Experts brainstorm on AI solutions for rice cultivation in UP

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) on Wednesday organized a brainstorming session on leveraging AI and digital-based solutions for rice cultivation in UP. At the event, 2030 Water Resources Group of World Bank and tech companies like Microsoft and Click2Cloud gathered to explore opportunities to integrate and leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) in rice production in Uttar Pradesh.

The UP govt launched an AI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in early 2024 to focus on the adoption of AI and digital technologies to support development across key sectors including agriculture.

In this context, this brainstorming discussion was conducted to deep-dive into the use cases and opportunities for the benefits to reach rice farmers in UP through the UP Accelerator PRAGATI. According to the ISARC spokesperson, integrating AI in rice farming can enhance crop management by providing real-time data on soil health, weather, and pests, enabling optimized irrigation, fertilizer management, and pest control. This will increase yields and reduce resource use, lowering costs and environmental impact. AI also minimizes post-harvest losses through better storage and transportation management.

Further to support agribusiness and agri-entrepreneurship, AI can help improve supply chain transparency, efficiency, and food safety while providing market trend predictions and demand forecasts. This ultimately would empower farmers, boost productivity, support sustainability, and enhance the region’s efficiency and resilience of rice-based agrifood systems. 

This article has been republished from The Times of India.