Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
IFFCO Kisan plans to expand a pilot project on advisory services, aimed at increasing quality, yield and income of farmersedit
Financial Express – Online
Encouraged by over 90% accuracy in monitoring crops and guiding farmers through technology, IFFCO Kisan, a value-added service provider, plans to expand a pilot project on advisory services, aimed at increasing quality, yield and income of farmers.
“Farmers need to know problems on three-four major issues like water requirement, seeds, fertiliser and pests and a timely information and intervention proved to have helped increase the productivity and value of crops,” said Sandeep Malhotra, chief executive officer (CEO) of IFFCO Kisan. About 1,500 farmers were covered under a pilot project for five crops — wheat, paddy, soyabean, cotton and ginger — in select districts of Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, he said.
Leveraging Technology in Agriculture to Drive Better Farm Outputs in Rural Indiaedit
The CSR Journal – Online
On one of my recent visits to Raigad, I interacted with Shiva, a small farmer whose family has been practising agriculture for generations. Walking across his field, he was navigating between three apps. He subscribed to one of the apps through Swades; for monitoring his farm inputs and cultivation data, while the other two Shiva got as free downloads. My curiosity forced me to ask Shiva about the utility of these apps. He shared that he installed these apps a few months ago and they have provided him with good insights and information. But he was quick to add that he has not realized any monetary benefit, though he managed some of his farm operations ...
Odisha Farmer Realises His Dream With Expert Adviceedit
Odisha Bytes – Online
Being a student of science he always tries to implement the rules of science and technology in agriculture. Dibyaprakash, 25, of Village Aniapal, Block Koliana, Mayurbhanj, inherited farming as a livelihood from his father, Pratap Chandra Dey.
His family of three lives in a village situated on the bank of a river. He owns eight acres of land. On four acres, he cultivates paddy and vegetables like ladies finger, coccinia, pointed gourd, cucumber, ridge gourd during Kharif. In Rabi, he grows vegetables like brinjal, cabbage, cauliflower, peas, onion and sweet corn on two acres. His father used to follow the traditional methods of cultivation but there were issues of low production, low yield, and low ...
Technology in Agriculture
AI robots can now help harvest orchards. Here’s howedit
The Print – Online
It’s getting harder to find fruit pickers to harvest the world’s orchards. COVID-19 travel restrictions have prevented seasonal workers crossing borders, so some farmers are turning to AI drones to pick their crops.
Even before the pandemic, growers were finding it increasingly hard to recruit people for picking. In July 2019, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) warned of continued labour shortages.
Farmers “try to hire American workers, but there are not many takers – and those who do take farm jobs often quit before the season is over,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall.
Last year, with travel restrictions in place around the world, governments across Europe appealed to those who had lost their jobs in the pandemic ...Indian Farmers Can Increase Agriculture Output Using AI Tools: Studyedit
India Times – Online
Agriculture is a livelihood for a majority of India’s population. About three-fifths of the country’s land is used for agriculture–a sector that employs about 44 per cent of India’s total workforce and contributes less than 20 per cent to its GDP.
India faces multiple challenges despite being an agrarian economy. The farmers in the country are largely left at the mercy of weather, insufficient resources, supply chain inefficiencies and low productivity.
Stubble Burning
Winning against crop-stubble burningedit
Financial Express – Online
In the Patiala district of Punjab, Kripal Singh drives his tractor over the charred, black terrain of his farm. Fresh seeds are scattered in the soil, while over this tale of new beginnings hangs the dense smoke reeking of what came before it. Like Kripal, thousands of farmers in Haryana, Punjab and UP clear paddy stubble in their fields by setting it alight. An estimated 12-15 million tonnes of crop residue are burnt each year in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and western UP. The smoke from stubble burning is a major source of air pollution across northern India during October and November.