Indian agriculture dates back all the way to the Indus valley civilisation. It started in 9000 BCE due to the early cultivation of crops and domestication of animals. Back then, the farmer did farming, considering the needs of himself and his family.

Indian agriculture dates back all the way to the Indus valley civilization. It started in 9000 BCE due to the early cultivation of crops and domestication of animals. Back then, the farmer did farming, considering the needs of himself and his family. Ever since there have been changes in farming techniques such as :

• Improved Irrigation Practices
• Improvement in crop varieties and seed quality
• Levelling of fields etc.
• Improvement in agricultural practices and farm machinery.

These systems made farmer’s life easy and increased agricultural outputs. Development of resources has given great impetus to agriculture, although the irregularities of weather and changing climate have always been a challenge. As of today, farming has become demand-based, and new generation farmers are also doing farming inspired by this change. Growing information technology has brought all the information and technology needed to the farmers to meet the demand of the global market for fresh fruits and vegetables.

In this transformation of agriculture, facilities have increased, but the challenges have not been reduced.

 

THE PROBLEMS FACED

• Of the 245 billion cubic meters of groundwater consumed in India annually, 90% goes to agriculture. According to CNN, the country’s north is threatened by water shortages.
• The country’s average annual rate of soil erosion is 16.35 tonnes per hectare, i.e., 5334 million tonnes per year.
• Inappropriate growing methodology for the crops has led to lower productivity and hence lower incomes for the farmers.

 

ENTER HI-TECH AGRICULTURE

Hi-Tech agriculture refers to practicing agriculture using modern techniques and practices. Some of the benefits of high-tech agriculture are:

• The multi-fold increase in farm income
• Saves costs of water, fertilizers, pesticides, and insecticides
• Provides the crop with optimal growing conditions etc.
• Hi-tech agriculture includes practices such as Hydroponics, Aquaponics, Vertical farming, protected Cultivation, etc.
   

WHAT IS PROTECTED CULTIVATION

Protected cultivation is growing crops in a controlled environment with regulated growing conditions. It aims to regulate factors such as temperature, light, and humidity, to provide optimal growing conditions as required by the crop. Some of the commonly used protected cultivation techniques are:

• Polyhouse structures
• Mulching films
• Shade net house & Insect net house
• Drip Irrigation
• Fruit Cover
• Crop Cover etc.

WHY HI-TECH AGRICULTURE?

Hi-Tech agriculture is the present and the future. It is the answer to the farming problems. Using techniques such as mulching films and drip irrigation has helped farmers facing water scarcity in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat. Polyhouse cultivation has helped improve crop varieties, yield, and income for farmers all around the country. It has generated a better Return on Investment for the entire farming community. It is a profitable venture helping farmers make a lot of money. This is aligned with the vision of our government of doubling the farmer’s income.