New Delhi: Commemorating the launch of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission, the soft landing of the Vikram Lander and the deployment of the Pragyaan Rover on August 23, 2023; Bhagirath Choudhary, Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India, launched a digital geospatial platform, Krishi-Decision Support System (Krishi-DSS) during a conference in New Delhi on Friday.
Krishi-DSS is a significant innovation in the country’s agricultural landscape. The conference highlighted the crucial role of space technology in advancing India’s agricultural sector. The geospatial platform is designed specifically for Indian agriculture and offers comprehensive data access including satellite images, weather information, reservoir storage, groundwater levels, and soil health information, all accessible anytime and anywhere.
Krishi-DSS features advanced modules to support comprehensive agricultural management. It includes crop mapping and monitoring to analyse cropping patterns over the years, promoting sustainable agriculture through diverse crop cultivation. The drought monitoring module provides near real-time information on soil moisture, water storage, crop conditions, and dry spells. The crop weather watch module keeps track of how weather impacts crops, harvest status, and crop residue burning.
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Field parcel segmentation helps in understanding the unique needs of each field, facilitating targeted interventions. The “one nation-one soil information system” provides comprehensive soil data, aiding in assessing crop suitability and land capability for soil and water conservation measures. The ground truth data library supports innovation by offering essential resources for researchers and industry.
Krishi-DSS is a holistic solution for flood impact assessment, crop insurance, and more. It empowers farmers, informs policies, and nourishes the nation by integrating various data sources to develop farmer-centric solutions like individualised advisories and early disaster warnings.
The event saw participation from officers and delegates from the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Department of Space, ISRO centres, various Central agencies such as IMD, CWC, NWIC, NIC, ICAR, SLUSI, MNCFC, state remote sensing centres, state agriculture departments, institutes, universities, and the Agri-Tech industry. The programme included technical sessions showcasing the utilisation of space technology in agriculture and demonstrations of ISRO’s portals for accessing satellite-based data products. Panel discussions focused on the potential uses of space technology in agriculture.
Key highlights of the conference
- Showcasing advancements in satellite remote sensing, geospatial technology, and their applications in precision agriculture, crop monitoring, disaster management, and soil health management.
- Launching the Krishi-DSS geospatial platform to provide real-time data-driven insights on weather patterns, soil conditions, crop health, crop acreage, and advisories.
- Emphasising public-private partnerships to accelerate the adoption of space technology in agriculture.
- Promoting a farmer-centric approach with user-friendly solutions and capacity-building programmes to ensure the benefits of space technology reach the grassroots level.
The Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare remains committed to leveraging space technology for the betterment of Indian agriculture, working closely with all stakeholders to achieve this goal.
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To commemorate the successful launch of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission on August 23, 2023, the Government of India has declared August 23rd of every year as National Space Day (NSpD). This achievement places India among the elite group of spacefaring nations, becoming only the fourth country to land on the Moon and the first to land near its south pole.
To mark this historic milestone in the Indian Space Program, the Department of Space is organising nationwide celebrations in August 2024, aimed at engaging and inspiring the youth of the nation towards space science and its applications. The theme for these celebrations is “Touching lives while touching the Moon: India’s Space Saga.”
