What Is Digital Agriculture?
Along the agricultural value chain, digital agriculture refers to tools that digitally gather, store, analyze, and distribute electronic data and/or information. Precision agriculture is part of digital agriculture, which is sometimes known as “smart farming” or “e-agricultural.” Digital agriculture, unlike precision agriculture, has an impact on the entire agri-food value chain, including before, during, and after on-farm production. As a result, precision agriculture and digital agriculture encompass on-farm technologies such as yield mapping, GPS guidance systems, and variable-rate application. Digital agriculture, on the other hand, encompasses e-commerce platforms, e-extension services, warehouse receipt systems, block chain-enabled food traceability systems, tractor rental apps, and so forth, but not precision agriculture.
Why Do We Need It?
By 2050, the world’s population is expected to reach 9.6 billion people. Even if arable land and freshwater resources are fast depleting, this would result in a large increase in food consumption. As a result, the agricultural sector must be up-scaled, upgraded, and modified.
This problem could be solved with digital technology. The Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Nano Technology, among other things, are gaining traction as part of Industry 4.0. It has transformed the industrial process and is affecting the farming process and value chain significantly. To improve output quality, produce pest and disease resistance seeds, and so on, the farming industry is adopting genome editing and smart breeding technologies, as well as merging digital AI-based technologies with microbial soil mapping.
Digitization In India
Agriculture sector digitization is well-accepted and recognized in India. The cost of producing is the most important factor of farming. Here comes the role of digital technology, which can pinpoint the type of seed, soil preparation quality, soil health analysis, moisture percentage estimation, real-time crop analysis, and other factors to offer farmers with accurate information.
With the use of IoT and analytical technologies, harvesting can also be improved. The best time to harvest a crop guarantees that the crop’s nutritional content is at its peak.
Author’s Thoughts
Digital tools are useful not just in the farming process, but also in the post-harvest phase, which involves pricing, storage, transportation, and logistics. These instruments, in addition to providing market data, aid in maximizing produce value and ensuring the efficient and sustainable use of resources.
Despite the fact that initiatives to digitalize Indian agriculture have begun, digital technology adoption is still in its infancy. The prevalence of segregated small-holder farms in the country, which makes data collection a difficult task, is cited by CII as the primary reason for the sluggish adoption process.