Agtech developments in India have turned out to be a game changer in the agriculture sector. These companies are leveraging technology to address various challenges faced by farmers, related to climate change, improving productivity, and ensuring sustainable farming practices.

By utilising innovative solutions, they are transforming traditional farming methods and enhancing the overall efficiency and profitability of agriculture.

The agriculture sector which contributes $530 billion to India’s GDP plays a crucial role in ensuring food security and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Tech-led innovative solutions offered by agtech start-ups can have a transformative impact on agriculture.

Agriculture is now up against a critical climate risk called El Niño, a weather phenomenon characterised by warmer ocean temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean.

This warming leads to changes in atmospheric patterns, which in turn can weaken the monsoon circulation over the Indian subcontinent. Consequently, El Niño years are often associated with a weaker and less reliable Indian monsoon.

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Critical factor

The monsoon is a critical factor for agriculture in India as it provides the majority of rainfall necessary for crop cultivation, especially in rain-fed agricultural regions. When El Niño occurs, it disrupts the normal monsoon patterns, resulting in reduced rainfall and erratic weather conditions across the country.

The reduction in rainfall caused by El Niño can indeed have significant repercussions on crop production, water availability, food prices, and farmers’ incomes, ultimately affecting food security for millions of people.

As a large portion of India’s farming is rain-fed, a decrease in rainfall during critical crop-growing seasons can lead to crop failure and water scarcity. This, in turn, can result in lower yields, reduced agricultural income, and increased vulnerability for farmers who heavily rely on their agricultural produce for their livelihoods.

Furthermore, if there is untimely rain during the wheat harvest, as predicted by El Niño experts, it can damage the crop, increase post-harvest losses, and impact the quality and quantity of the crops available in the market.

Impact on the vulnerable

The consequences of reduced crop production and increased costs can lead to food inflation, making essential food items more expensive for consumers. This can have a particularly severe impact on vulnerable populations and food insecurity.

With over 80 per cent of farmers being small and marginal, these companies are better positioned to leverage technology and innovation to address various issues, and provide farmers with tools and services to improve their productivity and profitability.

To mitigate the impact of El Niño and ensure food security, it is essential to adopt strategies that enhance agricultural resilience and reduce dependency on rain-fed farming.

This includes promoting sustainable irrigation practices, implementing water conservation techniques, encouraging crop diversification (developing client-resilient crops), and investing in agtech innovations that improve productivity and mitigate climate risks.

Proactive measures

Additionally, proactive measures such as effective early warning systems, improved weather forecasting, and disaster preparedness can help farmers and policymakers anticipate and respond to El Niño-related challenges more efficiently.

By implementing adaptive strategies and building resilience within the agricultural sector, India can effectively manage the uncertainties emanating from El Niño events and safeguard food security for its population.

Agtech interventions can play a vital role in mitigating the impacts of El Niño on agriculture, although it’s important to note that these interventions primarily focus on improving agricultural practices rather than directly preventing the occurrence of El Niño itself.

Agtech interventions can offer farmers access to accurate weather forecasts and early warning systems. Timely information about weather patterns, including the onset of El Niño conditions, can help farmers make informed decisions about crop planting, irrigation, and other agricultural activities.

Advanced technologies, such as satellite imagery, remote sensing, and data analytics, can be utilised to improve the accuracy and reliability of weather forecasting.

Agriculture in this era of technology development involves using technology and data-driven approaches to optimise farming practices. By employing tools like sensors, drones, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, farmers can monitor soil moisture levels, crop health, and other environmental parameters.

Agtech companies and research institutions, as a matter of fact, are working on developing climate-resilient crop varieties that can withstand drought, heat, and other adverse conditions associated with El Niño.

These varieties have improved tolerance to water scarcity, higher heat tolerance, or resistance to specific pests and diseases. India is making significant progress in developing flood and drought-tolerant seeds.

According to a PIB release, during 2014-15 to 2022-23, the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) under the aegis of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) released 2681 high-yielding and stress-tolerant varieties of field (2279) and horticultural crops (402) for different agro-climatic conditions.

Playing an enabling role

Agtech can also play an enabling role in capacity building to resist climate impact by faster knowledge sharing on weather data, soil conditions, and crop requirements, helping farmers make informed decisions.

Such digital platforms can enable farmers to access insurance products, credit facilities, and market information, reducing their vulnerability to income shocks caused by crop failures or price fluctuations during El Niño events.

The vulnerability of agriculture to climate change and extreme wealth conditions is a cause of concern.

As per the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) report, because of climate change, rain-fed rice yields in India are estimated to decrease by less than 2.5 per cent in 2050 and 2080, and irrigated rice yields by 7 per cent in 2050 and 10 per cent in 2080 scenarios. In addition, wheat yield is expected to reduce by 6-25 per cent in 2100 and maize yields by 18-23 per cent.

Although agtech interventions can catalyse the process of building resilience against El Niño impacts, a comprehensive approach that includes climate adaptation strategies, supportive policies, and community engagement is the need of the hour.

Collaboration among agritech companies, government agencies, research institutions, and farmers will facilitate the implementation and scaling up of these interventions to benefit agricultural systems in the wake of climate risks.

(The author is Managing Director, GRM Overseas)

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