The government is promoting the adoption of smart farming methods through the use of technology and innovation in the country’s agricultural sector. The government is rolling out Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM) which includes India Digital Ecosystem for Agriculture (IDEA), Farmer Database, Unified Farmer Interface (UFSI), State Funding for New Technology (NeGPA), Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Center (MNCFC) revamp, Health soil, fertility and profile mapping. Under the NeGPA program, funds are provided to state governments for digital agriculture projects using emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Internet of Things (IOT), Blockchain, etc. Adoption of drone technology is underway.
To promote smart agriculture, the government supports startups in the agriculture sector and nurtures agribusiness. The Per Drop More Crop component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichai Yojana (PMKSY-PDMC) aims to increase water use efficiency at the farm level through micro-irrigation technologies i.e. drip and sprinkler irrigation systems. The Indonesian government has launched eNAM (National Agricultural Market), an e-commerce portal for farmers to network among the existing Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC).
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) promotes innovation, extension and education in agriculture. A total of 1,575 field crop varieties were released for various agricultural crops during 2014–21. During 2014-21, 91.43 million agro-advices were provided to farmers through mobiles. ICAR developed 187 mobile applications for various farm and farm services during 2014-21. These ICAR applications are now integrated on one common platform called KISAAN. The Farmer FIRST (Farm, Innovation, Resources, Science and Technology) initiative was launched by ICAR during this period with improved farmer-scientist interface to move beyond production and productivity. This information was given by the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
