AI Crucial For Development Of Agriculture Innovation, Say Delegates At AI Impact Summit

New Delhi: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has a crucial role to play in driving inclusive development in agriculture innovation, digital public infrastructure, crop forecasting, crop advisory systems, farmer decision support, and agricultural digital public infrastructure, said delegates at the AI Impact Summit-2026.

Sanjay Jain, Director, Digital Public Infrastructure, Gate Foundation, said, "The government has designed and invested in digital infrastructure for farmers like Agri stack, crop and land registry, and VISTAAR which were part of the recent budget. Every nation needs to develop DPI for the benefit of small and marginal farmers."

The delegates emphasized the need to reach out to farmers, stating that AI enabled information on weather and other relevant issues must be provided timely to support and benefit them.

"An indigenous AI-based landslide early warning system provides alerts up to three hours before slope failures in Himalayan regions. The system uses low-cost sensors measuring soil moisture, rainfall, humidity, temperature, and ground displacement. Data feeds into a machine learning model with over 90 per cent accuracy. Installed at more than 60 sites across Himachal Pradesh, it detects millimetre-level slope movements. Built with locally sourced components at a fraction of imported technology costs, the system strengthens disaster preparedness. It enables timely evacuations in India's landslide-prone areas," the delegates stated.

They said, Gram Panchayat Level Weather Forecasting (GPLWF), launched by IMD in collaboration with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, covers nearly all gram panchayats across India. It uses multiple weather prediction models simultaneously. Farmers can access these forecasts through apps like e-Gramswaraj, Meri Panchayat, and Mausam gram.

The forecasts include temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind, and cloud information. This helps farmers make better decisions on planting, harvesting, and irrigation. Bharat Forecasting System (BharatFS), launched by the government on May 27 last year, is an Indian-built weather prediction model. It provides very detailed forecasts at the village level.

An AI chatbot, is being developed by the government to advise farmers and others on climate and weather. The government is conducting AI research in forecasting and predicting rainfall patterns. AI is also being used to forecast fires, fog, lightning, and thunderstorms, the delegates said.

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