NITI Aayog’s Frontier Tech Hub launched roadmap “Reimagining Agriculture: A Roadmap for Frontier Technology Led Transformation” in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. This roadmap aligns with India’s vision of becoming a developed nation (Viksit Bharat) by 2047, requiring:
- 5x increase in per capita GNI
- Agriculture sector to triple in size
The strategy aims to shift Indian agriculture from incremental improvement → deep structural transformation by scaling frontier technologies such as AI, digital twins, climate-resilient seeds, and mechanisation.
Context & Launch
- Launched by: NITI Aayog’s Frontier Tech Hub
- Location: Gandhinagar, Gujarat
- Roadmap Title: “Reimagining Agriculture: A Roadmap for Frontier Technology-Led Transformation”
- National Vision: Supports India’s ambition to become a developed nation (Viksit Bharat) by 2047.
- Economic Target: India requires a 5x increase in per capita GNI by 2047, and the agriculture sector must triple in size to enable this growth.
Key Findings + Vision
Indian agriculture faces constraints like:
- Fragmented holdings (average farm size 1.08 ha)- low mechanisation
- Groundwater depletion + soil degradation
- Climate volatility (irregular monsoon, extreme weather)
- Lack of advisory access for smallholders
The roadmap proposes a dual-track investment model:
1. Solve Today’s Problems: Boost productivity, resilience, resource efficiency.
2. Prepare for Tomorrow: Create institutional + technological readiness for frontier innovations.
It segments farmers into three archetypes:
- Aspiring Farmers (70–80%)– smallholders with low tech adoption
- Transitioning Farmers– experimenting with tech
- Advanced Farmers– commercial cultivators
Why Roadmap Matters: Current Challenges
- Fragmented Landholdings: Avg. farm size ≈ 1.08 hectares, limiting scale, investment, and mechanisation.
- Resource Depletion: Declining groundwater, soil degradation, overuse of fertilizers.
- Climate Volatility: Irregular monsoons, extreme events, pest variations.
- Lack of Advisory Services: Millions of smallholders lack real-time, customized agriculture guidance.
The roadmap solves these through a dual strategy:
- Fix present productivity constraints.
- Prepare for future frontier-tech transformation.
Digital Agriculture Mission 2.0- Three Pillars
Pillar 1: Foundational Data Systems
- Build a 360° agricultural data ecosystem.
- Leverage FPOs, SHGs, NGOs, extension workers to generate hyperlocal, AI-ready datasets.
- Forms the data backbone for AI/ML-based agriculture services.
Pillar 2: Transforming Talent & Innovation
- Promote AI-literate, tech-enabled farmers.
- Farmers transition from technology users to co-creators.
- Push for mission-oriented R&D, innovation clusters, and regulatory revamp to support frontier tech.
Pillar 3: Policy Convergence & Partnerships
- Multi-stakeholder coordination across:
- Ministry of Agriculture
- Ministry of Electronics & IT
- Department of Biotechnology
- Create Centres of Excellence & policy foresight units for long-term coordination.
Five Frontier Technologies Identified
1. Agentic AI (Backbone of Smart Agriculture)
- Enables real-time decision networks, beyond static advisory.
- Supports micro-irrigation adoption, AI-driven pest diagnosis, input optimization.
2. Precision Agriculture
- Uses IoT sensors, drones, satellite imaging.
- Ensures optimal irrigation, fertilization & pest control.
- Adoption challenges remain due to standardization gaps → need for regulatory sandboxes.
3. Digital Twins
- Virtual simulations of:
- Fields
- Water catchments
- Supply chains
- Helps test climate scenarios and reduce investment risks.
4. Advanced Mechanisation
- Mechanisation-as-a-service model (leasing, sharing, maintenance platforms).
- Solves land fragmentation constraints, increases labour productivity.
5. Climate-Resilient Seeds
- GM/Bio-engineered seeds withstand:
- Heatwaves
- Drought
- Floods
- New pest patterns
- Deployment supported by AI predictions & digital twins.
Focus on Small and Marginal Farmers
- 70–80% of India’s agricultural base = “Aspiring Farmers”.
- Challenges addressed:
- Trust gaps
- Affordability
- Last-mile support
- FPOs/SHGs/NGOs act as data fiduciaries to bridge the phygital divide (physical + digital).
Financial Strategy & Governance
- Multi-stakeholder governance led by NITI Aayog Frontier Tech Hub.
- Frontier Technology Centres of Excellence will be co-governed with ministries.
- Financial architecture includes:
- Patient capital
- Layered financing (debt + equity + concessional capital)
- First-loss guarantees, grant-matching, tax credits
- Goal: De-risk private investment & attract industry participation.
About Frontier Technology
Frontier technologies- innovations that disrupt existing systems.
Key Categories (Agriculture-Specific)
- Climate-Resilient Seeds– withstand shocks.
- AI/ML– predictive farming, yield forecasting.
- IoT Sensors– soil moisture, pH, nutrient mapping.
- Drones– monitoring, crop spraying, mapping.
- Satellite Imaging– large-scale monitoring, disaster response.
About NITI Aayog’s Frontier Tech Hub
- Functions as an action tank for Viksit Bharat.
- Works with 100+ experts from academia, industry, govt.
- Builds 10-year sectoral transformation roadmaps for 20+ priority sectors.
- Aim: Make India future-ready by 2047.
Global Agricultural Technology Initiatives
1. AI4AI (AI for Agriculture Innovation) – WEF
- Public-private partnerships to scale AI & deep-tech agriculture solutions
- Focus: Sustainablility, climate resilience, productivity.
2. Global Initiative on AI for Food Systems
- Launched by: ITU, FAO, WFP, IFAD
Objectives:
- Improve productivity
- Reduce food loss
- Strengthen climate resilience
UN & Global Agritech Partnerships
- Promote robotics, AI, precision farming to increase global farm efficiency.
India’s Key Initiatives for Digital & Sustainable Agriculture
Digital Agriculture & Innovation
- Digital Agriculture Mission (2021–25) – Farmer-centric digital ecosystem.
- AgriStack – Unified digital DPI for agriculture.
- Agri Accelerator Fund – Supports agri-tech start-ups.
State-Level Models
- Gujarat:
- Digital Crop Survey
- Agri Farm Registry
- i-Khedut Portal (direct access to schemes/inputs)
Risk Management & Inclusion
- PM Fasal Bima Yojana – Crop insurance, risk mitigation.
- PM-Kisan – Direct income support.
- e-NAM – National digital agriculture marketplace.
Technology & Extension
- Kisan Drone Scheme – Precision spraying, mapping.
- NMAET – Digital advisory, mechanisation, capacity-building.
Sustainable Agriculture
- NMSA (National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture)– climate-resilient practices.
- Bharat Nirman Yojana– Rural infrastructure to support digital + physical connectivity.
About NITI Aayog
- Formed: 1 January 2015
- Replaced: Planning Commission (set up 1950)
- Chairperson: Prime Minister of India
- Vice Chairperson: Appointed by Government (usually an economist/technocrat)
- Full form: National Institution for Transforming India
- Mandate: Cooperative federalism, policy think tank, long-term development strategies.
Agriculture Basics
- Agriculture contributes ~15% to India’s GDP.
- Employs ~45% of workforce.
- India ranks:
- 1st in milk production
- 2nd in fruits & vegetables
- 2nd in rice & wheat production
- Major Agro-Climatic Zones: India has 15 agro-climatic zones (as per Planning Commission).
FPO (Farmer Producer Organisation)
- Institutional structure to empower farmers
- Promoted under:
- Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC)
- NABARD
- Government target: 10,000 FPOs by 2027–28
Digital Agriculture
- AI use first piloted in agriculture through: NIC, ICAR, ISRO satellite integration
- Agri-focused drones operate under DGCA NPNT regulations.
Climate Resilient Agriculture
- Key institutions:
- ICAR-NICRA (National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture)
- IMD for weather forecasts
- CRIDA for dryland agriculture
- India is highly climate-vulnerable, ranked among top nations exposed to climate shocks.