From Industry 4.0 to Agriculture 4.0: Shaping the Future of Farming to Strengthen Backbone of India!

Abstract

We are living in the era of fourth Industrial revolution and automated world and the lives of farmers are still in darkness. The agriculture sector contributes nearly 17 percent to the GDP of India and supports 58 percent rural households. India has second largest arable land with 160 million hectares following US. Unfortunately, the agriculture sector in India is still bleeding. The growth rate of agriculture sector is slow and it is less than 4 percent per annum. This growth rate will take next 25 years to double the income of farmers. Small farmers should be aware of agricultural revolution 4.0 and applicability of it in farming. Government should reorient some part of their subsidies towards smart farming and creating awareness programmes for farmers. Satellite technology and its applications are next welcome step for transforming agriculture sector and India. It is vital for small farmers to adopt the techniques of precision farming to step forward towards agriculture 4.0.