NEWS: 2nd meeting held alongside India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026, jointly hosted by the Ministry of Communications and ICAR.

ABOUT

Coordinated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), with FAO, IFAD and WFP.

KEY APPLICATIONS

• Precision farming → Optimises water, fertiliser and pesticide use.
• Pest surveillance → AI-based pest and disease detection (e.g., NPSS).
• Climate-smart agriculture → Local weather forecasts and farmer advisories.
• Post-harvest management → Improves storage, transport and inventory.

CHALLENGES

• Fragmented, poor-quality agricultural data.
• High costs of AI tools for small farmers.
• Algorithmic bias against underrepresented crops and regions.
• Limited evidence of long-term, large-scale impact.

WAY FORWARD

• Strengthen Digital Agriculture Mission and interoperable AgriStack.
• Promote affordable, subscription-based AI services and shared equipment.
• Ensure data ownership, transparency and independent validation.
• Evaluate AI based on measurable economic, social and environmental outcomes.