India might be one of the world’s largest agricultural producers, but farming in India is back-breaking — and it’s getting tougher…
Disorganized supply chains and difficulties in accessing credit aside, there are also rapidly changing climates, water shortages, and more, which are making every farming season a gamble. It’s at this pivotal moment that AI (artificial intelligence) has been offering unprecedented opportunities for Indian agriculture, with far-reaching impacts such as enhancing crop quality and yield.
Who would have thought that AI (artificial intelligence) could have a bearing on the food we eat?
In fact, AI is already well-ingrained in the Indian agricultural sector. From sugarcane farmers using Microsoft’s AI technology to optimise harvests to AI-supported sprinkler and drip irrigation systems, AI is slowly making its way into the heart of Indian agriculture. Moreover, March 2025 marked the start of a significant partnership between the Indian government’s India AI Mission and the Gates Foundation, as they’re all set to sign an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) to develop AI (artificial intelligence) solutions across key sectors, one of which is agriculture. Could AI possibly help bring about a tech-based food revolution, mitigating the impending food security and agricultural crisis?
Data-Driven Approach: Precision Farming
AI technologies are helping farmers indulge in precision farming, analysing data from sensors, drones, and satellite imagery and allowing them to make informed decisions about crop management.
Take the pioneering AI-driven farming experiment in Maharashtra’s Baramati, where sugarcane farmers were aided by scientists of Baramati’s ADT (Agricultural Development Trust). They installed weather stations using Microsoft’s AI technology in the form of tall metal structures, atop which were humidity, temperature, solar, rain, and wind gauges.
They also had bottom soil sensors measuring electrical conductivity, pH, moisture, and the soil’s nutrient makeup. This data, combined with historical data and satellite and drone imagery, generates simple daily alerts via the “Agripilot.ai” mobile app: Scout for pests, spray fertilizer, water more, with a satellite map pinpointing exactly where every action is needed. The goal? Obtaining a sugarcane harvest with peak sucrose content.
The intersection of IoT (Internet of Things) and AI has a lot of applications across industries, including agriculture. ICAR’s (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) IoT-based irrigation systems work seamlessly with AI models, using real-time weather and soil data to enhance water efficiency and automate irrigation, ensuring optimal use of resources, especially in water-scarce regions.
Maximising A Healthy Crop Yield
Besides the quantity of the crop yield, the quality also matters. Many problems result in unhealthy crop yields, including crop diseases, droughts, and floods, the general health of the soil, etc. AI has been proven to be a game-changer in multiple ways. For instance, ML (machine learning) and neural networks can detect crop diseases with 95% accuracy, allowing for timely interventions.
A notable effort in this direction is the groundbreaking “Saagu Baagu” (“agricultural progress”) project run by the Telangana government in collaboration with tech and agricultural aid companies. It introduced an array of AI-based solutions to assist chilli farmers in overcoming traditional agricultural challenges. This included a Telugu (state language) WhatsApp chatbot, which offered farmers timely suggestions tailored to their crops’ maturity stages.
There’s more; Mangalore-based AgriTech startup KrishiTantra established local soil testing centres equipped with ML technology that expedited soil testing processes, offering farmers fertilizer recommendations and rapid insights into soil health. Punjab-based AI startup AgNext even introduced a computer vision system that assessed the quality of chilis directly in the field, allowing farmers to determine quality attributes like size, shape, and colour and identify defects, thus reducing waste and enhancing crop value.
Managing Livestock Health
AI’s benefits aren’t limited to just crop yields but extend to livestock management as well, which is quite a critical component of Indian agriculture. Advanced image recognition tech and sensor-based systems now monitor livestock health and behaviour in real-time, detecting illnesses early and allowing farmers to take prompt action.
Take the issue of methane, a greenhouse gas emitted from dairy cows that contributes to climate change. For instance, livestock farming startup eFeed’s AI-based SaaS platform VetVantage helps dairy companies manage cattle methane emissions and monetise their sustainability goal via carbon credits. Moreover, there are many other startups like Faromatics, CattleEye, and Connecterra, which are leveraging sensor technology and AI to optimise livestock management.
AI Analytics: Tech Support For Farmers
One of AI’s biggest contributions to the Indian agriculture sector has been in the form of tech support for farmers. The Ministry of Agriculture’s AI-powered solution, the Kisan e-Mitra chatbot, assists farmers across multiple languages. It has evolved, now allowing farmers to access critical information and helping them make informed decisions.
India’s very own AI-based pest surveillance system, the National Pest Surveillance System, aims to connect Indian farmers and scientists via apps and telephones, helping tackle the problem of poorer yields and ensuring healthier harvests. In 2023, heatwaves, heavy rains, and floods led to the obliteration of tomato crops.
When Silicon Valley startup ClimateAI’s simulations showed a 30% tomato output decrease in Maharashtra over the next 20 years, it helped farmers adjust their farming strategies, changing their planting schedules and opting for climate-resilient seed varieties. This not only helped farmers reduce costs but also used their tips on the best times to plant and harvest, water management, and seed use to improve productivity by as much as 40%.
India’s AgriTech revolution has certainly arrived, and even though it has a long way to go, it’s here to stay, AI is leading the way through it.
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