Conference on “Rural Transformation for Sustainable Growth”

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Track: Sustainable Agriculture & Farming

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[Organized jointly by African Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO), FICCI, WHEELS Global Foundation (WGF) - a Pan IIT Initiative (wheelsglobal.org), Stanford University Ideal Village Program (https://www.scienceforsociety.com) and Banaras Hindu University (BHU) (https://www.bhu.ac.in)]

Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi India

11- 13 November 2022.

Enhancing Farmers' Income through Strategic Agricultural Informatics Research and Development Program

Prof. Moni Madaswamy

eMail: moni@shobhituniversity.ac.in.

University Specialized Centres for Strengthening National Vision

• Centre for Agricultural Informatics and e-Governance Research Studies (CAIRS)

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• Centre for Agribusiness and Disaster Management Studies (CADMS)

• Centre for Informatics Development Solutions and Applications (CIDSA)

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• Centre for Industry 4.0 Technology Studies and Application (CITSA)

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• Centre for Health Informatics and Computing

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Prof. M. Moni

Professor Emeritus and Chairman (CAIRS, CADMS, CIDSA, CITSA & CHIC)

Shobhit Institute of Engineering & Technology Meerut

(Deemed To Be University)

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Former Director General

National informatics Centre

Government of India

New Delhi

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Chairman, ICFA Working Group on ICT in Food and Agriculture, New Delhi

• 1985-1990 :
• PSA to FM : Hon’ble Shri V. P. Singh, Former Finance Minister of India and Former Commerce Minister of India
• Project Director (DISNIC programme) to usher in Informatics revolution in district and to establish 28 Sectoral Database Development Programme for decision support
• 1990-2000
• National Conference on Informatics for Sustainable Agricultural Development (ISDA-95) : Motivated by Recommendations of the RIO Earth Summit 1992.
• IT Blueprint for Agricultural Sector – 15 Informatics Network – DNF – Digital Network for Farmers
• 2000-2013
• Digital Network for Farmers (DNF) : AGMARKNET, AGRISNET, FERTNET, SEEDNET, FISHNET, APHNET, HORTNET, COOPNET etc.
• SMART Village – one Model Village in each State and one in A&N Islands
• Agricultural Resources Information System Project
• e-Governance in Farming - NeGP
• National Animal Disease Reporting System (NADRS) networking about 7032 locations in the country
• May 2013 : Retired as Director General, National Informatics Centre after serving the Government for about 35 Years.

• Shobhit Institute of Engineering and Technology (Deemed To be University) Meerut

Professor Emeritus and Chairman :

• Centre for Agricultural Informatics and e-Governance Research Studies (CARIS)
• Centre for AgriBusiness and Disaster Management Studies (CADMIS)
• Centre for Informatics Development Studies and Applications (CIDSA)
• Centre for Industry 4.0 Technology Studies and Applications (CITSA)
• Centre for Health Informatics and Computing (CHIC)
• Doubling Farmers’ Income by 2022 Task Force
• Chairman of Sub-Groups
• Volume 11 – Agri Ext and ICT
• Volume 12 B : Digital Technology in Agriculture
• Former Chief Advisor (IT), DAC&FW, MOA&FW and Former Advisor (IT) – Delhi Development Authority, MOH&UA

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June 2013 …..

My Journey …..

• Broadband Highways,
• Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity
• Public Internet Access Programme
• e-Governance: Reforming Government through Technology
• e-Kranti - Electronic Delivery of Services
• Information for All
• Electronics Manufacturing
• IT for Jobs and Early Harvest Programmes.

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Each of these areas is a complex programme in itself and cuts across multiple Ministries and Departments

Digital India 2015 aims to provide the much needed thrust to the nine pillars of growth areas

Introduction

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• India aims to become a 5 Trillion Dollar Economy (TDE) by 2025 and 10 Trillion Dollar Economy (TDE) by 2030
• Shri Harish Manwani, Chairman of Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) (said to the shareholders at the HUL annual general meeting 2012)
• “Rural India is a powerhouse with the potential to add $1.8 trillion, or the equivalent of the current GDP, to the country's economy
• This potential can be realized only if Bharat and India merge.
• India needs Rural Manager and not students from Social Welfare Discipline.
• The World Economic Forum predicts that India will spend an estimated additional $1.6 Trillion by 2030 by aspirational and healthier foods (Saptaparna Biswas, 2021).
• The Ideal Village Conference 2022 aims at “Rural Transformation for Sustainable Growth” by adopting or promoting best practices in various areas viz., Agriculture and Farming, Water and Sanitation, Healthcare and Nutrition, Education and Skilling, Energy and Environment, Livelihoods and Sustainability, and views that such measures are relevant to define the future of global rural development.
• Such efforts are now to be aligned with the spectrum of “Amrit Kaal”, the 25-year-long leadup to India@100 i.e. 2047.

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Saptaparna Biswas (2021): “Plant-based meat takes centre stage on the Indian platter”, in Times of India News Paper dated 21 November 2021.

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• Agricultural efficiency has three components viz., technical efficiency, allocative efficiency and production efficiency. Related efficiency indicators are (i) land or production efficiency, (ii) labour efficiency, (iii) capital efficiency, (iv) farm income or profit efficiency.
• Information Theory of Claude Elwood Shannon (1948) to Internet of Things (IOT) of Kevin Ashton (1999) have impacted digital technological applications very decisively in various development fields.
• The Government of India, through its National informatics Centre (NIC), has introduced the District Information System on Agricultural System (Agriculture, Animal husbandry and Fisheries) in 1987, prepared the first IT Blue-Print for Agricultural Sector, through a National Conference on “Informatics for Sustainable Agricultural Development (ISDA)” in May 1995, and in 2005, launched the National e-Governance Programme in Agriculture (NeGP-A).
• The emerging GRIN (Genomics, Robotics, Informatics and Nanotechnology) Paradigm facilitates digitalization process in agricultural system very intensively, and has generated a great demand for agricultural informatics professionals, to bridge gap of ever increasing and evolving human resources for IT StartUps in farming sector throughout the Country, for attaining possible efficiency gains in the Agricultural Value System.

From Basic Farming to Productive Farming …..

“Digitalization of Agriculture in India”

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• Visionary Recommendations of the Ashok Dalwai Committee on Doubling Farmers Income by 2022 Report (2018)
• “Pathway for Agricultural Innovations and Smart Farming” in the country.
• This will, ultimately, facilitate establishing about 2.25 Lakhs AgriTech StartUps/ScaleUps, one in each Grampanchayat (Sub-District level Unit), in the Country.

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1. Digitalised Agriculture: Digital Technology and Innovation in Agriculture: Digital India, Make in India, Skill India and StartUp India Programmes for Transformational Reforms in Agricultural Sector
1. SMART Irrigated Agri System
2. SMART Rainfed Agri System
3. SMART Tribal Agri System
2. Digitalised Agro-Met Advisories & Agricultural Risk Management Solution;
3. Digitalized Agricultural Resources Information System and Micro-Level Planning for achieving SMART VILLAGE & SMART FARMING;
4. Digitalized Agricultural Value Chain from “Farms” to “Profits” – nearly about 400 Commodities;
5. Digitalised Access to Inputs, Technology, Knowledge, Skill, Agricultural Finance, Credit, Marketing and Agribusiness Management, to Farmers;
6. Digitalized Integrated Land and Water Management System – Per Drop More Crop;
7. Digitalized Farm Health Management (Plant Health, Animal Health, Soil Health, Water Health and Fish Health) for reduction of Farmers’ Losses.

Digital Technology in Agriculture: Strategic Recommendations (Source: DFI-2022 Volume 12 B Report)

8

Agriculture 4.0

(digitally empowered farming community)

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Industry 4.0

(digitally empowered industrial manufacturing –

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT),

Cyber Physical System,

3D Printing, Cloud Computing, and BIG Data)

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Society 5.0

(digitally empowered society – e.g. Japanese)

Digital India 2015

Make In India 2015

Skill India

2015

StartUp India 2015

StandUp India

2015

Atmanirbhar Bharat

2020

Digital Coonetcivity

Mission

2022

Doubling

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Farmers

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Income

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By

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2022

• Indian Agriculture confronts with its sheer complexity, inadequate factors of production, weather uncertainties, multiplicity of schemes and multiplicity of institutions, at farm level.
• Digital Network for Farmers (DNF) is a strength, wealth and prosperity for about 138.35 million farming households in India 2010-11 (Agricultural census)
• Marginal Scale Farmers (67%) : (< .5 Ha & 0.5 – 1.0 Ha)
• Small Scale Farmers (18%) : (1-2)
• Semi-Medium Scale Farmers: (10%) (2-3 & 3-4)
• Medium Scale Farmers (4.3%) (4-5, 5-7.5 & 7.5-10.0)
• Large Scale Farmers (0.7%) (10.0 – 20.0 & > = 20.0)
• Leverage on a mix of emerging and existing technologies for effective and inexpensive ICT penetration for productivity in farming sector:
• Input System,
• Production System,
• Output System &
• (Non-Farm) Rural Development.
• Bridging the Development Gaps in Human Resources for Informatisation of Farming Sector
• M.Tech in Agricultural Informatics
• B.Tech in Agricultural Informatics
• PG Diploma in Agricultural Informatics
• Diploma In Agricultural Informatics
• MBA in AgriBusiness Management

Eco System - Situational Analysis

SMART Farming : AI Design Pathways in Farm Management System

Future of Farming – Relevance of Agricultural Informatics Research and Development Ecosystem

• Agricultural Informatics emerges as a discipline out of Synergisation of both Computer Science & Technology and Agricultural Science & Technology. Acceleration of development and utilization of information system and technology, for better and sustainable agriculture and farming, through Agricultural Informatics, is called for.
• The Indian Agricultural Education System produces about 25000 agricultural graduates from about 400 Agricultural Colleges, and 1.5 Million engineering graduates are also passing out, every year. They have the bigger role to play in realizing “Agricultural Informatics” to the Farming community in the languages known to them.
• The “future of farming” will be mostly based on extensive research and development in the areas of Genomics, Robotics, Informatics and Nanotechnology (GRIN), and such intensification is being witnessed now in the Agricultural system.
• The Agricultural System (Research System, Input System, Production System, and Output System) built-in with effective ICT enabled “Information Systems”, is capable of delivering services in Indian local languages, for enhancing agricultural production, productivity and income rise.
• It requires about one Lakh of “Graduates-Ready through Agricultural Informatics” by 2025, for digital transformation of Agricultural System through Innovation (Agriculture 4.0).

• Developing future research strategies and recommendations based on available knowledge, to address the emerging matrix of the agricultural problems in a holistic manner by adopting BigData analytics, AI/ML algorithms, Remote Sensing/Drone Imagery analysis, Geo-Informatics Analytics etc., with potential to promote eco-friendly sustainable agriculture under a changing climate scenario, this Paper suggests to establish a Centre for Agricultural Informatics and e-Governance Research Studies (CAIRS), and also launch an M.Tech Course on Agricultural Informatics (2-Year programme) in every Higher Institutes of Education in India.

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• The Shobhit Institute of Engineering and Technology (Deemed to be University) Meerut is a pioneer and was instrumental in visualising “Agricultural Informatics” program in 2010 and designed M.Tech/PG Diploma/Diploma level courses, to motivate the rural youths to undertake agricultural transformation of Indian agricultural system through Agriculture Innovation and Smart Farming technologies, and adoption of Farm Extension 4.0.

I propose ….

• Agricultural information forms a diversified group with Scientists at the top, Extension Professionals, Administrators and Traders at the middle core, and the Farmers at the bottom.

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• The intrinsic relation between farmers and agricultural research, education and extension has extensively been deliberated, since the days of Green Revolution (GR) throughout the World. There are numerous field studies, in India, indicating that nearly about “60 per cent of farmers do not access to any source of information on advanced agricultural technologies, resulting in huge adoption gaps”.

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• There has been a consistent advocacy for fostering the current transformative shift underpinned by shift “from production to productivity” and “from commodities to value added products” - by “converting comparative advantages into competitiveness” using emerging technological marvels, in general and disruptive technologies, in particular which trigger rapid and revolutionary changes in processing, design and marketing of products.

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• The establishment of “Special Agriculture Economic Zones” facilitates the application of Science and Technology to all aspects of production of primary commodities and value added products.

Agriculture is a vocation which encompasses a long chain of activities which have to be integrated in such a manner that the value is added in a seamless manner at each of its stage from production to marketing, and ultimately to the consumption of its produce. This integrated value chain is dis-jointed and weak, and is never seamless as the broken chain is inefficiently connected through a range of intermediaries who take away unreasonable price of their ‘services’ without adding any equivalent value and thus fleecing both, the farmer as well as consumer, former with lower returns and later with higher price.

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In its search for developing a business model for connecting farmers to the consumers, several SMEs and StartUps, mostly through e-marketing of agricultural produce, have come up with considerable success, notwithstanding many failures as well.

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While most of the Ag-tech StartUps are struggling to sell their services / products which touch only a very small part of the value chain, SMEs and StartUps, which are also mostly SMEs, engaged in the entire value chain connecting farmers to the consumers, have all ingredients to scale up their initially successful operations.

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Agenda of creation of localized and sustainable value chains of, say one thousand farmers on average, would require hundred thousand such enterprises to cover 100 million farmers.

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There is a need for a Digital platform where successful StartUps / SME - Social Entrepreneurs (SEs) could approach to get a value chain integration facilitated. Such Platform does not exist now.

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Agenda for Agricultural Transformation Through Integrated Value Chains.

11. “Fisheries Informatics Network Value Chain: Business Plan for Fisheries Cooperatives to attract Investors”, by a panel of Experts - Mr. Balasubramanian Iyer, Regional Director, International Cooperative Alliance Asia and Pacific (www.icaap.coop), New Delhi; Shri Bimal Kumar Mishra, Managing Director (I/c) National Federation of Fishers Cooperatives Ltd, (FISHCOPFED), Delhi; Dr. Hema Yadav, Director, Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM), Pune; Shri Konduru Anil Babu, Chairman, Andhra Pradesh State Fishermen Cooperative Societies Federation Ltd, Vijayawada; Dr. Dinesan Cheruvat, Managing Director, Kerala State Cooperative Federation for Fisheries Development Ltd. (MATSYAFED), Thiruvananthapuram; Shri Sandeep S. Bari, Managing Director, Maharashtra Rajya Mechhimar Sahakari Sangh Ltd, Mandvi, Mumbai (did not participate due to illness); Shri Rajulal Debbarma, Executive Officer, Tripura Apex Fishery Co-Operative Society Limited (TAFCS Ltd.), Agartala;Ms. Nirjumoni Dutta Bharali, Program Director, ICCO (www.iccoindia.org), Guwahati; and Mr. Satyanarayana Raman, Chief Operating Officer, Millet Mart Ventures LLP, Pune, on 30^th July 2022;

Arambh 4.0 Technical Session with ICS Officers Trainee 2022 Batch: Dr. Paramesh Shah (The World Bank), Prof. Moni Madaswamy (CAIRS, SU) and Mr. Manoj Ahuja IAS (Secretary, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, GOI) at Statue of Unity, Kevadia, Gujarat on 28 Oct 2022.

On 7 Apr 2016 19:18, "RAKESH KUMAR GUPTA" <rakeshgupta2@pnb.co.in> wrote:

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Respected Prof. Moni,

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I applaud the publication of your wonderful work on much needed capacity building in Agriculture sector, especially the concept of e-farmers & Agri Polytechnic & Industrial Training Institutes.

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Really it is a wonderful document covering entire gamut of farmers’ woe & solutions.

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With regards,

Dr. Rakesh Gupta

General Manager

Punjab National Bank

India

• Under the Digital India Programme, the development of SMART Farmer, Smart Farming and SMART Village in an agricultural eco system, shall lead to a National Open Digital Eco System (NODE) of the Country.
• BharatNet connecting 2.25 lakh gram panchayats, with high speed internet bandwidth, can be viewed as the Digital Network for Farmers (DNF) and their Agricultural Value Chains.
• The proposed “7: digitalised farm health management for reduction farmer’s losses” will facilitate establishing health informatics value chain network involving human health, plant health, animal (including fishery) health, water health, soil health and air health promoting “One Health - Eco Health”.
• The Government of India has announced establishment of a National Institute of One Health (NIOH) in its 2021-22 Budget.

• The Health Informatics Network Value Chain (HIVC) is a trillion-dollar economy and a sunrise sector.

Farm Extension

(SMART FARMER,

SMART FARMING,

SMART VILLAGE) - SAMETI

Research

Extension

(KVK, ATARI, Research Stations, ATICs)

Agri/Hort/Flori/

Seri/Jute/Api

Extension

(ATMA) – ATICs, Farmers Clubs etc.

Livestock

Extension

(LTMA), ATICs, Farmers Clubs etc.

Fisheries

Extension

(FTMA) – FFDAs, BFFDAs, ATICs, Farmers Clubs etc.

Financial &

Insurance Inclusion – Banks, NABARD, PACS

Agri-Marketing,

(Commerce and Trade) &

Price Forecast

Non-Farm

(Rural)

Activities / Agro-Service Centres

Farm (NRM)

Planning

& Micro Level Planning (SAGY)

Agro-climatic

Advisory &

GAP Capacity Building

Input Dealers

(Agro-chemicals, Fertilizers, Seeds, Vet Pharmas etc.)

Irrigation

Extension

(WALMI) – Water User Organizations, Farmers Clubs etc

Agro-Ware-housing &

Cold Storage

Infrastructure

Farm Extension 4.0 StartUps

• India is a land of villages. Acharya Vinoba Bhave said: “India is largely an agricultural country (Krishi-Pradhan Desh) and a country of villages (Gram-Pradhan Desh) more than 6.25 Lakh Villages”.

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• The agricultural sector is the foundation of Indian economy, employs more than 50 per cent of India’s workforce and contributes almost 17–18 per cent of its GDP during FY 2020.

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• According to the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)’s Climate Vulnerability Index Report, 463 of India’s districts (2011 Census of India), which are home to 968 million people, are extremely vulnerable to climate events.

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• On the other hand, Indian farming community comprises of about 14.5 Crores operational holders, of which 85 per cent farmers have small and marginal size operational holdings, are in dire need of timely, location-specific, and personalised information for effective control on their production, risks and then market their produce to identified market opportunities.

• Adoption of Digital Technologies in Farming Sector
• Agricultural as an Academic and Research Discipline
• Agricultural Informatics Programmes at M. Tech, MBA and B. Tech Level
• Moving towards Digital Agriculture Platform Economy

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Way Forward

University Specialized Centres for Strengthening National Vision

Digitalisation of Agriculture : Pathway for Agricultural Innovation and SMART Farming - Some Reflections from Our Country

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Prof. Moni Madaswamy

Professor Emeritus & Chairman

Centre for Agricultural Informatics and e-Governance Research Studies (CAIRS)

&

Centre for Agribusiness and Disaster Management Studies (CADMS)

Shobhit Institute of Engineering and Technology Meerut

(Deemed to be University)

&

Former Director General, National Informatics Centre

Government of India, New Delhi

&

Chairman, ICFA Working Group on ICT in Food and Agriculture, New Delhi

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eMail: moni@shobhituniversity.ac.in

• Centre for Agricultural Informatics and e-Governance Research Studies (CAIRS)

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• Centre for Agribusiness and Disaster Management Studies (CADMS)

• Centre for Informatics Development Solutions and Applications (CIDSA)

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• Centre for Industry 4.0 Technology Studies and Application (CITSA)

• Centre for Health Informatics and Computing

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