Maarg Manthan · Topic 11.13

Use of Information Technology in Agriculture

Geography › Agriculture and Crop Geography · Topic 11.13

Information technology is being used in Indian agriculture to give farmers better information, markets and services. Tools include weather and crop advisories by mobile phone, satellite remote sensing for crop area and yield estimates, drones for spraying and surveys, soil testing apps, precision farming with sensors, online markets such as e-NAM, digital land records, and AgriStack, a digital database of farmers, land and crops. The Digital Agriculture Mission was approved in 2024. Challenges include the digital divide, small farm size, cost and data privacy.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Agriculture and Crop Geography

At a Glance

Markets e-NAM (2016)
Data AgriStack, farmer registry
Remote sensing FASAL crop forecasts
Drones Namo Drone Didi (2023)
Mission Digital Agriculture Mission, 2024
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Agriculture and Crop Geography

Where Does It Fit?

This topic closes the general part of the macro with the technologies that are changing farming. After this, the macro turns to the individual crops, beginning with wheat. Previous topic: Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture and Sustainable Agriculture Practices. Next topic: Wheat: Growing Conditions, Varieties, Cultivation, Production Pattern, International Trade.

Which Digital Tools Are Used?

Tool	Use
Mobile advisories	Weather, pest and market information by SMS and apps: mKisan, Kisan Suvidha, Meghdoot (IMD and ICAR), and the voice-based Kisan Call Centre
Remote sensing and GIS	ISRO’s satellites estimate crop area and production (FASAL and CHAMAN programmes), monitor drought and floods, and map soils
Drones	Spraying of nutrients and pesticides, crop surveys; the Namo Drone Didi scheme (2023) trains women self-help groups to operate drones
Precision agriculture	Soil and moisture sensors, GPS-guided machines and variable-rate application of inputs to use water and fertiliser exactly
e-NAM (2016)	A national online trading platform linking regulated mandis, for transparent price discovery
Digital payments and credit	Direct benefit transfer of PM-KISAN, digital Kisan Credit Cards, and credit scoring
Land records	Digitisation under DILRMP and SVAMITVA, as in Land Use Pattern in India and Land Reform (Institutional Factors)
Artificial intelligence and data	Crop disease detection, yield prediction, and the multilingual voice tool Bhashini

What Is AgriStack and the Digital Agriculture Mission?

AgriStack: a collection of digital public infrastructure for agriculture, with three registries: the Farmers Registry (a unique farmer ID linked to land records), the Geo-referenced Village Maps, and the Crop Sown Registry from the digital crop survey. Together they enable targeted schemes, easier credit and insurance, and better planning.
Digital Agriculture Mission (2024): approved by the Union Cabinet with an outlay of about Rs 2,817 crore, to build digital public infrastructure, the digital general crop estimation survey and other projects.
Digital crop survey: field data of the crops sown plot by plot, via mobile app, replacing manual girdawari.
Other efforts: the National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture, the Agri-Tech start-ups ecosystem, and the use of blockchain for traceability of produce.

The details of the mission and its funds should be checked in official notices, since schemes are revised.

What Are the Benefits and the Challenges?

Benefits: timely information, better prices and reduced middlemen, lower input use and cost, quicker and fairer insurance claims, early warning of pests and weather, and stronger planning by government with real-time crop data.
Challenges: small and fragmented holdings that make precision tools costly; poor connectivity, power and digital literacy in villages, especially among women and older farmers; language barriers; the cost of drones and sensors; and the risk that farmers who are not in the registries are left out.
Data concerns: privacy and ownership of farm data, and the danger of control by large firms, which require a data protection framework.
Way forward: shared services through farmer producer organisations and custom hiring centres, local-language tools, training, and public-private partnerships.

Examples show what is possible: farmers in Maharashtra and Karnataka use sensor-based drip systems to cut water use; apps use photographs to identify crop disease; and pilot projects have linked satellite data with insurance, so that payouts are triggered by rainfall or yield estimates instead of slow field inspection. Start-ups offer drones, cold-chain tracking and direct farm-to-consumer supply. Skill training of rural youth as drone pilots and data collectors creates new jobs. At the same time, the success of such tools depends on reliable power, mobile networks and trust, so that public extension workers and farmer organisations remain important. As an analytical point, technology is a means to raise income and cut risk, but works best when combined with markets, credit and extension. The market and price side is in Agricultural Labour and Price Policy, and horticulture’s logistics in Horticulture Sector in India.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Current affairs AgriStack and the 2024 mission
Tools Remote sensing and drones
Barriers Digital divide

What Came Next?

The next topic starts the crop-wise study with wheat: growing conditions, varieties, production and trade. Next topic: Wheat: Growing Conditions, Varieties, Cultivation, Production Pattern, International Trade.

Key People and Terms

AgriStack Digital public infrastructure for agriculture
Precision farming Exact input use by site
FASAL Crop forecasting by remote sensing
e-NAM Online agriculture market
Drone Unmanned aerial vehicle
Digital divide Gap in access to technology

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

e-NAM was launched in 2016.
AgriStack has three registries.
Digital Agriculture Mission: 2024.
Namo Drone Didi: 2023.
ISRO runs FASAL for crop forecasts.

Do Not Confuse With

e-NAM and AgriStack Online market versus farmer and land data
Remote sensing and precision farming Satellite monitoring versus field-level input control
mKisan and Kisan Suvidha Two different farmer information apps

Memory Hook

Phone, satellite, drone and stack: advice, forecast, spray and data on track.

Mains Angle

Questions ask for the promise and limits of digital tools for farmers. These points add depth.

Tools Advisory, markets, data
Benefit Income and risk
Gap Access and privacy

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Examine how information technology can transform Indian agriculture and discuss the constraints in its adoption by small farmers.”

How to Answer

Tools Mobile, satellite, drones.
Platforms e-NAM, AgriStack.
Benefits Income and risk.
Constraints Digital divide, data.

GS Relevance

Prelims: AgriStack, e-NAM, Digital Agriculture Mission, drones. GS Paper 3: technology in agriculture.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is AgriStack?

AgriStack is a set of digital public infrastructure for agriculture in India, with three main registries: a Farmers Registry linked to land records, geo-referenced village maps and a Crop Sown Registry from a digital crop survey. It aims to make schemes, credit, insurance and planning more targeted and efficient.

What is e-NAM?

The Electronic National Agriculture Market, launched in April 2016, is an online trading platform that connects regulated agricultural markets, or mandis, across states. It aims for transparent price discovery, a wider choice of buyers for farmers and reduced dependence on local intermediaries.

How is remote sensing used in Indian agriculture?

ISRO's satellites and remote sensing programmes such as FASAL estimate the area and production of major crops before harvest, monitor drought and floods, map soils and land use, and support crop insurance. This gives timely and objective data for planning and for assessing losses.

What is the Namo Drone Didi scheme?

The Namo Drone Didi scheme, announced in 2023, provides drones to women self-help groups and trains them to operate the drones for services such as spraying of liquid fertilisers and pesticides on farms. It aims to bring technology to farms and create income for rural women.

What are the challenges of digital agriculture for small farmers?

Small and fragmented landholdings make precision tools costly, rural areas often lack good connectivity, power and digital skills, language barriers limit app use, and women and older farmers are often left out. There are also concerns over data privacy and the control of farm data by large firms.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 e-NAM is an online market for agricultural produce.

True

Launched in 2016.

2 AgriStack has only a farmers registry.

False

It has three registries.

3 Drones can be used to spray fertilisers on crops.