Transforming Indian Agriculture: Technology, Sustainability, and Climate Resilience
Agriculture Under Rising Pressures
Agriculture today is under unprecedented pressure as climate extremes, land degradation, and resource scarcity intensify. The IPCC notes that climate-related shocks have already reduced global agricultural productivity by more than 20 per cent since the 1960s, with South Asia among the worst-affected regions. In India, these impacts are no longer abstract projections but lived realities. The Economic Survey has repeatedly highlighted how climate variability is increasing yield volatility, particularly for rainfed crops, which still account for nearly 52 per cent of India’s net sown area.
Land degradation further compounds these challenges. While FAO estimates that over 23 per cent of global land is degraded, Indian assessments suggest that close to 30 per cent of the country’s total geographical area is affected by soil erosion, salinity, and declining organic matter. These trends directly undermine soil fertility and long-term productivity, especially in intensively cultivated regions such as the Indo-Gangetic plains.
Economic losses linked to climate shocks are also mounting. FAO loss-and-damage assessments indicate that agriculture absorbs nearly two-thirds of climate-related economic losses in developing countries. In India, recurring droughts, floods, and extreme weather events have resulted in annual agricultural losses running into tens of thousands of crores, weakening farm incomes and rural livelihoods. Taken together, these pressures underscore the urgency of transitioning toward agricultural systems that are resilient, resource-efficient, and ecologically grounded.
Why Modern Technologies Are Becoming Essential
As these pressures deepen, the adoption of modern agricultural technologies is no longer optional. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and more frequent extreme events are destabilising production cycles, demanding faster and more precise decision-making than traditional approaches allow. This challenge is particularly acute for India, where nearly 60 per cent of agriculture remains rainfed yet continues to contribute a substantial share of national foodgrain production.
Resource inefficiencies further heighten vulnerability. Agriculture accounts for over 80 per cent of India’s freshwater withdrawals, much of it drawn from increasingly stressed groundwater systems. Central Ground Water Board assessments show a growing number of districts classified as over-exploited or critical, particularly in Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Rajasthan. At the same time, agriculture contributes around 14 per cent of India’s total greenhouse gas emissions, largely through fertiliser use, livestock, and rice cultivation.
These intersecting pressures are driving renewed attention toward technologies that can optimise inputs, improve efficiency, and strengthen climate resilience. Precision farming, AI- and IoT-enabled monitoring, climate-resilient crop development, and biotechnology are increasingly seen not as optional add-ons, but as essential components of future-ready agricultural systems.
Precision Agriculture: From Uniformity to Intelligence
Traditional farming practices, long valued for their familiarity and simplicity, are increasingly being reassessed in light of inefficiency and environmental stress. Precision agriculture, often described as site-specific crop management, has emerged as a response to these challenges. By using remote sensing, GIS, and data analytics, it allows farmers to manage variability within fields rather than treating farmland as a uniform unit.
Indian pilot initiatives suggest tangible benefits. Programmes such as FASAL, which integrate satellite imagery with agro-meteorological data, have demonstrated yield improvements in the range of 8–15 per cent alongside reductions in water and fertiliser use. At its core, the principle remains simple: applying the right input, at the right place, at the right time.
Public platforms such as ISRO’s BHUVAN are supporting this transition by enabling satellite-based crop monitoring and stress detection. States like Uttar Pradesh and
Uttarakhand has begun adopting GIS-based soil mapping and digital nutrient advisory systems across diverse agro-climatic zones, helping reduce blanket fertiliser application and improve input efficiency.
GPS and GIS as the Digital Backbone
GPS and GIS technologies form the backbone of precision farming. GPS enables accurate, location-specific operations during planting, fertilising, and harvesting, while GIS integrates spatial data on soils, weather, crop performance, and topography.
In India, these tools underpin initiatives such as the Soil Health Card Scheme, which has generated over 230 million soil samples, satellite-based yield forecasting, precision planting, and early detection of pest and nutrient stress. Together, they establish the digital foundation upon which more advanced analytical technologies are built.
AI and IoT: Deepening Precision
The integration of AI and IoT represents the next stage in agricultural transformation. FAO–ITU digital agriculture frameworks describe IoT-enabled farms as sensor-rich environments capable of continuously monitoring soil moisture, microclimates, irrigation flows, and crop health.
In India, AI- and IoT-based applications are being piloted through a combination of government initiatives, agri-tech start-ups, and state agriculture departments. Sensor-based irrigation systems have demonstrated water savings of 20–30 per cent in multiple states, while AI-driven pest surveillance tools are improving early detection and reducing chemical dependence. When combined with GPS- and GIS-based field data, these technologies make farming systems more predictable and climate-resilient.
Biosafety and Climate-Resilient Crops
As climate stress intensifies, biosafety and climate-resilient crops are becoming central to sustainable agriculture. These innovations align closely with India’s commitments under:
SDG 2 (Zero Hunger)
SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)
SDG 13 (Climate Action)
Through the NICRA programme, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed over 60 climate-resilient crop varieties, including drought-tolerant rice, heat-resilient wheat, flood-tolerant pulses, and hardy millets. Research institutions in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are evaluating varieties such as Swarna-Sub1 rice and heat-tolerant wheat suited to the Indo-Gangetic plains.
Their significance lies in complementarity. A drought-tolerant variety paired with AI-guided irrigation advice can significantly improve water-use efficiency, while pest-resistant crops integrated with GIS-based monitoring reduce chemical dependence.
Biotechnology and Water Management
Biotechnology integrated with sustainable water management forms another critical pillar of agricultural transformation. In several Indian states, irrigation accounts for nearly 90 per cent of freshwater withdrawals, making water productivity central to long-term sustainability.
FAO–IAEA programmes highlight the role of isotopic techniques in tracking soil moisture and plant-water interactions. Alongside this, advances in marker-assisted breeding, gene editing, and plant–microbial biotechnologies are helping develop crops that require less water while maintaining productivity. Indian agricultural universities are increasingly experimenting with microbial bio-inputs to improve root health, moisture retention, and nutrient uptake.
Renewable Energy and Regenerative Agriculture
The convergence of renewable energy and regenerative practices is reshaping India’s agricultural future and aligning it with the Panchamrit commitments. Agriculture remains energy-intensive, particularly for irrigation. Under the PM-KUSUM scheme, over 350,000 solar pumps have been sanctioned, reducing diesel dependence and stabilising input costs.
Parallel to this is the rise of regenerative practices—minimal tillage, intercropping, mulching, cover cropping, and microbial bio-inputs. Approaches such as Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), implemented in Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and parts of Uttar Pradesh, demonstrate how low-input systems can restore soil health, improve water retention, and reduce emissions.
Why Adoption Remains Uneven in India
Despite clear evidence of impact, adoption across Indian agriculture remains uneven. This gap reflects not a failure of technology, but the complex institutional, economic, and social realities in which Indian farmers operate.
Policy assessments by NITI Aayog note that India’s agricultural innovation ecosystem remains fragmented, with multiple schemes often operating in silos. Regulatory caution, particularly around biotechnology approvals, agricultural data governance, and drone usage, has slowed the transition from pilots to scale.
Economic constraints are equally significant. Nearly 86 per cent of Indian farmers are small and marginal, making the upfront cost of precision equipment, sensors, and automated systems a serious deterrent. Infrastructure gaps, uneven digital connectivity, overstretched extension systems, and rational risk aversion among farmers further constrain adoption.
Conclusion and Way Forward: Aligning Technology with India’s Agrarian Realities
The transformation of Indian agriculture through technology, sustainability, and climate resilience is no longer a question of intent or availability. Precision tools, AI-enabled advisories, climate-resilient crops, biotechnology, renewable energy systems, and regenerative practices already exist within India’s policy and research ecosystem. The central challenge lies in aligning these innovations with institutional capacities, economic structures, and social realities so that impact moves beyond pilots and fragmented interventions.
Policy coherence and institutional integration are foundational. India currently operates multiple agricultural initiatives—AgriStack, Soil Health Cards, PM-KUSUM, NICRA, digital extension platforms, and climate-resilient research missions—but their cumulative impact is often diluted by siloed implementation. Greater convergence across existing schemes can unlock scale without creating new institutional burdens.
Financing remains the most binding constraint to adoption. Although annual agricultural credit flows exceed ₹25 lakh crore, lending is still concentrated in short-term crop loans rather than capital investments. Reorienting agricultural finance toward technology adoption, strengthening Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), and linking subsidies to measurable outcomes such as water and energy savings will be critical.
Infrastructure investment—both physical and digital—will determine whether adoption can scale equitably. Reliable electricity, broadband connectivity, and decentralised service ecosystems are essential for sustaining digital agriculture. Without these, even proven technologies risk remaining confined to pilot projects.
Extension systems must evolve from information dissemination to decision support. Translating satellite imagery, sensor data, and AI-generated insights into locally relevant advice requires new skills, training frameworks, and incentives. Strengthening this human interface is central to ensuring that technology delivers tangible benefits on the ground.
Behavioural and trust-related factors also matter. Farmer caution toward new technologies is often a rational response to income volatility and climate risk. Adoption improves when technologies are demonstrated locally, benefits are visible, and trusted intermediaries play a central role. Social processes of trust-building and peer learning are therefore as important as technical design.
Regulatory clarity—particularly around biotechnology, data governance, and drones—is essential to encourage long-term investment. Predictable, science-based regulatory frameworks can unlock innovation while safeguarding farmer interests.