Farmers Will Now Get AI Inputs on Climate Change

In an effort to provide farmers with information on the effects of climate change, the Telangana government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently introduced Data in Climate Resilient Agriculture (DiCRA) as the newest addition to the Digital Public Goods Registry.

DiCRA can differentiate between farms that are climate change-resistant and those that are extremely vulnerable using remote sensing and pattern detection algorithms. Based on empirical inputs crowd sourced from hundreds of data scientists and citizen scientists on top-performing farms, it uses open-source technology to promote research and insights sharing on climate resilience. The platform, driven by artificial intelligence (AI), is intended to improve food security and systems, according to a release from the office of Industries and IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao.

According to UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, the DiCRA platform will give farmers access to crucial data and analytics that will allow them to lessen the impact of climate change on their crops and animals and, in turn, increase the resilience of their livelihoods and overall food security.

The Minister added, "We are happy to support this first-of-its-kind digital commons to drive climate action not only for Telangana but for the entire world with UNDP Accelerator Labs and partner organisations."

He referred to DiCRA having joined Digital Public Goods Registry as a significant step in Telangana's commitment to open data policy, service delivery to farmers, and anticipatory governance to address the global challenge of food security. He added that in collaboration with the state's thriving innovation ecosystem, it provides intelligence on climate resilience at the farm-level.

Over 500 citizens and scientists from nearby digital ecosystems joined DiCRA in three months to support climate action over 112,077 square kilometres of the State. DiCRA offers free access to both data and analytics produced using open software, enabling their global replication.

Climate change has multiple effects on agriculture, impacting crop output, nutrient quality, and livestock productivity. "Digital technologies show enormous potential in creating resilience as we tackle climate change," stated UNDP Resident Representative in India Shoko Noda. We are pleased to integrate cutting-edge data-driven technology with DiCRA to increase agricultural output. We are eager to expand the platform's usage across India.