Role of Computers and Technology in

AGRICULTUREPresented by-Garima AhujaGobind Raj Singh

CONTENTS Introduction

Modern Agriculture

Environmental Information System

Remote Sensing and GIS

Talking Book

Soil and Seed Development

Agribusiness

Agmarknet

e-Choupal

Research

Precision Farming

Agriculture Marketing

Learnings

INTRODUCTION

India is the second most populous country in the world.

Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy.

It contributes around 26% to the total GDP.

It provides livelihood to about 65% of the labour force and accounts for 8.56% of India’s exports.

Modern Agriculture

Advanced Machinery

Advanced Technology

IT- extension education-extension workers disseminate information, techniques among farmers. E.g:- Kissan Sewa Kendra

Environmental Information System (ENVIS)

Created by Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.

Headquarters in Delhi and it has 25 centers all over the country.

The centers work for generating a network of database in areas like pollution control, clean technologies, remote sensing, coastal ecology, biodiversity, wildlife, Himalayan ecology, mining etc.

Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS)

Satellite Imageries

Superimposing thematic maps in a layered form in computer using software.

Approach of Monsoon, Ozone layer Depletion, Smog etc.

Remote Sensing

GIS

WEATHER FORCASTING

Technical Updates

Websites

Farmers crop database can be managed.

Crop Information Service System. E.g- Kiosks

TALKING BOOK

SOIL DEVELOPMENT

Technology is dramatically increasing the amount of land each farmer can work effectively.

Using the GPS vocational device and sensors in the field, farmers can harvest, along with their crops, detailed digital maps of their fields.

Precise application reduces waste and improves yield

SEEDS DEVELOPMENT

Remote management of grain storage facility for high quality of agricultural products

Remote environmental monitoring system via the Internet

Real-time monitoring and analysis of temperature variation in the storage facility

Collection and distribution of crop growth stage information and pest information using GPS (Global Positioning System)

Agribusiness

Online Trading Recent rapid growth in the availability of online

commodity trading has allowed many amateur investors to trade on the commodity market from their own home or business.

Agmarknet To fully utilize the new emerging trade

opportunities for the benefit of farming community, there is a felt need to establish an ICT based "Agricultural Marketing Information Network' in the country.

e-Choupal

ITC's Agri Business Division, one of India's largest exporters of agricultural commodities, has conceived e-Choupal as a more efficient supply chain aimed at delivering value to its customers around the world on a sustainable basis.

The e-Choupal model has been specifically designed to tackle the challenges posed by the unique features of Indian agriculture, characterised by fragmented farms, weak infrastructure and the involvement of numerous intermediaries, among others.

Research

Training Project Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals (ISAP) is a non-

government, not-for-profit organisation incorporated in 2001, under Section 25 of the Indian Companies Act. It is the largest network of farmers in India spread across several states and also the largest network of agriculture and allied sector professionals in India.

Expert systemAgridaksh, a tool for building online expert system for various crops, has been developed at division of computer applications, Indian Agricultural statistics research institute, New Delhi.

Agridaksh has modules on knowledge model creation, knowledge acquisition, problem identification, knowledge retrieval, ask questions to experts and administration.

Agridaksh enables domain experts to build online expert system in their crops with minimal intervention of knowledge engineers and programmes.

Precision farming

Precision Farming(Site Specific Crop Management) is generally defined as an information and technology based management system to identify, analyse and manage variably within fields for optimum sustainability, profitability and protection of the land resource.

In this mode of farming, new information technologies are used to make better decisions about many aspects of crop production.

It involves looking at the increased efficiencies that can be realised by understanding and dealing with natural variability found within a field.

Agricultural Marketing

Agricultural marketing covers the services involved in moving an agricultural product from the farm to the consumer.

Numerous interconnected activities are involved in doing this, such as planning production, growing and harvesting, grading, packing, transport, storage, agro- and food processing, distribution, advertising and sale.

Support to developing countries with agricultural marketing development is carried out by various donor organizations and there is a trend for countries to develop their own Agricultural Marketing or Agribusiness units, often attached to ministries of agriculture

Learnings

We believe that, particularly in the case of agriculture, there is a great potential of benefit from IT.

The framework for an IT-based agricultural information dissemination system is in progress in India at a high pace.

It can be rightly said that various farmers are being benefited from the IT intervention in agriculture sector.

It is one of the most important areas in the near future for agricultural development.

References

http://www.buzzle.com

www.pau.edu

http:/agcensus.nic.in

http://agmarknet.nic.in