India is a country inclined to agriculture activities with over 140 million hectares of cultivable land and 3,000 different crops. The history dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization. From there on, the nation has been adopting and revolutionizing agriculture sectors with smart farming methods and solutions.
But, the hike in population and the massive number of malnourished people within the country calls for a paradigm shift in India's agriculture sector. In this technologically advanced world, it is clear that the intervention of data into farming is the only threshold that can reshape the agriculture industry.
Can Big Data Come to Rescue India’s Agriculture?
According to popular research, around 2.5 quintillion data is produced each day. Big data is opening up new horizons of opportunities in every sector, and industries are looking forward to making utmost use of the data available. Likewise, data analysis can also help farmers transform the agricultural value chain by producing and interconnecting data from nooks and crannies of the world.
Lack of AI and technology integrated research on India's farming system is one of the reasons for rising farmer suicides. Advanced study and research on crop phenology are needed to lift India from the old agricultural system that struggles to cope with changing climate and geography.
Role of Data in Integrating Agriculture Value Chain?
Big data has the capacity to improve production with minimal cost and enable innovative and precision farming. Data-enabled precision farming not only improves productivity but also boosts the economy. Moreover, it helps in the effective management of water and minimises environmental impact.
From the analysis of seed varieties and selection of proper agri-inputs to finding the right price, data helps farmers utilise the resources productively and reap maximum profit. For instance, data collected from remote satellites and visual data from drones can let farmers identify the crop patterns over the years, duration and months of production, and revenues earned.
It can also predict the arrival of pests and forecast weather. With satellites detecting farm boundaries, identifying water sources nearby as well as detecting soil moisture would become almost instantaneous. Big data assists farmers to:
- Check soil types
- Control irrigations
- Gain real-time price & updates
- Find the right market as well
With data compilation and analytics, farmers would be able to get updated information related to agriculture on a daily, weekly or monthly basis and also would be able to check previous data without delay. In a nutshell, It increases greater visibility of supply chains and higher accuracy in predicting supply behaviour over time.
The proliferation of mobile technologies in rural areas can assist in connecting farmers to retailers and wholesale dealers, offering opportunities to deliver tailored products for the market.
Also, while over 20 tonnes of grains are lost every year due to the shortage of transportation or storage facilities, data can ensure that no crops produced are wasted. The loss can also be reduced by scheduling the production of crops from the previous year's data.
Accessing global data can even let farmers know about worldwide demand and export surplus crops. This also enhances the cultivation of scarce crops increasing the export value of products.
Explore the Next Level Agritech Trend & Headway towards Growth
India, being the producer of 11 per cent of global agriculture, is looking forward to a green revolution enhanced by data. Adopting neoteric technique will help Indian farmers to stamp a unique stature in the agriculture sectors.
Only with the efficient use of agritech trends can India improve its farmlands and meet the nightmare of food scarcity. Thus, we need to adopt a systematic business model for sustainable farming and unlock valuable insights on agriculture to renovate the industry. Incorporating the new trends and Machine Learning into agriculture will help India leap ahead and unleash its full potential.
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