Role of Modern Technology in Agriculture
The agriculture sector forms only about 18 percent of India’s GDP despite employing almost. Despite 65 percent of the total workforce. significant improvement in
food grain production, there are several challenge to tackle as the government aims to increase agricultural production as share of GDP.
Agriculture in India is largely dependent on nature, but climate and global warming issues make farming unpredictable. The need of the hour is to educate
farmers in the use of modern technology and innovative approaches productivity and raise profitability.
Agriculture development practices over a while have been perceived to exploit natural resources
faster than they could be renewed. Exponential growth in the human population has resulted in
demand for food and shelter “natural” carrying capacity of the land is under pressure to provide.
Natural imbalance is visible in pollution, soil degradation, wildlife population decline, and human
created alterations of flora and fauna. It is reasonable to assume that human population growth will
continue and place greater demands on the agree ecosystem Thus, technology has and will continue to play a major role in agriculture and sustainable development going forward.
Technology has a major role in farming and agriculture practices; and with the advent of digital
technology, The scope has widened. Innovation in agriculture is leading an evolution in agricultural
practices, thereby reducing losses and increasing efficiency. This is positively impacting farmers.
The use of digital and analytic tools is driving continuous improvement in agriculture, and the trend
is here to stay, resulting in improving crop yields and helping to increase the income of the farming community.
| The role of modern technology is significant in agricultural development; and with the advent of digital technology, the scope has widened. Innovation is leading to an evolution in agricultural practices, reducing losses and increasing efficiency. |
IMPORTANCE OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURE
Technology in agriculture affects many areas of agriculture, such as fertilizers, pesticides,
seed technology, etc. Biotechnology and genetic engineering have resulted in pest resistance
and increased crop yields. Mechanization has led to efficient tilling. harvesting, and a reduction
in manual labor. Irrigation methods and transportation systems have improved, processing
machinery has reduced wastage, etc, and the effect is visible in all areas.
New age technologies focus on robotics, agriculture, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology,
and more. In 1960, during the Green Revolution, India managed to achieve self sufficiency in food
grain production by leveraging modern methods of agriculture like chemical fertilizers and pesticides,
higher quality seeds, and proper irrigation.
USES OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURE
Improved productivity from the mechanization of agriculture– Manual labor and hand tools used in agriculture have limitations in terms of energy and output, especially in tropical environments. Resistance to agricultural mechanization, especially among smallholder farmers due to accessibility. cost, and maintenance issues, often acts as a detrimental factor. To reduce manual labor and make processes faster, combine harvesters are finding greater use.
Agriculture Sensors– Communications technology has evolved rapidly in India and made smart farming a possibility. Sensors are now being used in agriculture to provide data to farmers to monitor and optimize crops given the environmental conditions and challenges.
IMPACT OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY ON AGRICULTURE
Technologies can enable the transition of modern agriculture in the field. While some technologies have transformed the way we operate, there is a need for spreading technological advancements in agriculture,
like artificial intelligence and machine vision.
The use of modern technology in agriculture can enable millions of farmers to benefit from the acquisition of real time farm information.
Farmers can have ready availability of weather information and disaster warning, and also have instant access to farm data.
| Having a range of technologies enables the transition of modern agriculture in the field. There are many promising trends and pilot projects in modern technology in agriculture. |
S M SEHGAL FOUNDATION PROMOTES TECHNOLOGY Role of Modern Technology in Agriculture
The Agriculture Development program at S M Sehgal Foundation promotes sustainable livelihoods by building the capacities of farmers, including women producers, with improved agricultural practices and new technologies that increase crop yields, conserve water, and improve soil fertility.
The team works with small holder farmers in rain fed and irrigated areas to facilitate. The team works with small holder farmers in rain fed and irrigated areas to facilitate the adoption of improved and advanced agricultural practices that include soil health management, crop production management, input use efficiency, small farm mechanization, water efficient irrigation techniques, horticultural development, livestock management, use of information and communication technology in agriculture.
Helping farmers to achieve food security in India requires uplifting and enhancing a lot of the farming community by increasing their income. Intervention in agriculture through modern technology and mechanization has the potential to address hunger and malnutrition as well as challenges such challenges such as poverty, water and energy use, climate change, and others.
FARM MECHANIZATION
- Paddy thresher: Through the Gram Utkarsh Project, Britisher Pal, a farmer of village Chakanur, acquired an electric paddy thresher machine that helps separate the grain from the crop. The paddy thresher has saved time and labor costs needed for crop threshing and has also enabled Britisher to earn extra income from renting out the machine to fellow farmers.
- Drill. A seed drill is another farm mechanization tool that helps farmers at the time of sowing. Farmer Inderjeet Singh, from village Chakpura Miyan Khurd, used the seed drill he received under the project. He shares multiple benefits, such as penetration of the seed at the right depth in the soil, along with manure, even distribution of seeds, water saving, use of less seed, good sprouting, and of course financial savings.
- Solar sprayer. Kamlesh Pandey, from village Kalahari, put a solar sprayer to use in his field with the help of this project. He shares that he can now do the spraying himself, and one bight can be covered in thirty minutes, winch earlier was more time consuming and required manual labor.
CONCLUSION
The world population is slated to grow to about 9 billion by 2050. The challenge is to find ways and means to produce enough to feed it. The challenge of reducing acreage under agriculture and food wastage in production and distribution is having a major impact on the world. The increasing role of technology in agriculture to address these issues is the only way forward to a food secure future. Technology can help save foreign exchange for countries, increase productivity, and lead to an improvement in the overall standard of farmer communities.