth and provided better livelihood options for agriprenuers. The government is also focusing on skill development

through its Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), where the Agriculture Skill Council of India (ASCI) plays a pivotal role in affiliating and engaging various organisations to create employment opportunities in this sector.

There are also state schemes promoting these technologies with financial assistance to growers. Despite the efforts mentioned above, there is still a wide gap and untapped potential of these technologies in the country due to a lack of welldefined and required specifications, availability of designs suitable for agro-climatic regions, and choice of products. Even though the technology has been promoted for more than decades in the country, the presence of local manufacturers and desired expertise is limited to a few players.

Presently, based on available information, most parts of the country have developed or constructed polyhouses and other such structures without assessing the need, requirements, right specifications/ products or by hearsay, resulting in the untapped potential of the technology.

Much needed developments in plastics, such as crop covers and specialty films with desired properties to suit different crops, have made farming more remunerative and controlled, resulting in better quality produce. This not only significantly adds to the food basket but also provides self-sufficiency in many crops. Controlled usage of agri-inputs such as water and fertilisers through Micro Irrigation (MI) technologies, coupled with plastic mulch and polyhouses, have proven to be a real asset to Indian farmers. These efforts are supported by government schemes and their revision as needed to support new and innovative technologies and to encourage more players towards the Make-inindia mission.

Digital agriculture uses new and advanced technologies, integrated into one system, to enable farmers and other stakeholders within the agriculture value chain to improve food production. The resulting combined data is analysed and interpreted, allowing farmers to make more informed decisions. These decisions enable farmers to get real-time feedback on the impact of their actions. Technologies used include sensors, communication networks, Unmanned Aviation Systems (UAS), Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics and other advanced machinery, often drawing on the principles of the Internet of Things (IOT).

However, the ‘digitalisation’ of agriculture and the food value chain faces certain challenges to overcome. Issues such as cybersecurity and data protection, labour replacement and re-education and the risk of creating a digital divide between economies, sectors or individuals with differing abilities to adopt new technologies need to be addressed. Digital agriculture has the potential to advance many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS), but SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 6 (Availability and Sustainable Management of Water) are of paramount importance for Indian agriculture.

Climate change presents significant challenges to the agrifood sector, affecting producers' incomes and food security. Recent climate-smart innovations in agrifood that enhance producers' incomes while promoting sustainable solutions among farmers will make a big difference to the farming community. The importance of addressing climate change in the agrifood sector and its impact on producers' incomes is introduced. Climate-smart Agriculture and its core principles are defined, emphasising the significance of adopting climate-smart practices for the agrifood industry, with potential benefits in productivity, resilience, and income generation for producers.

Precision agriculture, a key climate-smart innovation, employs advanced technologies and techniques to maximise resource efficiency and enhance crop yields. These technologies allow for targeted and efficient resource use, minimising waste and environmental impact. Precision farming practices not only enhance productivity but also promote sustainability by reducing the ecological footprint of agricultural activities.

Digital twins in farming involve creating a virtual farm replica by integrating data from sensors, satellite imagery, and weather forecasts. Farmers use digital twins to visualise and analyse scenarios, enabling data-driven decisions on crop planning, resource allocation, and risk management.

The technology facilitates proactive planning, resource optimisation, and resilience building, empowering farmers to anticipate and adapt to changing climate conditions. Ultimately, digital twins enhance productivity and sustainability in agriculture.

Adopting a holistic ecosystem approach to address challenges faced by the

Indian agriculture sector is of national interest to achieve objectives like doubling farmer incomes and sustainable development. Thus, a multi-stakeholder approach will be required for the wide-scale adoption of digital agriculture in India, with the government playing a key enabler’s role in the ecosystem.

Traditionally, farming in India has relied on the intuitions and insights of farmers. However, due to uncertainties caused by environmental degradation and climate change, there is a high probability of their decisions going wrong. The solution requires data-backed farming that monitors crop, soil, and weather parameters at the hyperlocal level and uses data intelligence to make accurate on farm predictions delivering customised advisory to farmers.

Moreover, global climate change and other abiotic and biotic factors are impacting horticultural productivity, which is expected to worsen in the future. Consequently, current yield and quality cannot keep up with rapid population increases due to global climate change and shortages of horticulture practitioners.

Based on the principle of data as an asset, we have deployed an Ai-powered IOT platform that records a variety of growing conditions on the farm. It then uses artificial intelligence and data science to make accurate on-farm predictions, delivering advice to farmers. Agronomic algorithms for predicting crop disease/pests, optimum nutrient usage (fertilisers), and optimising water usage are modelled around nine parameters that measure the health of soil, plant, and weather.

A healthy crop can be guaranteed through careful monitoring of these parameters and maintaining them within a productive range from sowing till harvest. The behaviour of most crops is similar, except for differences in threshold levels where disease or yield drops are triggered. These differences in threshold levels for different crops are considered in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (ML/AI) algorithms specifically modelled for each crop.

Agri-iot Device

The Agri-iot device comprises eight sensors that capture weather parameters such as Temperature, Rainfall, Relative Humidity, Leaf Wetness, Leaf Temperature, and soil parameters like Soil Moisture, Soil Temperature, and Soil Electrical conductivity. The device includes a data logger with SIM connectivity and a memory card to store the raw data. Data is transmitted to the cloud every hour for further processing. AI/ ML algorithms are used to process the data in the cloud and provide accurate and personalised farm advisories to farmers. Temperature, humidity, and rainfall data from a single device are utilised for farms within a vicinity of up to 5 km to offer evapotranspiration-based irrigation advisory, disease/pest forewarning, and nutrient advisory. Meanwhile, the plot on which the device is installed receives sensor-based irrigation advisory.

The data collected from the device assists farmers in several key aspects:

● Pest and disease forewarning to facilitate proactive actions.

● Irrigation advisory to prevent over and under irrigation.

● Timely fertigation advisory to enhance yields.

● Weather alerts to align farm activities with actual weather data.

● Monitoring data and providing advisory using analytical models help farmers in optimising resources and productivity. The precision advisory offers several benefits:

● Cost savings in water, energy, fertilisers, and pesticide usage.

● Prevention of crop loss through weather condition monitoring.

● Real-time monitoring and alarm notification about farms, enabling early adjustments to reach optimal growth conditions.

● Insights, future predictions, and analytics to help farmers make data-driven decisions. Beyond monetary benefits, continuous monitoring of their fields benefits farmers by collecting data, generating insights, and storing them in the cloud for future use, such as soil improvement and crop rotation.

Conclusion

India, blessed with a skilled scientific/ technical workforce and abundant raw materials, can emerge as a key player on the global agri-map by adopting precision agriculture technologies. Creating awareness among growers for adopting these technologies and applications for cultivation, as well as focusing on developing disease-free quality produce through precision agriculture technologies, will play a crucial role in the future of Indian agriculture.