UP PCS Mains-2024

Approach

• Give a brief about e-technology.
• Give examples of using it in the agriculture sector.
• Explain problems in e-technology use in the agriculture sector.
• Conclude with way forward angle

Introduction

E-technology focuses mainly on including the Internet and related information technologies in the performance of any activity. Its use in the agriculture sector is a tool to enhance agricultural productivity and empower the agriculturalists to take informed and quality decisions to boost agriculture and allied activities.

Body

The use of e-technology transformed agricultural practices:

• Information about government initiatives: It helps farmers to have proper information regarding all government initiatives regarding agriculture welfare like- agricultural schemes, adoption of modern farm machineries through government subsidies. Some initiatives like- Direct benefit transfer (DBT) Central Agri Portal etc.
• Better informed about presowing season: It helps farmers in planning their farming in a better way through pre information available regarding soil chemistry, weather forecasting, input sales and fertilizer accordingly etc. Some initiatives like- e-Chaupal, Kisan Call Centre
• Mechanization in farming: It has made farmers use IT enabled new technology for the advancement of agricultural productivity by using scientific measures. Some initiatives like- e-sagu.
• Information about price: Access to precise information of harvested produce price. It enabled them to sell their produce at good market price, by eliminating the role of middlemen. Initiatives- Digital Agriculture Mission.
• Easy access to market: IT interventions support rural and under-developed markets to become efficient and productive through innovative measures such as for precision agriculture, computerized farm machinery, agricultural information, access to national and international markets. Some initiatives like- AGMARKNET, National Agriculture Market (e-NAM).
• Improved supply chain: It helped in improving end to end services across the agriculture food value chain. Some initiatives like- AgriStack.
• Easy credit access: Now it can eliminate the role of money in agricultural sectors by making easy availability through institutional credit. Initiatives- SVAMITVA Scheme.

However Indian agricultural sector is unable to realized targeted goals due to-

• Financial Implications: It is a big challenge to bring rural India on a common communication platform due to diversity in terms of language, culture, geographical limitations, and poor knowledge base.
• Low literacy in farmers: limited exposure and expertise of rural farmers, it is a challenging task to educate them in handling and usage of modern communication tools and services.
• Digital divide: Indian rural people are far behind their urban counterparts in access to ICT services due to the low availability of hardware equipments like smartphones and computers along with network connectivity with equitable cost.
• Language and content limitations: The main hurdle in utilization of information by rural populace is the absence of content in their regional languages
• Limited Digital Literacy: Despite many government initiatives, majority of India farmers lack digital literacy and access to technology, making it challenging to adopt Agri-tech solutions.
• High Upfront Costs: Many agri-tech startups require significant investment, which is significant for promotion of e-technology promotion.
• Fragmented Land Holdings: It is difficult to adopt large-scale mechanization on small and fragmented land holdings.
• Limited Infrastructure: Lack of basic infrastructure, such as electricity and internet connectivity discourage the adoption and effectiveness of e-technology.
• Inadequate Government Policies: The government’s policies and programs are inadequate, inconsistent, or poorly implemented for promoting e-technology hindering their effectiveness.
• Low coordination: The lack of coordination among different stakeholders like- farmers, private sector players, and the government, can become an obstacle in adopting e-technology.
• Limited Market Access: Despite many government initiatives, farmers face challenges in accessing markets to sell their produce due to a lack of market linkages and limited market information.
• Issue with Regulation of Drones: Privacy is a major concern because aerial vehicles come equipped with sophisticated sensors and cameras. This discourages people to adopt e-tech based solutions.

Conclusion

Adopting a holistic ecosystem approach consisting modern technologies and new farm legislation to address challenges faced by the Indian agriculture sector is in national interest to achieve objectives, like doubling farmer incomes and sustainable development