• UGI USER
  • Dec 23, 2022
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Innovation in Agriculture

Why in the News?

Recently, the government of India has taken various initiatives related to Agriculture by using Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

  • IoT is a computing concept that describes the idea of everyday physical objects being connected to the internet and being able to identify themselves to other devices.

What is the Need for IoT and AI in the Agriculture Sector?

  • Even though 58% of the population of the country still depends on agriculture as a source of income, technological adoption in the industry is still in its infancy and confronts numerous obstacles along the entire value chain.
  • These problems call for jarring interferences, which technological solutions like the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, etc. may offer.
  • Adopting AI technology can help increase productivity while making the most use of resources. It can also make predictive analysis, crop health management, and improving quality and traceability easier.
  • Smart agricultural practises are being adopted across the nation and are quickly emerging as a key trend.
  • Innovation in agriculture is crucial because current global technological developments are re-engineering both the upstream and downstream components of the agri value chain.
  • The agriculture sector may solve the difficulties of productivity, quality, traceability, and carbon emission with the use of cutting-edge AI technologies including IoT, ML (Machine Learning), cloud computing, statistical computing, deep learning, Virtual Reality (VR), and Augmented Reality (AR).

What is the Usage of AI in Agriculture?

  • Analyzing Farm Data:
    • Every day, farms generate tens of thousands of data points on the ground. Farmers may now use artificial intelligence (AI) to assess a range of data in real-time, including weather, temperature, water use, and soil conditions gathered from their farm, to better guide their decisions.
    • In an effort to raise output and improve agricultural precision, farmers are also employing AI to develop seasonal forecasting models.
  • Precision Agriculture:
    • AI is used in precision agriculture to help identify pests, malnourished plants, and plant diseases on farms.
    • Artificial intelligence (AI) sensors can identify and target weeds, then decide which herbicides to use within the appropriate buffer zone.
    • This aids in avoiding the overuse of herbicides and other substances that end up in our food.
    • By using precision agriculture, productivity would rise.

 

  • Tackling the Labour Challenge:
    • With fewer people entering the farming profession, most farms are facing the challenge of a workforce shortage.
    • One solution to help with this shortage of workers is AI agriculture bots. These bots augment the human labour workforce and are used in various forms. For example:
      • These bots can harvest crops at a higher volume and faster pace than human labourers, more accurately identify and eliminate weeds, and reduce costs for farms by having around the clock labour force.
      • Additionally, farmers are beginning to turn to chatbots for assistance. Chatbots help answer a variety of questions and provide advice and recommendations on specific farm problems.

What are the Related Initiatives taken?

  • National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber Physical Systems (NM-ICPS):
    • To promote innovation in cutting-edge technologies, the Ministry of Science and Technology launched it in 2018 with a budget of Rs. 3,660.00 crore over five years.
    • 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) have been established across the nation in prestigious institutions of national significance in advanced technology verticals as part of the Mission.
    • The Mission has the potential to serve as a growth engine for national efforts in the fields of industry 4.0, smart cities, sustainable development goals (SDGs), energy, environment, agriculture, health, and education.
  • Digital India initiatives:
    • The government has established Internet of Things Centers of Excellence as part of the Digital India programmes with the goal of enabling India to become a hub for IoT innovation through the democratisation of invention and the realisation of prototypes.
    • Agri-tech is one of the areas of focus for IoT Centers of Excellence, and it links numerous organisations like startups, businesses, venture capitalists, the government, and academia.
  • National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture:
    • Funding is provided to State Governments for Digital Agriculture initiatives utilising cutting-edge technologies like AI and ML, IoT, Block Chain, etc.
  • Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development:
    • This programme is running under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) from 2018–19 with the goal of fostering the ecosystem for incubation and promoting innovation and entrepreneurship through financial support.
    • Five Knowledge Partners (KPs) and 24 Agribusiness Incubators (R-ABIs) have been chosen nationwide in this regard.
    • The five KPs are:
      • National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad.
      • National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM) Jaipur.
      • Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) Pusa, New Delhi.
      • University of Agriculture Science, Dharwad, Karnataka.
      • Assam Agriculture University, Jorhat, Assam.

Way Forward

  • With the recent reforms in the agricultural industry, there is a chance that contract farming investments will expand and technology will be introduced for higher yields and productivity.
  • This will encourage the use of AI in agriculture even more. Scale-up investments from the public and private sectors are also necessary to support these AI solutions.
  • In India, the formation of agritech start-ups has increased dramatically due to the penetration of advanced technology and a supportive regulatory environment.
  • This can only be viewed as the beginning of the agriculture ecosystem’s integration of cutting-edge technologies like AI, ML, IoT, and blockchain.
  • These collective technologies come as a great boon to the agricultural sector which is heavily reliant on unpredictable climatic conditions.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Years Question (PYQ) Prelims

Q.1 With the present state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the following? (2020)

  1. Bring down electricity consumption in industrial units
  2. Create meaningful short stories and songs
  3. Disease diagnosis
  4. Text-to-Speech Conversion
  5. Wireless transmission of electrical energy

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only

(b) 1, 3 and 4 only

(c) 2, 4 and 5 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Ans: (b)

Q.2 When the alarm of your smartphone rings in the morning, you wake up and tap it to stop the alarm which causes your geyser to be switched on automatically. The smart mirror in your bathroom shows the day’s weather and also indicates the level of water in your overhead tank. After you take some groceries from your refrigerator for making breakfast, it recognises the shortage of stock in it and places an order for the supply of fresh grocery items. When you step out of your house and lock the door, all lights, fans, geysers and AC machines get switched off automatically. On your way to office, your car warns you about traffic congestion ahead and suggests an alternative route, and if you are late for a meeting, it sends a message to your office accordingly. (2018)

In the context of emerging communication technologies, which one of the following terms best applies to the above scenario?

(a) Border Gateway Protocol

(b) Internet of Things

(c) Internet Protocol

(d) Virtual Private Network

Ans: (b)

 

Mains

  1. How is science interwoven deeply with our lives? What are the striking changes in agriculture triggered off by science-based technologies? (2020)