Digital Agriculture: Farmers in India are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to increase crop yields
Digital Agriculture: Farmers in India are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to increase crop yields
Welcome to digital agriculture, where technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud Machine Learning, Satellite Imagery and advanced analytics are empowering small-holder farmers to increase their income through higher crop yield and greater price control
Thousands of farmers across Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Karnataka waited to get a text message before they sowed the seeds. The SMS, which was delivered in regional language Telugu and Kannada, told them when to sow their seeds crops.
Some villages in Telengana, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra,based on weather conditions and crop stage, farmers are receiving automated voice calls that tell them whether their cotton crops are at risk of a pest attack. Meanwhile in Karnataka, the state government can get price forecasts for essential commodities such as tur (split red gram) three months in advance for planning for the Minimal Support Price (MSP).
Artificial Intelligence-based sowing advisories lead to 30% higher yields
“Sowing date as such is very critical to ensure that farmers harvest a good crop. And if it fails, it results in loss as a most of costs are incurred for seeds, as well as the fertilizer applications,” says Dr. Suhas P. Wani, Director, Asia Region, of the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), a non-profit, non-political organization that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world.
Microsoft in collaboration with ICRISAT, developed an Artificial Intelligence Sowing Apps powered by Microsoft Cortana Intelligence Suite including Machine Learning and Power BI. The app sends sowing advice to participating farmers on the optimal date to sow. The good thing is – the farmers do not need to install any hardware or sensor in their farms or incur any capital expenditure. All farmers need is a feature mobile phone capable of receiving text messages.
