The agriculture sector forms almost about 18 percent of India’s GDP despite employing almost 65 percent of the total workforce. Even with significant improvement in food grain production, there are several challenges to tackle as the government aims to increase agricultural production as a share of GDP.
Over a while agricultural development practices have been perceived to exploit natural resources faster than they could be renewed. Exponential growth in the human population has resulted in demand for food and shelter, which the “natural” carrying capacity of the land is under pressure to provide.
It is reasonable to assume that human population growth will continue and place greater demands on the agriculture ecosystem of India. Thus, technology has and will continue to play a major role in agriculture and sustainable development going forward.
The role of modern technology is significant in agricultural development, and with the advent of digital technology, the scope has widened. Innovation is leading to an evolution in agricultural practices, reducing losses and increasing efficiency.
Importance Of Modern Technology In Agriculture In India
Technology in agriculture affects many areas of agriculture, such as fertilizers, pesticides, seed technology, etc. Biotechnology and genetic engineering have resulted in pest resistance and increased crop yields. Mechanization has led to:
Raju Kumar Chaudhry, a progressive farmer from Muzaffarpur, Bihar, adopted a subsidized potato planter through the Gram Utthan project in 2017. The machine helps him save about ₹3,500 per acre in labor costs while boosting yields by up to 66 quintals/acre, and he now motivates fellow farmers to adopt it.
- Efficient tilling, harvesting, and a reduction in manual labor.
- Irrigation methods and transportation systems have improved, processing machinery has reduced wastage, etc., and the effect is visible in all areas.
- New-age technologies focus on robotics, precision agriculture, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, and more.
In 1960, during the Green Revolution, India managed to achieve self-sufficiency in foodgrain production by leveraging modern methods of agriculture like chemical fertilizers, pesticides, higher quality seeds, and proper irrigation.
The introduction of tractors was followed by new tillage and harvesting equipment, irrigation methods, and air seeding technology, all leading to improved quality of the food and fiber.
Farmers can leverage scientific data and technology to enhance crop yields and keep themselves abreast of cutting-edge methods of farming.
So, let’s understand how these emerging technologies are changing the way farmers used to work and how these changes are impacting agriculture.
Emerging Technologies In Agriculture In India
One of the most significant advancements in agriculture is improved productivity; it’s crucial that moving forward and capacity building is important. From mechanised tools like tractors like harvesters to data driven solutions, modern technology has a role to play for the advancement in agriculture, such as:
- Improved productivity from the mechanization of agriculture – To reduce manual labor and make processes faster, combine harvesters are finding greater use. Indian farming is characterized by small landholdings, and the need is to partner with others to take advantage of modern machines.
- Capacity building – Farmers through hand-holding, making modern machines available especially to small farms, and tackling affordability issues through policy will lead to greater adoption of mechanization services going forward.
- Climate/ weather prediction through artificial intelligence – A major advance in agriculture is the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Modern equipment and tools based on AI enable data gathering and assist in precision farming and informed decision-making.
- IoT Technology – Drones, remote sensors, and satellites gather 24/7 data on weather patterns in and around the fields, providing farmers with vital information on temperature, rainfall, soil, humidity, etc.
However, AI finds slow acceptance in a country like India, where marginal farming, fragmented landholdings, and other reasons act as impediments. But there is no doubt that AI and other modern technologies can bring precision to large-scale farming and lead to an exponential rise in productivity.
- Resilient crops developed via the use of biotechnology – The spinoff of biotechnology in agriculture has resulted in all-around benefits for farmers and end consumers. Though some controversial approaches have led to resistance to the adoption of biotechnology, there is no doubt that the future of agriculture is heavily dependent on SAFE biotechnology, given the changing climate and increase in population.
- Agriculture Sensors – Communications technology has evolved rapidly in India and made smart farming a possibility. Sensors are now being used in agriculture to provide data to farmers to monitor and optimize crops given the environmental conditions and challenges.
- Improving farm yields and supply chain management using Big Data – Big data is slated to play a major role in smart farming, and the benefits spread across the entire supply chain and the markets. Agriculture is becoming larger, and it depends on a large number of variables.
- Livestock monitoring – Chips and body sensors measure vital parameters and indicators that could detect illness early and prevent herd infection. Similarly, ultrasounds are a useful tool to judge the quality of meat. This helps control and improve the quality of the meat. These uses help prevent disease outbreaks and are crucial in large-scale livestock management.
- Monitor and Control Crop Irrigation Systems through Smartphones – With technologies like these, farmers can control their irrigation systems via smartphones and computers instead of driving to each field. Moisture sensors planted underground can provide information regarding the moisture levels present at certain depths in the soil.
Impact of Modern Technology on Agriculture
Technologies can enable the transition of modern agriculture in the field. While some technologies have transformed the way we operate, there is a need for spreading technological advancements in agriculture, like artificial intelligence and machine vision.
The use of modern technology in agriculture can enable millions of farmers to benefit from the acquisition of real-time farm information.
Farmers can have ready availability of weather information and disaster warnings and also have instant access to farm data.
Mandi Automation solution would digitalise the traditional retail channel and help farmers connect their produce to intermediaries and institutional buyers.
Having a range of technologies enables the transition of modern agriculture in the field. There are many promising trends and pilot projects in modern technology in agriculture.
For example: Village level entrepreneurs use of analysis of soils and drainage, crop health monitoring, yield prediction, and pesticide and fertiliser spot spraying.
S M Sehgal Foundation Promoting Technology In Indian Agriculture
The Agriculture Development program at S M Sehgal Foundation promotes sustainable livelihoods by building the capacities of farmers, including women producers, with improved agricultural practices and new technologies that increase crop yields, conserve water, and improve soil fertility.
The team works with small-holder farmers in rain-fed and irrigated areas to facilitate the adoption of improved and advanced agricultural practices that include soil health management, crop production management, input-use efficiency, small farm mechanization, water-efficient irrigation techniques, horticultural development, livestock management, use of information and communication technology (ICT) in agriculture.
Helping farmers to achieve food security in India requires uplifting and enhancing a lot of the farming community by increasing their income.
Intervention in agriculture through modern technology and mechanization has the potential to address hunger and malnutrition as well as challenges such as poverty, water and energy use, climate change, and others.
Farm Mechanization
S M Sehgal Foundation in partnership with GE has implemented the Gram Utkarsh project in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, to help farmers make agriculture more rewarding. Some of the areas this scheme has been able to help with in terms of farm mechanization:
- Paddy threshers – Through the Gram Utkarsh Project, Brijesh Pal, a farmer of village Chakanur, acquired an electric paddy thresher machine that helps separate the grain from the crop. The paddy thresher has saved time and labor costs needed for crop threshing and has also enabled Brijesh to earn extra income from renting out the machine to fellow farmers.
- Drills – A seed drill is another farm mechanization tool that helps farmers at the time of sowing. Farmer Inderjeet Singh, from village Chakpura Miyan Khurd, used the seed drill he received under the project. he shares multiple benefits, such as penetration of the seed at the right depth in the soil, along with manure, even distribution of seeds, water-saving, use of less seed, good sprouting, and of course financial savings.
- Solar sprayers – Kamlesh Pandey, from village Rahikala, put a solar sprayer to use in his field with the help of this project. He shares that he can now do the spraying himself, and one bigha can be covered in thirty minutes, which earlier was more time-consuming and required manual labor. Yet another example of pioneering work in the area of mechanization has been the Gram Utthan of PTC Foundation, which is implemented by the S M Sehgal Foundation.
Chalitar Bhagat is a progressive farmer of Nariar village of Motipur block, Muzaffarpur, Bihar. He has been associated with this project since 2017. Chalitar says, “Getting timely agricultural labor is a major problem in agriculture. It increases the cost of production and so the profits decrease. Hence mechanization in agriculture is beneficial for farmers.”
In 2018, the project team provided a subsidized zero tillage machine to Chalitar and trained him on its operation. Now he uses the machine in his field and is an entrepreneur by renting his service to neighboring villages such as Pakhnaha Shivram, Akuraha, Prasad, Puraina, Bhilaipur, Birpur, and others. After using the machine for more than three years, Chalitar says that it has revolutionized his farming and life. The Agriculture Development program at S M Sehgal Foundation promotes new modern technology in agricultural development in India.
Csr Project With Sm Sehgal Foundation- Laser Land Leveling
As part of its commitment to sustainable agriculture and farmer empowerment S M Sehgal Foundation with support from CSR partners, has been involved in introducing modern technologies to modern farming technologies to rural communities. For example:
The use of modern technology in land leveling has helped Ayyaz in reducing the time and cost of irrigation. A CSR-supported project implemented by S M Sehgal Foundation educated him about the multiple benefits of laser land leveling, and he decided to try this practice on one acre of his two-acre land.
Out of the total cost of renting, which is INR 2,250 for laser leveling one acre of his farm, he received the support of INR 800 from the project, as he was a first-time implementer, and it would be a demonstration for other farmers.
After implementing laser land leveling, Ayyaz shares that this practice reduced the cost and time of irrigation by about half. Earlier it used to take him 10–11 hours to irrigate his one-acre wheat field once, which cost him INR 90 per hour, and he had to undertake five such irrigations, which cost him a total of INR 4,500.
After laser leveling, it took him only six hours to irrigate the field, which resulted in saving INR 1,800. This technique also improved crop productivity due to the even distribution of water and fertilizers in the field.
Conclusion
The world population is slated to grow to about 9 billion by 2050. The challenge is to find ways and means to produce enough to feed it.
The challenge of reducing acreage under agriculture and food wastage in production and distribution is having a major impact on the world. The increasing role of technology in agriculture to address these issues is the only way forward to a food-secure future.
The increasing role of technology in agriculture to address these issues is the only way forward to a food-secure future. Together we can build a food-secure future for India by leveraging the role of science and technology in agriculture. Read more to partner with SMS Foundation today.
FAQs
S M Sehgal Foundation helps promote mechanization, efficient water irrigation methods, and soil health management. The farmers trained under SM Sehgal foundation under its programs have reduced costs and increased yields with efficient resources.
Some of the most important emergent technologies in agriculture include artificial intelligence for the detection of crop disease, Internet of things (IOT) farming with real world applications, and robotics for harvesting.
Modern technology enables farmers to overcome a lot of environmental conditions, such as Climate-resilient seeds, Weather forecasting, Drones and remote sensing, Solar power pumps and warehouses.
The future of agriculture depends on the use of modern technology with climate-smart solutions combining new technology like AI, IOT and drones for resilient crop yield.
The farm mechanisation helps reduce manual labor, saves time and efficiency in sowing season, harvesting, and irrigation. Technologies like laser land levelling can save irrigation water.
Contact us 
Sign up for