Context: NITI Aayog has released its strategic report titled “Reimagining Agriculture: A Roadmap for Frontier Technology-Led Transformation” at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The roadmap has been prepared in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Google, and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), signaling a strong public–private partnership approach.
Why This Roadmap?
Indian agriculture, while central to livelihoods and food security, is at a crossroads:
- It contributes ~18% to GDP but supports ~43% of India’s workforce.
- 86% of farmers are small and marginal, with limited access to credit, mechanisation, or market linkages.
- Productivity remains 30–40% lower than global averages, and 50% of farmland is rainfed, increasing vulnerability to climate change.
To address these structural challenges, the roadmap proposes a technology-integrated, farmer-centric transformation.
Key Features of the Roadmap
1. Digital Agriculture Mission 2.0
A Three-Pillar Strategy:
- Data Ecosystems – Unified digital crop and land records.
- Innovation Systems – R&D and scalable pilot solutions.
- Policy Convergence – Alignment of central, state and industry reforms.
2. Frontier Technology Integration
- AI and Remote Sensing for real-time crop advisory and disaster prediction.
- Precision Farming Tools such as IoT-based soil sensors, drones and satellite imaging.
- Smart Mechanisation to reduce manual labour dependency.
3. Farmer-Centric Segmentation Model
The roadmap recognises diversity among Indian farmers and tailors support accordingly:
| Farmer Segment | Share | Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Aspiring (70–80%) | Small/Marginal | Input support + advisory services |
| Transitioning (15–20%) | Mid-scale growers | Credit & tech access for expansion |
| Advanced (1–2%) | Commercial farmers | Market & export integration |
State Leadership and Institutional Role
- Gujarat highlighted as a model with initiatives like the Digital Crop Survey and i-Khedut Portal, improving transparency in subsidies and land records.
- Implementation led by NITI Aayog’s Frontier Technology Hub, ensuring collaboration between startups, research institutions and state governments.
Alignment with Viksit Bharat 2047
The roadmap envisions:
- Higher farm incomes
- Climate-resilient agriculture
- Data-driven decision-making
- Strong domestic agri-tech ecosystems
This marks a strategic shift from input-intensive to knowledge and innovation-driven farming.
Conclusion
The roadmap offers a pragmatic and future-ready vision for Indian agriculture. If implemented effectively, it can enhance productivity, reduce climate vulnerability and empower farmers through technology-driven autonomy — paving the way towards a self-reliant and globally competitive agricultural economy.