There is a wealth of information carefully curated by various departments of the government, which can be very relevant to the farmers but on different platforms and not in a manner comprehensible to them. A component of KisanMitr, a national digital platform that caters to farmers, focuses on filling this gap by combining data from various government ministries/departments like Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), National Water Informatics Centre (NWIC), and others and making it available to the farmers through the Atmanirbhar Krishi app.
The Atmanirbhar Krishi app was launched on Tuesday by Prof. K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.
During the launch, VijayRaghavan said: "The Government of India has seamlessly worked to have a robust system to support local manufacturing, market and supply chain, and empower farmers and migrant workers, two sections that were disproportionately affected during the pandemic. With the Atmanirbhar Krishi app of the KisanMitr initiative, farmers will have in their hands, evidence-based information generated by our research organizations like IMD, ISRO, ICAR, and CGWA."
"This information, when used by the farmers to make decisions on cropping patterns, mechanization of small farmers’ holdings or stubble burning, will ensure that decisions are made factoring in the importance of sustainability of water and environment, and judicious use of resources. An app available on a basic phone with information in a language comprehensible to farmers will also enhance inclusivity during the decision-making process," he added.
The Atmanirbhar Krishi app was created to equip farmers with actionable agricultural insights and early weather alerts. Data related to soil type, soil health, moisture, weather, and water table were aggregated and analysed to generate personalized insights related to crop selection, fertilizers requirements, and water needs for each farmer at the farm-holding level.
Salient features of the app:
1. The data has been made comprehensible for farmers by simplifying the language. The app is also available in 12 languages.
2. The Android and Windows versions of the app are available on Google Play Store and are free of cost for farmers, start-ups, KVKs, SHGs, or NGOs to use.
3. Considering the connectivity issues in the remote areas of the country, the app has been designed to work on minimal bandwidth.
4. The app does not collect any inputs from the farmer. It relies on the geo-location of the farm to provide relevant data (see figure). Data relevant to another location can be collected by entering the PINCODE of that area.
Watch the demonstration and find out more about the Atmanirbhar Krishi app in this video:
