Agriculture and the livelihood of nearly 60% of the India’s populace go hand in hand. With almost 151 million people working in the industry, India makes it to the list of top agricultural producers and agricultural marketplaces such as BadiKheti is growing with an unprecedented pace; overall, there is a significant impact by the agro-industry.
Today, with the manifestation of digitization in every industry, keeping the agricultural sector behind it shall not be fair to millions of those relying on their agro-produce for livelihood. With technology intervening in every industry and putting that exponent on top of every industry it touches, the country requires agritech to grace the largest industry of the country with its presence.
To give our farmers what they deserve for their hard work and thereby, help the rest of the population of the country, agritech is going to be the new sunlight. Let us see how.
Agritech benefits for increasing crop yield
Whether it’s the Shark Tank (a TV reality show showcasing entrepreneurs with their businesses) or the numerous schemes and bills in the name of the agricultural sector, agritech is now taking a leap everywhere. In the year 2021, the funding of the agritech sector increased by 4 times from what it was in 2020. It is the need of the hour and right of every farmer or individual directly or indirectly involved in the agro-industry. Agritech is what will become the crutch for Indian agriculture and rise above the ground.
Enhancing seed performance
The very foundation of any crop is its seed. The quality of seed is of utmost importance for any farmer to get the best yield of the crop. Farmers in India have been dependent on the peculiarities of whatever rudimentary tools and techs they have been provided with. Now is the time their stance be improved with the interference of newly invented technologies and some smart work. Agricultural scientists have long been working on this aspect of farmers’ lives. With the advent of biotechnology, an amelioration has been quite evident in the field of agriculture.
The use of seed technology to enhance the overall health of a seed including its physical and genetic traits is in use for long now. But, is this all enough? Indian farmers too need to catch up with the fast-paced world around them. For the same, the incorporation of new techs and tools in the old agricultural practices is immensely crucial. Upcoming agritech carrying smart farming methods is what will be the cure for their constant pain.
Big data in farming
If it can embrace any industry with efficiency, why not the agriculture industry? Seed production companies face a lot of big challenges to provide farmers with the best quality seeds for a content crop yield. Accuracy of data, tracing seeds for their quality, certification of seeds, etc. are some of them. Agritech can facilitate these companies to acquire the best quality seeds that are immune from diseases, have resilient character, are traceable, and provide satisfying yields.
Big data can be a huge support in the seed selection and production process. Deploying IoT-enabled drones and sensors can help pick the best in the field. whilst maintaining other information like weather, fertilization, soil quality, moisture, etc. Big data can be of much help to seed production and manufacturing companies and further equip farmers with a good foundation for the crop production process.
Predictive intelligence in use
Agriculture sensors, advanced data analytics, and other intelligent technologies are here to save farmers the pain of choosing the best land, soil, and seeds for their production. These provide the farmers with efficient real-time information on the land, soil type and quality, moisture, temperature, and other factors that might impact crop yield.
Most significantly, weather predictions are of great importance for the farmers. India, being a sub-tropical country, has a lot of fluctuations in climate, and with climate change existing for real, prediction of weather has taken a leap beyond demarcations. Now, months of the year are not very descriptive of the type of weather. Thus, artificial intelligence and predictive intelligence tools are a necessity for Indian farmers to save their crops right in time.
Minimizing the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides
With agritech in action, we will not only look towards minimizing the labor for farmers. In addition to providing convenient resources for farmers, we shall also look at the technology that helps in curtailing the use of harmful fertilizers and pesticides, thereby benefitting the end consumers. Farmers no longer have to make unorganized decisions about using water, fertilizers, and pesticides on their crops. They can acquire precise information from artificially intelligent tools about when and how many products to use on the crop.
Prescriptive analytics-the way ahead
Farmers seldom find it difficult to manage their crop after it has been finally produced and is ready for the market. With advanced data analytics and prescriptive analytics, technology can help them find the best buyers, and connect them to the community, applicators, harvesters, and planters. Digital monitors can create digital maps of these individuals and help the farmers in networking and connect with the required figure at the right time.
AI and ML to the rescue
Artificial intelligence is everywhere these days. When we say everywhere, we shall not be dropping this one industry that is of utmost importance to the country as a whole. Artificial Intelligence is modernizing Indian agriculture. Critical seed parameters can be classified in minutes using AI-based seed phenotyping. Seeds can be analyzed for their phenotypic characteristics and their health and yield predicted using ML models and algorithms. Images can be used to extract their shape, size, texture, and color, and classifications can be used to identify their distinctive signatures. With real-time reports that are easily accessible, AI/ML automation can offer an effective method for seed sorting in comparison to manual inspection.
Conclusion
Agritech is the way ahead for an agro-country like India. Agriculture has a huge role in the economy of the country and thus, should be saved at all costs. With the advent of newer technologies, agritech can be the face of a new agricultural revolution. There are several aspects of agritech that have and will help the industry grow exponentially thereby strengthening the farmers’ force of the country.
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