The agricultural landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by the rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI). To understand the profound impact of AI on small farmer interactions, it's crucial to consider insights from leaders spearheading this change. Nidhi Bhasin, CEO of Digital Green Trust, offers a compelling perspective on how AI is revolutionizing the agricultural sector and empowering smallholder farmers in unprecedented ways.
Digital Green Trust, a non-profit organization, focuses on utilizing technology to uplift small and marginal farmers. The organization has developed an AI-powered assistant designed to improve productivity and incomes for these farmers globally. By collaborating with governments, Digital Green enhances the effectiveness of agricultural extension workers, providing them with cutting-edge tools to engage with farmers more efficiently.
Bhasin emphasizes that AI brings a previously unimaginable scale, enabling operations across multiple geographies at a fraction of the cost. She notes that the more data fed into these AI systems, the more accurate they become. The traditional model of reaching individual farmers through agricultural extension workers could cost around $35. Video-based advisories reduced this to $3.5, and with mobile applications and Generative AI, Digital Green aims to bring it down to 35 cents by 2030.
One of Digital Green's key innovations is Farmer.Chat, an Android application enhanced by AI to multiply its impact. This app provides advisories in multiple Indian and African languages. So far, seven million farmers have benefited from these advisories. The rise of Generative AI has amplified their reach, making services available in most Indian languages and three African languages.
In India, Digital Green collaborates with various state governments, with agreements established with approximately 12 states. Tripura has pioneered the integration of AI for greater digital inclusion in Northeast India, using text-to-speech technology under the BHASHINI initiative. This initiative aims to provide translation services in 22 scheduled Indian languages, breaking linguistic barriers and enabling smoother access to digital services.
AI's impact extends beyond advisory services. It enables precise and efficient management of resources, leading to higher yields and reduced environmental impact. AI-driven tools, like computer vision, can detect anomalies in crops weeks before they are visible to the human eye, enabling farmers to take preventive actions, reduce losses, and improve yields.
However, challenges remain. Data quality and digital literacy are significant barriers. Tailored AI product design and on-the-ground capacity-building are essential to overcome these obstacles. In Kenya, Farmer.Chat is improving agricultural call center operations, halving response times and increasing advisory accuracy. AI-driven fertilizer and water management advisories have boosted crop yields while reducing input costs in India.
AI is also revolutionizing product development. AI/ML models analyze soil data, weather predictions, and historical yields, recommending optimal seed varieties, resulting in yield increases in key markets. This technology supports the development of climate-resilient products, helping farmers combat the effects of unpredictable weather and pest infestations.
Looking ahead, Generative AI is expected to play a pivotal role in overcoming adoption issues of digital platforms, especially across medium and small-scale farming operations.
