Adoption of digital technologies in agriculture has been increasing at a fast pace. Technology in agriculture, conjointly called ag-tech, has chop-chop modified the trade. Individuals within the industry—farmers, food producers, etc.—must embrace the digital transformation trends in agriculture. By mistreatment technology as a property and ascendible resource, we are able to take agriculture to new heights. The web of Things (IoT) is simplifying and streamlining the gathering, scrutiny and overall distribution of agricultural resources mistreatment sensors on instrumentality and materials. Robotics inside agriculture will improve productivity and end in higher and quicker yields. Drones used for spraying and weeding will cut back agro-chemical use unbelievably. The foremost innovative piece of digital transformation is that the ability to use machine learning and advanced analytics to mine information for trends. This will begin means before planting seeds mistreatment plant breeders.
Digitalization of agri-business, which involves leveraging massive amounts of data from agricultural equipment, soil, weather, seeds and chemicals, using modern computer science to automate agriculture, is playing a key role in meeting global food demand. Indian ag-tech startups—nearly 500 of them—in the hunt for sustainable farming solutions for a rapidly-rising population are changing the face of agriculture.
With the global smart farming market set to grow at a CAGR of 20.27 per cent to reach US$ 25 billion by 2021, India is at the threshold as it is home to one-fifth of the global small-hold farmers. Numerous farm-level applications of digital technology, including remote sensing, geographic information system (GIS), crop and soil health monitoring, and livestock and farm management, have been making their mark. At the pre-harvest level, digital technology can recommend crop and input selection, and assist in obtaining credit and insurance, weather advisories, and disease- and pest-related assistance through data generation. Advanced analytics allow farmers to make smart decisions about farming and benefit from economical use of inputs and labor.
However, farmers are always challenged to grow more while coping with volatile weather conditions to meet the rising demand for food of higher quality. This demand for improving efficiency on inputs and outputs, and various technologies has led to improved efficiency. The Indian agri-business sector stands to greatly benefit from the numerous innovative digital technologies across farm, post farm, processing, market and logistics stages that have emerged in the recent past. This article highlights some of the key digital technologies that can truly transform India’s agri-business sector.