The Minister underlined the importance of taking science directly to farmers through initiatives like the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan

Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, virtually addressed a programme organised at ICAR, Pusa, New Delhi, on the occasion of National Space Day. The theme of the event was ‘Research and Development in Space Technology for Agricultural Transformation’. ICAR Director General Dr. M.L. Jat, along with senior scientists, attended the programme.

Calling scientists the “modern sages,” Chouhan said that India has not only changed the direction of farming but also transformed the lives of farmers by ensuring food security and achieving record food grain production. He emphasised that space science has made an “incomparable contribution” to agriculture, becoming central to crop yield estimation, acreage assessments, and weather forecasting.

The Minister noted that earlier, farmers depended on folklore for weather predictions, but today ISRO’s Geo Portal provides accurate data on rainfall, drought, soil moisture, and crop health, enabling better farm planning. Technologies are now available for detecting pests from photos uploaded by farmers and for real-time crop monitoring, including sowing and harvesting estimates. He highlighted that the Agriculture Ministry’s figures now align with NRSC’s CROP framework and that the NASA-ISRO NISAR mission is enabling accurate soil moisture, crop health, and biomass estimates at scale.

On the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Chouhan said satellite-based remote sensing has addressed concerns over flawed crop-cutting experiments and lack of transparency. “Now, crop loss can be accurately assessed, ensuring rightful compensation for farmers,” he said. He also stressed that space applications play a vital role in disaster management, providing timely warnings during rising temperatures, storms, or droughts.

The Minister underlined the importance of taking science directly to farmers through initiatives like the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan, aimed at bringing research breakthroughs to the grassroots. Farmers participating in the campaign raised practical demands, including the need for devices to detect fake fertilisers and pesticides. Chouhan called on scientists to urgently address this issue, noting that farmers had reported pesticide misuse leading to crop damage in soybean fields.

“Our challenge is to provide farmers with real-time information so they can benefit in their farming decisions. I have complete faith in our scientists’ capabilities,” he said.