Smart Fields and Green Futures: India’s Agri-Tech Transformation and Sustainability in Digital Era

Description

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21868052

Haider¹, Aprajita Raj², and Dharmendra K. Janghel³ (Department of Electronics, A.N. College, Patna, Patliputra University, Patna, Bihar¹,
Government Degree College, Rajgir, Nalanda, Patliputra University, Patna, Bihar², and School of Agricultural Sciences (SoAS), GD Goenka University, Gurugram, )Haryana³)

Indian agriculture, the backbone of country’s economy, has passed through different phases like the pre-independence agrarian system, post-independence reforms, Green Revolution, and the current era of precision agriculture based on integration of digital technologies and sustainable use of resources. Indian agriculture is undergoing a fundamental shift, transforming from traditional, labor-intensive farming to data-driven, adaptive agri-tech farming. This review traces that evolutionary trajectory, with special emphasis on Artificial Intelligence (AI) as the engine of the next agricultural transformation. Integrating advanced agricultural technologies like drones, remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, deep learning, robotics, blockchain, cloud computing, and big data analysis are revolutionizing the site-specific crop production, disease diagnosis, weather forecasting, etc. These innovations facilitate the data-driven decisions, more efficient and sustainable use of resources, cost reduction, enhanced yield and climate resilience leading towards smart fields and greener future. This review synthesizes recent literature and policy documents to structure India’s agri-tech transformation into national digital public infrastructure, including the Digital Agriculture Mission and AgriStack; precision farming technologies such as IoT, remote sensing and machine learning; digital agricultural marketing and financial inclusion, exemplified by the electronic National Agricultural Market (e-NAM); and climate-resilient, sustainable agriculture enabled by digital decision-support tools. Results show that although digital adoption has accelerated rapidly since 2021, gaps in digital proficiency, rural connectivity, data governance and smallholder affordability remain persistent barriers to equitable outcomes. Thus, there is a need of actionable policy measures to promote agri-tech adoption in India to ensure that technological growth is in sync with environmental sustainability and livelihood security.