Agriculture

KEY POINTS

·         Indian farmers practice their profession in the most adhoc manner possibly using gut feel, intuition or by blindly following legacy practices.

·         If there is something missing in their process, it is data and data-based decision making. In other words, precision.

Precision Farming

·         Precision farming or agriculture is about doing the right thing, in the right place, in the right way, at the right time.

·         Precision farming is one where all critical decisions taken on the field by farmers is based on data and technology that interprets the data for them to make a value judgement.

·         It manages crop production inputs such as water, seed, fertilizer etc to increase yield, quality, profit, reduce waste and becomes eco-friendly.

·         The intent is to match agricultural inputs and practices as per crop and agro-climatic conditions to improve the accuracy of their applications.

Some of those techniques includes –  

·         Fitting the tractors with sensors to help farmers till the land to the exact depth that the crop needs.

·         Watering the crops by measuring soil moisture using sensors.

·         Using satellite imagery to identify nutrient level in the soil and taking remedial actions based on the need.

Benefits

·         Reduce input costs.

·         Brings in a measure of accuracy.

·         Enhance productivity in agriculture.

·         Reduce chemical use in crop production.

·         Encourage efficient use of water resources.

·         Prevents soil degradation in cultivable land.

·         Dissemination of modern farm practices will improve quality & quantity of agricultural crops.

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