Seeds, technology and precision farming: the next productivity frontier

Productivity growth in Indian agriculture has historically come from better seeds, irrigation, fertiliser and mechanisation, beginning with the Green Revolution of the 1960s, when high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice, combined with irrigation and fertilisers, raised output sharply in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. That revolution averted food shortages but also raised concerns about water use, soil health, regional concentration and dependence on chemical inputs. The next productivity challenge is different: raising yields and incomes while using less water, fewer chemicals and more diverse crops, on smaller and more fragmented holdings.

Seeds are the starting point. Public research through the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and state agricultural universities develops varieties for yield, drought tolerance, pest resistance and nutrition, while private firms dominate hybrid seeds for crops such as cotton, maize and vegetables. Seed regulation, including the Seeds Act, 1966, and debates over genetically modified crops, balances innovation, farmer rights and biosafety. Bt cotton, approved for commercial cultivation in 2002, raised yields and reduced bollworm pesticide use in early years, but later pest resistance, seed prices and the absence of approved food-crop GM varieties remain contested, with the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee as regulator.

Precision farming uses data to apply inputs where needed: soil health cards, satellite imagery, weather forecasts, sensors and drones can guide fertiliser, water and pesticide use, reducing waste and cost. The Soil Health Card scheme, launched in 2015, gives farmers nutrient status and fertiliser recommendations for their fields, though follow-up and laboratory capacity vary. Digital advisories, agri-startups and custom hiring centres for machinery help small farmers access technology without owning expensive equipment, but connectivity, digital literacy and the cost of services limit reach, and data ownership questions arise when firms collect farm-level data.

Technology alone does not raise farmer incomes if markets, credit and extension fail. A drought-tolerant variety helps only if seed is available on time, a drone advisory helps only if the farmer can act on it, and mechanisation helps only if custom hiring is affordable. For civil studies, agricultural technology is a systems question: research, regulation, extension, input supply and markets must work together, and technologies must be judged by water use, soil health, farmer income and equity, not by yield alone.