Context

• Innovative farming practices are ushering in a new agricultural era, one that is more sustainable, efficient, and resilient. It brings a remarkable transformation  through the combination of cutting-edge technologies  and novel approaches.  

Emerging Farming Practices

1. Precision Agriculture:

• Precision Agriculture is a management approach that involves collecting, processing, and analysing temporal, spatial, and individual data. This data is then integrated with other information to aid management decisions based on  estimated variability, aiming to enhance resource utilisation efficiency, productivity, quality, profitability,  and sustainability in agricultural production.
• Precision agriculture allows farmers to precisely regulate inputs such as water, fertiliser, and pesticides, leading to higher efficiency and less waste.  

2. Smart Farming:  

• Smart farming combines Internet of Things (IoT) devices with connectivity to form a networked and automated agricultural ecosystem comprised of sensors, actuators, and intelligent equipment that collect and exchange data in real time. 
• It is a new term that refers to managing farms with IoT, robotics, drones, and artificial  intelligence (AI) to boost the number and quality of  products while optimising the human labour required for production. 
• Modern agriculture is increasingly reliant on automated machinery, such as self-driving tractors and robotic harvesters. These technologies reduce farmers’ physical workload while increasing precision and efficiency in tasks such as planting, harvesting, and weed control. 

3. Vertical Farming and Controlled-Environment Agriculture: 

• Vertical farming and controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) involve growing crops in stacked layers or under regulated conditions, such as greenhouses or hydroponic systems. 
• Vertical farming maximises land use efficiency while minimising the environmental impact of traditional farming operations. 
• Farmers may establish ideal circumstances for plant development all year by using artificial lighting, climate control, and fertiliser solutions. This not only increases agricultural yields but also enables crop growth in climatically vulnerable areas. 

4. Blockchain Technology in Agriculture:

• Blockchain technology is making its way into agriculture by improving transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain. 
• Farmers, wholesalers, and consumers can use blockchain to keep a secure and unalterable record of all agricultural product transactions and movements. 
• This ensures the authenticity of food products, lowers the danger of fraud, and allows consumers to make informed decisions about the origin and quality of their foods. 

Digital Farming Techniques 

• Digital farming approaches include a wide range of technologies and strategies used to optimise agricultural processes with digital tools. 

1. Technologies in Precision Agriculture: 

• A key element of precision agriculture is GPS technology. It enables farmers to plan their fields precisely, which makes it easier for machines to navigate and apply resources in the right places. 
• Additional technologies, such as the use of field based sensors, offer real-time information on crop health, nutrient levels, and soil moisture. 
• Weather stations and environmental sensors are examples of IoT equipment that add to a thorough knowledge of the farm’s conditions. 

2 Drones: 

• High-resolution photographs of fields are taken by drones fitted with cameras and sensors (crop monitoring). 
• Farmers can spot problem regions, including pest infestations, nutrient shortages, or water stress, with the use of this aerial imagery. Surveying vast areas quickly and effectively is made possible by drones. 

3. Automated Technology: 

• Without the need for direct human assistance, automated equipment with GPS and sensor technology can carry out operations including planting, harvesting, and ploughing (autonomous tractors and harvesters). 
• This guarantees accuracy in farming operations while simultaneously lowering labour expenses. 

4. Variable Rate Technology (VRT): 

• It enables the application of inputs such as water, herbicides, and fertilisers to a field at different rates. 
• This method makes sure resources are applied exactly where and when they are needed by considering the spatial variability of crop and soil conditions. 

5. Smart Irrigation System: 

• Soil moisture sensors are used by smart irrigation systems to calculate the amount and timing of water that crops require. 
• By doing this, excessive irrigation is avoided, protecting water supplies and enhancing crop health.

6. Robots for Agricultural Operations: 

• The usage of robots for agricultural operations is growing. These autonomous vehicles can go across fields, effectively harvesting crops or spotting and eliminating weeds. 
• Robotics decreases the need for physical labour while increasing efficiency.  

7. Machine Learning: 

• To forecast crop yields, disease outbreaks, and market trends, machine learning algorithms examine both historical and current data (crop prediction models). 
• Farmers may now make proactive decisions and modify their plans in  response to situations that are predicted through these predictive analytics.  

8. Digital Twins: 

• Digital twins create virtual replicas of physical farms. This allows farmers to  simulate and optimise various scenarios before implementing changes in the real world. Digital twins contribute to efficient planning and resource  management.  

Digital Divide 

• The digital divide in the realm of digital agriculture represents a significant challenge that has far-reaching implications for the equitable adoption and benefits of technological advancements in farming practices. 
• This divide manifests in disparities related to access, connectivity, and technological literacy among various stakeholders in the agricultural sector. 
• This divide not only widens existing disparities between rural and urban/developed and less-developed areas but also between large commercial farms and smaller, resource-constrained agricultural enterprises. 
• Efforts to enhance digital literacy, provide affordable access to technology, and implement supportive policies are essential in narrowing this gap and promoting an inclusive and technologically advanced agricultural landscape. 
• Promotion of the FPOs is a potential option to tackle the issue of the digital divide. 

Conditions for Digital Transformation 

• The digital transformation of agriculture is influenced by various factors across different contexts. 
• The fundamental conditions necessary for technology utilisation encompass availability, connectivity, affordability, integration of information and communication technology (ICT) in education, and the implementation of supportive policies and programmes, such as those related to e-government, to promote digital strategies. 
• Additionally, there are enabling conditions, often referred to as ‘enablers,’ which contribute to the smoother adoption of technologies. 
• These include the widespread use of the internet, mobile phones, and social media. 
• Digitalisation is crucial for Indian agriculture to enhance competitiveness and achieve self-sustainability.

Way Forward 

• India’s National AI Strategy seeks to unlock the economic and societal advantages presented by the technology. Additionally, it acknowledges agriculture as a key sector for the deployment of AI-driven solutions.
• ‘Agriculture 4.0’ has gained popularity during the last decade. Agriculture 4.0 is the seamless integration of internal and external networking in farming processes, much like Industry 4.0. 
• This means that all facets of farm operations must have digital information, electronic contact must exist with outside parties like suppliers and consumers, and automated data transfer, processing, and analysis procedures must be the norm. 
• Agriculture 5.0 is envisioned to centre around robotics and various forms of artificial intelligence. 
• With the advent of FPOs in India, there is a great opportunity for digital agriculture to cover the whole agricultural value chain, from upstream operations like cultivation and inputs to downstream activities like post-harvest handling and value addition like food processing. 
• The FPOs facilitate the connection between farmers, their produce, and the market. Furthermore, FPOs make technology more accessible and inexpensive, which helps all parties involved — even the smallest-scale farmers—and creates a win-win situation.