Mechanizing Indian Agriculture with precision farming technologies: Challenges and perspective Agrawal K. N.1,*, Bangale R. A.2 1Project Coordinator, ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Nabi Bagh, Berasia Road, Bhopal-462038, Madhya Pradesh, India 2SRF, AICRP on Farm Implements and Machinery, ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Nabi Bagh, Berasia Road, Bhopal-462038, Madhya Pradesh, India *Corresponding Author kamal.agrawal@icar.gov.in
Online Published on 10 January, 2024. Abstract India’s agri-food production will face a formidable task of feeding about 1.7 billion people by 2050 using limited cultivable land, water and energy resources. Farm Mechanization is the only option and is the need of the hour to ensure timeliness of operation, reduce drudgery and increase farm productivity. Traditional farm mechanization technologies require further upgradation to ensure application of right inputs in right amount at right time and at right place. The capacity to automate the collection and documentation of data, as well as the incorporation of this data into strategic agricultural management decisions on the field through sensing, communication technologies and application equipment are need of the hour to further improve land productivity and optimum utilization of inputs. The potential applications of precision farming technologies in the farm mechanization are development of automation and energy efficiency alternatives of power units, smart farm machines for various agricultural operations such as seedbed preparation, sowing and planting, fertilizer application, irrigation, weed and pest management, harvesting, crop health monitoring, etc. Different organizations of the National Agricultural Research System (ICAR institutes, SAUs) and national institutes such as IITs are working in the field of application of precision technologies for different application in agriculture. Govt. of India is also promoting Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAVs/Drone(s)) for their use in agriculture. An effort has been made to provide an overview of recent research in the area of precision farming done by various agencies. The challenges and future requirements are discussed to understand how precision farming technologies can provide digital solutions in the Indian farm. Top Keywords Precision farming, Farm mechanization, Drone, Digital technology. Top |