Ans: 

Digital India was launched in 2015 to create digital infrastructure for empowering rural communities and promoting digital literacy. Digital public infrastructure for agriculture will be built as an open source, open standard and interoperable public good. Given that 70% (2011 census) of India’s population is rural and agriculture is the main source of livelihood for 50% of the population, Digital India can play an important role in the agriculture sector.

Digital India programme and farm productivity:

• Access to Information: Through the Digital India programme, farmers will have access to real-time information on market prices, weather forecasts, soil analysis reports and more. This will help them make informed decisions and improve their yields.
• E-Commerce Platforms: Farmers will have the ability to sell their produce directly to consumers through e-commerce platforms, bypassing intermediaries and improving their income.
• Tailored recommendations: Digital technology can be the key to increase agriculture productivity by delivering tailored recommendations to farmers based on crop sown, real time observed weather and projected market prices.
• E-Agriculture Services: The Digital India programme will provide farmers with online access to services such as soil testing, seed selection, and crop insurance. This will improve the quality of their farm produce and reduce the risk of crop failures.
• Direct cash transfer: Digital India will help the government to reach the needy and poor farmers for the Direct cash transfers system replacing agricultural subsidies. This would help in increased agricultural productivity as well as reduce farmer’s debt burden.
• Growth of start-ups: Digital India will enable inclusive, farmer-centric solutions through relevant information services for crop planning and health, improved access to farm inputs, credit, and insurance, help for crop estimation, market intelligence, and support for growth of agri-tech industry and start-ups.
• Social media usage: Digital India will also leverage social media platforms to build human capacity.
  • Example: Digital Green is a platform that hosts participatory videos where farmers explain best management practices to other farmers. This approach is more cost effective than traditional extension services as farmers trust other farmers and they face similar circumstances.

Steps taken by the government:

• e-NAM: National Agriculture Market or eNAM is an online trading platform for agricultural commodities in India. The market facilitates farmers, traders and buyers with online trading in commodities.
• BharatNet: BharatNet, also known as Bharat Broadband Network Limited, aims to provide connectivity to all 250,000 gram panchayats in the country, to improve communication in India and reach the campaign goal of Digital India.
• National mission on agricultural extension and Technology: The aim of the Mission is to strengthen agricultural extension to enable delivery of appropriate technology and improved agronomic practices to farmers.
• AgriMarket app: The mobile application has been developed with an aim to keep farmers updated with the crop prices and discourage them to carry-out distress sales. Farmers can get information related to prices of crops in markets within 50km of their own device location using the AgriMarket Mobile App.
• e-governance efforts: Government has put in operation 3 portals viz. farmer portal, kisan call centre and m-Kisan portal to help farmers take informed decisions for efficient farming under varying agro-climatic conditions. Under the eGovernance program, soil health card software has been standardized and web-based software developed to provide integrated nutrient management recommendations using soil test crop response method for eight states.

Conclusion:

There is much promise in digital applications to improve farmer livelihoods. Overall, the “Digital India” programme will help farmers improve their farm productivity and income by providing them with access to information and services that can improve the quality of their farm produce and reduce the risks associated with farming. It would empower rural youth to realise their full potential and farmers to increase their profitability by accessing equitable markets.