Research Scholar

Department of Extension Education and Communication Management

Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University

 Hisar, Haryana, India 

Professor and Head

Department of EECM

Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University

Hisar, Haryana, India

1. Introduction:

Agriculture, the science and art of raising plants and animals, was a major factor in the creation of sedentary human civilization. By producing surpluses of food through the husbandry of domesticated animals, agriculture allowed people to live in cities. Agriculture has a long history going back thousands of years. As a result, traditional agriculture evolved into the agriculture industry to satisfy modern society's needs. This sector is moving closer to achieving its objectives by combining disruptive technologies, necessitating a revolution comparable to the industry revolution and leading to Agriculture 4.0. In the early part of the 21st century, digital technologies, such as low-cost sensors, actuators, micro-processing, high-bandwidth cellular communications, Cloud-based ICT systems, and big data analytics, started to revolutionize agriculture. This led to a new stage in agricultural development: agriculture 4.0. An overview of Agriculture 4.0 is provided in this chapter, which aims at informing about the latest disruptive technologies being used in agriculture.

The term "digital transformation" is often used incorrectly to refer to the adoption of new technologies, despite being a prominent issue for organizations over the previous five years.

i. Digitaltransformationis the economic and societal effects of digitization anddigitalization.

ii. Digitizationis the conversion of analogue data and processes into a machine-readable format.

iii. Digitalizationis the use of digital technologies and data as well as interconnection that results in new or changes toexisting activities.

iv. Digitaltechnologies are ICT, including the internet, mobile, devices, and data analytics used to improve the generation, collection, exchange, aggregation, analysis, access, searchability and presentation of digital content.

2. Definition

Agriculture 4.0 is the implementation of emerging technologies and innovative services on the agriculture, which require a cultural and behavioral change in all actors involved in the agricultural production chain, to increase their productivity and efficiency and support a more sustainable agriculture, using precise and momentary of information that will help make strategic decisions (da Silveira et al. 2021).

Literature uses a variety of titles, including "Smart Agriculture," "Intelligent Agriculture," and "Digital Farming," as well as "Farming 4.0" or "Digital Agriculture," to refer to Agriculture 4.0.

3. World Government Summit

The world government summit is a global platform dedicated to shaping the future of governments worldwide. Each year, the summit sets the agenda for the next generation of governments, focusing on how they can harness innovation and technology to solve universal challenges facing humanity.

Oliver Wyman

Oliver Wyman is a leading global management consulting firm founded in 1984, the firm adopted its current form in May 2007, when Mercer Oliver Wyman joined with Mercer Management Consulting and Mercer Delta to become one firm named Oliver Wyman. It is part of the Oliver Wyman Group, a business unit of Marsh & McLennan. Oliver Wyman combines deep industry knowledge with specialized expertise in strategy, operations, risk management and organization transformation.

The World Government Summit launched a report called Agriculture 4.0–The Future of Farming Technology, in collaboration with Oliver Wyman for the 2018 edition of the international event. The report addresses the four main developments placing the pressure on agriculture to meeting the demands of the future:

i. Demographics

ii. Scarcity of natural resources

iii. Climate change and

iv. Food waste.

4. Agricultural Industry Challenges at Global Level:

4.1 Demographics: The world's population is predicted to increase by 33 percent over the next few decades, from 7.6 billion in October 2017 to over 10 billion by 2050. The population of the world is predicted to reach 11.2 billion by the year 2100. That number might be an underestimate of the true fertility rates; in some cases, the population could reach 16.5 billion. Even under a scenario of low economic growth, population expansion will increase the demand for food by almost 50% relative to 2013 agricultural output.

4.2 Natural Resources:The amount of farmland worldwide that is suitable for production is declining: according to certain measurements, 25% of all farmland is already classified as highly deteriorated, and the remaining 44% is classified as moderately or slightly degraded. More than 40% of rural people worldwide live in places with limited access to water, placing a severe strain on available water supplies. Although it has long been understood that land is a limited resource, in the past, damaged farmland would simply be replaced by newly discovered, uncultivated land. These days, such areas are scarce, and the ones that remain are frequently unsuitable for sustainable farming. Because of the lack of land, there are fewer farms, less production per person, and more landlessness, all of which contribute to rural poverty.

4.3 Climate Change:  According to a 2014 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the level of greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity has increased to its highest point in history.

4.5 Food Waste: Approximately 33 to 50 percent of the food produced worldwide is thrown away, with a monetary loss exceeding $1 trillion. In comparison, the United States' food waste amounts to 1.3% of its GDP. Food waste is a major market inefficiency that doesn't exist in other sectors of the economy.

5. Digital Agriculture in India:Status Quo

Although our nation is in the top two in the world for agricultural production, we still have a way to go before using innovative methods to raise productivity per hectare. Though practically every other sector of the Indian economy has experienced an explosion in digital advancement, agriculture continues to be a long-standing ambition. While mechanization rates in developing nations like China and Brazil are 65 and 75 percent, respectively, India's mechanization rate is only 40 percent.

India ranks among the top six countries globally in terms of the volume of transactions involving agricultural technology.

Major industrial research indicates that one in every nine Agri-Tech start-ups globally are based in India. With an annual growth rate of 25%, India currently has around 450 start-ups in the agri-tech sector (National Association of Software and Service Companies, NASSCOM, 2019).

This illustrates both our constant reliance on traditional methods and the large technology gap that needs to be filled between the usage of farm machinery and digital technology.

6. Challenges of Indian Agriculture Sector

i. By 2050 the world will have additional 2 billion and India has to feed 750 million.

ii. India is currently using resources 50% faster than world can sustain.

iii. Every second, India loses a football field size of farm land due to soil erosion and urbanization.

iv. India has total 329 million hectares of land of which around 37% (120.40 million hectare) of the country’s total geographical area is affected by various kinds of land degradation.

v. On an average 16.4 tons of fertile soil is lost every year per hectare.

vi. India’s small-holder farmers (those owning less than 2.0 hectares of farmland) comprise 78 percent of the country’s farmers, but own only 33 percent of the total cultivated land; they nonetheless produce 41 percent of the country’s food-grains.

vii. Current farming technology costs far more than most farmers can afford

viii. India’s growth has been largely jobless, with only 15 million jobs created during the last 10 years.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)2014, concluded that greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and forestry are doubled over the past 50 years. In order to decline the environmental impact of agriculture and adapt to climate change, new farm models have to be proposed.

United Nations World Population Prospect (2017) indicates that the population will increase to 10 billion by 2050. This latter will lead to growth in food demand.

FAO (2017) shows that agriculture will have to provide 70% more food by 2050. These trends require increased productivity and efficiency. By contrast, 33% to 50 % of produced food becomes a waste.

According to   De Clercq et al. (2018) four main drivers stressing agriculture and requiring new farming models and the implementation of Agriculture 4.0: growing population, climate change, food waste and resource scarcity.

According to World Health Organization (2020), 700 million people are extremely poor, and 800 million are chronically hungry.

7. Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions

The roadmaps of the agricultural revolution and industrial revolution are depicted in Figure below.

Source: Liu et. al (2021)

Figure: Development Roadmap of Industrial Revolutions and Agricultural Revolutions

Agriculture1.0:Traditional farming practices from ancient times, when farmers heavily relied on indigenous tools like hoe, sickle, and pitchfork for cultivation, to the end of the 19th century is referred to as Agriculture 1.0. Such peasant farming required a great deal of manual labor, but productivity was very low.

Agriculture 2.0:With the introduction of agricultural machinery for seedbed preparation, sowing, irrigation, weeding, and harvesting, agricultural production increased at the beginning of the 20th century, known as Agriculture 2.0. This was done by taking advantage from the first industrial revolution, or Industry 1.0, which took place between 1784 and around 1870. Mechanized agriculture decreased manual labor and significantly enhanced food production. Known as Industry 2.0, the second industrial revolution occurred in the 20th century. On the one hand, gas and oil took the place of steam as the primary energy source. The agri-food supply chain, which allowed agricultural products to be transported across enormous distances, was substantially aided by the development of new energy sources and advancements in the transportation sector. As a result of the connecting of formerly isolated areas, new agricultural markets were generated for farmers.

Agriculture 3.0:The automation capacity of manufacturing equipment was then further enhanced by the development of embedded systems, software engineering, and communication technologies throughout the Industry 3.0 era. Additionally, being investigated were green renewable energy sources like wind, hydroelectricity, and solar power. These earlier advancements gave rise to the latest revolution in agriculture, called Agriculture 3.0. This movement focused on examining the use of information technologies for precision agriculture by means of guided farming systems, variable rate applications, and yield monitoring.

Agriculture 4.0:In summary, agricultural practices underwent progressive modifications as a result of the three preceding industrial revolutions. Through the use of industrial production processes, industrial supply chain management, and industrial production patterns, traditional labor-intensive agriculture has been replaced by industrial agriculture. The global agriculture business is currently dominated by industrialized food production and distribution since it is a more productive and efficient approach.

8. Domains of AGRICULTURE- 4.0

8.1 Monitoring-

The initial phase of implementing Agriculture 4.0 involves automatic monitoring.

When implemented properly, smart monitoring systems can revolutionize agricultural management by gathering vital field data in real time and utilizing innovative data analytics technologies to analyze it.

With the use of these technologies, farmers are able to increase agricultural productivity, reduce expenses and time spent on repairs, and safeguard the environment by making rapid, wise decisions and acting quickly.

Monitoring include usually applications as follows:

- Weather monitoring (air temperature and humidity, rainfall, wind direction, wind velocity, atmospheric pressure, solar radiation, etc.).

- GHG monitoring (temperature, GHG emissions- CO2, CH4, N2O, SO2).

- Crop monitoring (NDVI- Normalized Difference Vegetation Index A remote sensing technique used to assess the health and density of vegetation) and soil monitoring (temperature, moisture, electrical conductivity, pH value, and nutrient content) for agricultural management.

- Water monitoring (temperature, conductivity, pH, salinity, turbidity, specific chemical compounds, dissolved oxygen content) for irrigation systems, aquaculture or aquaponics (aquaculture + hydroponics) for management.

8.2 Control-

An active and automatic monitoring system that gathers relevant data from IoT sensors and other devices and transmits it for storage and additional processing eventually produces an IoT-control system.

Then, using the analyzed data, actuators can be automatically activated and controlled to change the process or environment's condition in a predetermined way (e.g., fully autonomous irrigation systems).

Control applications are the following:

- Irrigation Systems (sensors, actuators such as water pumps, and solenoid valves) for irrigation management.

- Fertilization and Fertigation for optimum fertilization.

- Weed, Pest and Disease Control for many problems like a waste of chemicals, increased costs, and pest resistance to chemicals, environmental pollution, and contamination of agricultural products.

8.3 Prediction-

In Agriculture 4.0, the predictive function is utilized to help decision-making and optimize the management process.

Since monitoring and documenting use both historical and real-time data to develop precise analytical approaches in anticipating actual events, they are essential procedures.

Prediction applications are the following:

- Forecasting Weather Conditions

- Crop Development and Yield Estimation

- Forecasting Market Demand

8.4 Logistics-

Concerned about the processes used in the production, handling, packaging, storage, and distribution of agri-food products. By improving logistics efficiency, addressing food safety and security, traceability and food authentication, lowering intrinsic risks, and adhering to certifications and regulations, Agriculture 4.0 offers more transparent and efficient management.

9. Novel Digital Technologies of Agriculture-4.0

9.1 Agricultural robots can be used for tasks such as sorting chores, disease detection, weed and pest management, planting, harvesting, environmental monitoring, soil sampling, yield estimation, smart irrigation, smart spraying, dairy milking, and plant phenotyping. Robots used for agricultural purposes in both the air and on ground are called UAVs and UGVs.

9.2 Global Positioning System (GPS)

i. Precision farming relies heavily on GPS technology, which helps farmers locate and position variability precisely in the field.

ii. Farmers can guarantee accurate and consistent irrigation, fertilizer treatment, and seed planting throughout their fields by utilizing GPS guiding devices.

iii. Higher crop yields and optimal resource usage are the results of this level of precision.

9.3 Remote Sensing and Imaging

i. Aerial photography and satellite imagery are two examples of remote sensing technology that give farmers important information on the health and vitality of their crops.

ii. Through the analysis of these photos, farmers are able to recognize fluctuations in plant development, spot early indicators of illness or nutrient shortages, and promptly implement corrective measures.

iii. This preventive strategy aids in mitigating crop losses and optimizing potential production.

9.4 The Internet of Things (IoT)

With the help of this technology, every real-world entity has a unique identity and may communicate online. Precision agriculture is the use of IoT technology to guarantee optimal resource application to produce high agricultural yields and lower operating costs.  IoT technologies for agriculture include software, IT services, specialized equipment, and wireless connectivity.

9.5 Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI is the term used to describe machines that are able to do cognitive tasks like understanding, reasoning, learning, and interacting. It includes various types of human interaction (such as signal sensing, smart control, and simulators) as well as various types of cognition and meaning understanding (such as speech recognition and natural language processing).

9.6 Photonics

It is an interconnected field that deals with light and includes technologies like photodiodes, lasers, and LEDs as well as energy generation, detection, and process management.

9.7 Industrial Biotechnology

It is the area in which biotechnology is applied by the industry to produce and process materials, chemicals, and fuels. This technique includes methods for producing industrially valuable products more efficiently (i.e., with reduced energy consumption or byproduct production) by utilizing microbes or enzymes.

9.8 Nanotechnology

It is an all-encompassing word that encompasses shape and size control at the nanoscale, from design to structural application and manufacture, devices, and systems.

Smart farming can monitor entire aspects that impact productivity with the help of nano-based sensors.

Additionally, post-harvest food processing and packaging can use nanotechnology to lower food waste and contamination.

9.9 Blockchain:

For the production unit and customers to continue operating together, traceability is crucial. In an agro-food system, a blockchain is a set of data storage blocks, or nodes, where each activity taken throughout the supply chain is duly documented. Every piece of data that is processed and kept on file by a computer is documented. Since no additional middleman is required for the transaction to be completed, the network is regarded as dependable. Every node or block in a blockchain is connected to every other node via which information is shared.

Source: Sridhar et. al (2023)

Figure: Blockchain lowers the transparency gap between producers and customers and lowers fraudulent activities, offering a novel digital approach to the food system. The figure's boxes show the amount of data is being gathered at each step of the procedure. The consumer is able to comprehend the food's complete network as a result.

10. Agriculture 4.0 core technologies and connections

Source: Araújo et. al (2021)

Five key technologies- cloud computing, data analytics, sensors and robotics, Internet of Things, and decision support systems are included in the Agriculture 4.0 paradigm. The relationships between key technologies are depicted in the figure are:

(1) Depending on what the system requires, sensors and robotics perform sensing and actuation tasks.

(2) IoT offers network- and protocol-based connectivity for data transmission.

(3) Processing and storing of data are handled via cloud computing.

(4) Big data, AI, and ML-based algorithms are used in data analytics.

(5) User engagement, advisory functions, and data visualization are made possible by decision support systems.

11. Advantages of Agriculture 4.0

i. Increase financial returns and reduce costs.

ii. Environmental benefits such as reducing waste, water, and energy.

iii. Social benefits related to farmers’ security and jobs creation in the agricultural sector (Changes the socio-economic status of farmers)

iv. Improve crop yields, Enhance Crop Quality, Sustainable farming practices.

v. Smart supply chain management: Technology can help farmers connect with buyers and streamline their supply chains, reducing waste and improving profitability.

vi. Improve quality and safety: Technology can help farmers improve the quality and safety of their products by using tools such as computer vision and deep learning to monitor and grade produce.

vii. Ease in access to information, resources, and markets. For example, mobile apps and online platforms can provide farmers with weather forecasts, market prices, and information on best farming practices.

vii. Help in making informed decisions about crops thereby preventing crop damage and failure....

12. Agriculture 4.0 technologies applications in the field of Agriculture

i. Produced practical and smart farming

ii. Understanding the composition of soil, soil nutrition and temperature

iii. Manage complete agriculture supply chain

iv. Reduce environmental impact

v Enhancing agricultural practices and production

vi. Reduce resource consumption

vii. Improve farming operation

viii. Combat crop disease, Detect Agricultural Danger

ix. Secure transactions and food tracking

x. Precise tracking and prediction of weather

xi. Spray for locusts

xii. Weather information

xiii. Optimal decision making

xiv. Improve crop productivity and management

xv. water consumption monitoring

13. Sustainable Development Goals to which agriculture 4.0 contribute:

i. Digitalization contributes to SDG 1 (no poverty) by enhancing the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and marginalized communities through improved access to markets, financial services, and valuable agronomic information.

ii. The primary focus of digitalization in the agro-food sector is indeed related to SDG 2, which centers on eradicating hunger and achieving food security, it is vital to recognize its broader implications encompassing other relevant SDGs.

iii. In the context of SDG 3 (good health and well-being), digital technologies contribute to safer, healthier food by enabling real-time monitoring and traceability, thereby reducing foodborne illnesses.

iv. The efficient use of digital technologies in agriculture leads to improved water resource management and conservation, aligning with SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation).

v. Digitalization plays a role in SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) by generating employment opportunities within the agro-food tech sector, promoting sustainable economic growth.

vi. SDG 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure) benefits from innovative agro-food technologies that improve production and distribution infrastructure.

vii. Digitalization supports SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production) by promoting resource-efficient farming practices, reducing food waste, and enhancing traceability in supply chains.

viii. SDG 13 (climate action) gains momentum as digital technologies enable precision agriculture and resource optimization, contributing to climate resilience and mitigation efforts.

ix. SDG 14 (life below water) benefits from digitalization as it pertains to marine ecosystems. Precision aquaculture, reliant on digital technologies, can optimize seafood farming practices, thereby reducing the strain on marine resources and aiding the conservation of aquatic life.

x. Digitalization aligns with SDG 15 (life on land) by promoting sustainable land use and agriculture. Technologies like data analytics minimize the use of harmful agrochemicals, reduce soil erosion, and encourage sustainable land management, contributing to the conservation of terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity.

14. SWOT Analysis of digital technologies:

Strength

i. Easy to target and reach more audience -better penetration

ii. Saves a lot of money as compared to the traditional way

iii. Increased need and Demand of precision and digital farming

iv. Technology advancement

v. Sustainability

vi. Productivity

vii. Efficiency and safety

Weakness

i. Lack of education, skills, awareness

ii. Need high investments

iii. High cost of technology

iv. Challenge to reach the population which is still not using internet, poor internet connectivity

v. Keeping pace with new trends and technology

vi. Need of deep understanding of human behaviour and requirements

vii. Data analysis is still a very big concern and very few people are professional in it as not many are able to understand what data actually says.

Opportunities

i. More and more employment opportunity for people especially youth

ii. Help the country itself to become digital and smarter. All process will become faster and smoother

iii. Easy storing and secure the valuable and confidential data of the government organisations Increasing popularity

iv. Supportive Government policies and initiatives

v. Labour shortage in agriculture

Threats

i. Storage of data with full security is still a big question mark

ii. Hackers

iii. Cyber insecurity

iv. Lack of reliability among farmers

15. Strategies to Implementation of Digital Agriculture in India

Low-cost technology: The average annual income of an Indian farmer is >US$ 1,000.This low income explains the precarious financial circumstances in which a typical farmeroperates in India. Thus, lowering the cost of technology will help.

Renting and sharing platforms for agriculture equipment and machinery:Owing to both constrained financial resources and small farm plots, opportunity exists for digital platforms that offer equipment renting and sharing services instead of outright purchases. A few Agri-tech start-ups like Farm kart (rent4farm), EM3 Agri Services and Trringo, are already providing equipment rental services.

Academic support: The local agricultural organization and academic institutes regularly interact with farmers through various locally conducted programs and government initiatives. Training facilities provided by various academic institutes and agricultural organizations will improve digital adoption among farmers.

Conclusion

1. Digitization is the way of the future for many industries, including agriculture, in the modern economy. The last mile in digitization is making benefits easily accessible and widely known to farmers so they can rapidly recognize and value the help. The basic problems facing our farmlands must be solved by emerging technology, which will help double farmers' income and boost agricultural productivity.

2. It is important to examine and track the primary obstacles in order to motivate and support the adoption of agricultural 4.0. Consequently, there needs to be coordination between governments, investors, and other stakeholders.

3. Skilled manpower, resource allocation and supply chain management are still a challenge.

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