21 Aug 2026, 08:33 AM 2 min readaiDaily Pulse
ICAR Deploys AI and Drones to Transform Indian Agriculture and Productivity
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research utilizes drones and machine learning to deploy pest surveillance and smart irrigation.
[Precision Agriculture Expansion]:
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research is significantly expanding the use of advanced technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, drones, and satellite imagery, to transform the agricultural sector. These precision agriculture technologies are aimed at improving farm productivity, optimizing resource use, and bolstering climate resilience across India.
[Targeted Pest Surveillance]:
A crucial application is the National Pest Surveillance System, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to cover 73 crops and 436 pests, providing instant identification and advisory guidance to farmers. As of recent data, 35,565 advisories have been issued through this application to help mitigate crop damage.
[Multilingual Digital Public Infrastructure]:
Complementing these efforts, a multilingual AI-powered Digital Public Infrastructure offers real-time, location-specific advisories to over 5.9 lakh farmers, addressing more than 93 lakh queries in their native languages. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is actively championing these initiatives ahead of upcoming sector events.
Pulse Intelligence
Context & ImpactContext & Background
- The ICAR-NePPA program involves 16 research institutes dedicated to developing localized farming technologies.
- The National Pest Surveillance System was integrated to track dozens of crops and hundreds of pests digitally.
- Digital public infrastructure initiatives have progressively rolled out multilingual tools for rural communities.
Key Consequences
- Farmers across multiple regions will receive real-time, location-specific crop protection advisories.
- Resource optimization through sensor-based irrigation will lower input costs for participating agriculturalists.
- Enhanced climate resilience measures will protect key crop yields against unpredictable weather patterns.
Market & Economic Impact
Not applicable.
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