In India, Mobile Apps are Transforming Agriculture - Modern Farmer

In India, Mobile Apps are Transforming Agriculture

Technology is helping farmers grow purposefully and more profitably.

agri app
Gary S. Chapman

Vijayaragavan Viswanathan, a scientist with the European Organization for Nuclear Research, resides in the Czech Republic, but he’s no stranger to his native land’s agrarian woes. Growing up in southern India, Viswanathan saw firsthand how limited access to education and basic crop information kept many farmers locked in a cycle of low productivity and poverty. To combat this situation – and capitalize on the fact that India, a nation with 1.2 billion citizens, now has almost a billion mobile subscribers – he developed SmartAgri, an app that communicates with underground sensors to deliver easy-to-understand data, such as soil moisture and mineral levels, to farmers’ mobile devices.

Although Viswanathan is still raising venture capital to roll out SmartAgri across India, his invention epitomizes an accelerating trend in that country, where techies are taking advantage of the high mobile penetration to help farmers improve their bottom lines. Jayalaxmi Agro Tech created an app to equip illiterate farmers with crop-specific information using audiovisual tools. Mandi Trades lists government crop price updates, important information for farmers in remote villages; RainbowAgri connects local buyers and sellers; and mPower Social offers simple veterinary advice for cattle owners.

“In India today, more people have access to mobiles than to running water,” says Viswanathan. “These new apps present an opportunity like no other to revolutionize life for farmers there.”

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Michael
4 years ago

i want kiss
i want to dead
i want to eat this fresh baked bread

5 years ago

There are so many technologies for the agricultural sector in India. And yet our farmers are suffering. Why? You could have a thousand technologies working for agriculture but the farmer does not understand it. Which losses the whole point of the existence of technologies. Sangawari Agrotech Foundation works to to revolutionize the agriculture sector of India, by introducing our farmers to the modern technologies and techniques that can change the way farming has been done so far. It aims to bring in efficiency, higher production, make agriculture a smart industry in India and most importantly generate more profit for our… Read more »

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