ICT Previous Year Question (May 2018) | Section-C | Guru@Gndec

Section-C

7 ) What do you mean by globalization of e-agriculture ? Explain evolution of e-agriculture and global ICT trends.

Answer:

• Globalization refers to increases in the movement of finance, inputs, output, information, and science across vast geographic areas. The gains from globalization increase net income in many places and facilitate decreases in levels of poverty and may thereby increase levels of food security.
• E-Agriculture is an emerging field focusing on the enhancement of agricultural and rural development through improved information and communication processes. More specifically, e-Agriculture involves the conceptualization, design, development, evaluation and application of innovative ways to use information and communication technologies (IT) in the rural domain, with a primary focus on agriculture. 
• Indian Agriculture contributes to 18.6 per cent of India’s GDP, and approximately 59 per cent Indians derive their livelihood from the agricultural sector. Private sector initiatives like contract farming have commercialized the Indian agricultural sector.
• The main phases of the agriculture industry include crop cultivation, water management, fertilizer application pest management, harvesting, transfer of foods, safety, quality management and marketing management, Any system applied for getting information and knowledge for making decisions in any industry should deliver accurate, complete, concise information in time or on time. The information provided by the system must be in user-friendly form, easy to access, cost-effective and well protected from unauthorized accesses.
• e-Agriculture Community is made up of over 12,000 members from 170 countries and territories, members are information and communication specialists, researchers, farmers, students, policy makers, business people, development practitioners, and others. e-Agriculture is all about knowledge exchange between UN agencies, governments, universities, research organizations, NGOs, farmers' organizations, private sector, and the wider community.
• Real costs of information transfer and shipment of goods have declined rapidly, while perishability and bulk have been drastically reduced. Concurrently, increases in per capita income in many regions, and in the total size of the market, have allowed scale economies to be achieved for myriad new products, most of which involve value added processes that themselves require investment and improved technology. These rapid changes have allowed a great increase in specialization in agriculture, and consequently lower costs and rapid growth in trade.
• Globalization can greatly enhance the role of agriculture as an engine of growth in low-income countries by making it possible for agriculture to grow considerably faster than domestic consumption. It also increases the potential for agriculture to increase food security through enlarged multipliers to the massive, employment-intensive, non-tradable rural non-farm sector. With such potential benefits, it is important to understand what is required for participation and to ensure that the poor and hungry are lifted out of poverty and hunger by these processes.
• Modern globalization has brought about fundamental changes in world agricultural trade: an unprecedented growth of agricultural trade-value in real terms and a dramatic change in its composition which is increasingly moving away from bulk commodities towards high-value, processed consumer-ready agricultural goods. These changes have been boosted by the improvements in transport and communication technologies and the progressive trade liberalization. 

Evolution of e- agriculture:

• The e-Agriculture Community (and the term "e-agriculture") came into being after the World Summit on the Information Society(WSIS) in 2003 and 2005.
• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union, has come up with the e-agriculture strategy to help countries use information and communication technology to drive rural development.
• It was clear to the WSIS global participants that when addressing the challenges that face the digital divide, especially in a rural livelihoods context, problems go beyond just technology. It is a multifaceted problem of ineffective knowledge exchange and management of information content, as well as the lack of human resources, institutional capacity, and sensitivity to gender and the diverse needs of different groups.
• With WSIS participants identifying and naming "e-agriculture" as a key action line to address the Millennium Development Goals, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) was assigned to lead the development and subsequent facilitation activities that would truly engage stakeholders at all levels. Bringing together a group of Founding Partners in 2006, the e-Agriculture Community officially launched in 2007. Today, the e-Agriculture Community of Practice is still growing and supporting its members and the communities with which they work daily.

Global ICT Trends

In recent years, technology in agriculture, also known as AgTech has rapidly changed the industry. In 2015, the industry’s investment in technologyreached a whopping $4.6 billion—and that was three years ago! However, our population is continuing to grow, which has the potential to affect resource availability going forward. In recent studies, it was found that the industry’s output must increase by 60% by 2030.

IoT and Sensors in the Field

Sensors placed strategically around fields along with image recognition technologies are allowing farmers to view their crops from anywhere in the world. These sensors send farmers up to date information in real-time, so changes can be made accordingly to their crops. I don’t have much of a green thumb, but if I had an app that would tell me when the plants in my backyard needed water or some other type of nourishment, I think I would be able to keep them alive longer. IoT sensors in the field are doing the same thing for farmers, but obviously on a larger scale resulting in higher food production with less waste—exactly what this industry needs.

IoT and Sensors in Equipment

Much like the technology within the field, sensors are being placed on agricultural equipment to track the health of the machine and more. Using the term “precision agriculture” tractors and other farming equipment are being manufactured with navigation systems and a variety of sensors. Some of these sensors are built with the capability to compensate for uneven terrain using GPS. Some are built for yield mapping and harvest documentation, right from the cab of the implement. While others are monitoring when tractors need to be serviced. All together, these sensors are reducing the amount of downtime machines experience.

Drones and Crop Monitoring

When you’re working in your garden, you can typically see all of your plants at once, but farmers work in fields that span hundreds of acres meaning the only way they’ve been able to get a bird’s eye view is from a plane. Imagine the return on investment if farmers could visualize their crops using an aerial source—without having to charter a plane. Drones are being used for crop monitoring widely across the U.S. as a means to combat drought and other harmful environmental factors. Drones that produce 3D imaging can be used to predict soil quality through analysis and planning seed planting patterns.

Drones are also being used to spray chemicals on crops while being careful not to penetrate groundwater. Recent studies have shown that drones can increase the speed of spraying by five times compared to other types of machinery.

Farming and Robotics

Much like using robots and artificial intelligence in other industries, robotics within agriculture would improve productivity and would result in higher and faster yields. Such robots like the spraying and weeding robots recently acquired by John Deere can reduce agrochemical use by an incredible 90%.

Other startup robotics companies are experimenting with laser and camera guidance for identifying and removing weeds without human intervention. These robots can use the guidance to navigate between rows of crops on its own, reducing the manpower behind it. Other companies are creating plant-transplanting robots that add a new level of efficiency to traditional methods and finally, automation is being tested for fruit-picking and nut harvesting, something that has always seemed to be too delicate for robotics in the past.

RFID Sensors and Tracking

After crops are harvested, RFID sensors can be used to track food from the field to the store. The end user, or the consumer, will be able to follow a detailed trail about the food they consume from the farm it came to the location where it was purchased. This technology could increase trustworthiness for manufacturers and their responsibility to provide fresh produce and goods.

        

8 ) Discuss the impact of digital revolution on rural society in India. In what context it is affecting agriculture livelihoods.

Answer:

- The Digital Revolution, also known as the Third Industrial Revolution,is the shift from mechanical and analogue electronic technology to digital electronics. 

- It began anywhere from the late 1950s to the late 1970s with the adoption and proliferation of digital computers and digital record keeping  That continues to the present day.

Digital Revolution In India

- India is primarily an agricultural economy.

- It is developing at a very fast rate.

- But Digitial Revolution created a technological divide between the urban areas and rural areas.

- Many of India’s companies and well-educated  enjoy the benefits of ICTs.

 - But these technologies were not accessible or affordable for the majority of the population.

Major Factors for Technological Divide

• Illiteracy/ low level of literacy of farmers
• Digital illiteracy : Inability of Rural People to use ICT
• Poverty
• Lack of technological infrastructure such as internet connectivity
• Cost of technology
• Non ownership of computers, tablets and other digital devices
• Not enough time and resources to spend on technology
• Lack of awareness among rural people.

How India is alleviating the country’s digital divide ?

The Digital India programme is a flagship programme of the Government of India with a vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. This campaign has been launched by the Government of India to ensure that Government services are made available to citizens electronically by improved online infrastructure and by increasing Internet connectivity or by making the country digitally empowered in the field of technology. It was launched on July 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The initiative includes plans to connect rural areas with high-speed internet networks. Digital India consists of three core components, which are as follows:

1. Digital Infrastructure as Core Utility to Every Citizens
2. Governance and Services on Demand
3. Digital Empowerment of Citizens

• In Education sector, ‘SWAYAM’ scheme has been launched by the government, which provides an opportunity to students to access courses taught in classrooms from ninth standard to post graduation. It can be accessed by anyone, anywhere at any time. This digital scheme not only brings education at the door step of numerous students but also aims to bridge the divide as students who cannot join mainstream or formal education can access this application for their needs.  Other digital platforms for education purpose are ‘ePATHSHALA’, ‘Mid-Day Meal Monitoring App’, ‘Shaala Sidhi’, ‘Shaala Darpan’, ‘OLABS’ and eGranthalya. These digital initiatives are very helpful in bringing education to the underprivileged.
• In Health services, the various digital initiatives of the Government include ‘Digital AIIMS’, a project that aims to create an effective linkage between UIDAI and AIIMS; the ‘e-Hospitals’, an open source health management system; ‘mRaktkosh’, a web based mechanism that interconnects all blood banks of the state into a single network.
• Besides health and Education the present Government has also taken various initiatives to digitize governance. For instance the ‘UMANG’ aims to bring one stop solution to all government services; ‘e-panchayat’, ‘eDistricts’ and ‘eOffice’ are also some of the services to digitize governance and administration in the country. The AADHAR scheme and BHIM App are also significant in speeding up the process cashless economy.
• In agriculture sector, the Government’s Digital India initiative is also proving a number of schemes for the benefit of the farmer. Some of the schemes in the agriculture sector include, ‘mkisan’, ‘farmer portal’, ‘Kisan Suvidha App’, ‘Pusa Krishi’, ‘Soil Health Card App’, ‘eNAM’, ‘Crop Insurance Mobile APP’, ‘Agri Market App’ and ‘Fertilizer Monitoring App’.
• For women’s safety, government has also launched various applications like ‘Nirbhaya App’ and ‘Himmat App’ that facilitate sending of distress calls. There are also apps for law enforcement agencies, courts and judiciary.

India is one of the fastest growing economies of world with the largest young population. India has an immense opportunity to change the face of the society, country & economy with digital revolution. It is very beneficial to the grass root level and especially to the less privileged sections of the society.

Case study:

• In Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh government has launched Gyandoot (messanger of knowledge) Project. In this project a reliable intranet connects villages throughout the district.
• Access is through numerous cyber-kiosks run by local entrepreneurs.
• A wide range of services is offered: mandi [market] information, landholder records, Hindi email, forms and news on employment,matrimonials and health.
• This project won the prestigious Stockholm Challenge Award for the year 2000.

       

9 ) How one can reduce the losses and increase productivity by using ICT in agriculture and allied businesses like diary ? Discuss with detailed example or case study.

Answer:

- One can reduce the losses and increase productivity by using ICT by automating current manual systems into automated one by using ICTs, which are more efficient and less time consuming in nature.

In case of computerization of diary industry:

- Computer systems have the potential to vastly improve the efficiency, governance, and accountability of farmer organizations.

- Dairy cooperatives are considered the type of organization most likely to see clear benefits from computerized accounting systems, simply because of their numerous members and large volume of daily transactions. 

- Even smaller cooperatives benefit from computerizing their accounts,which leads to greater efficiency and transparency. Having financial and membership information always at hand helps management make better decisions, and using software to present financial information in graphical or diagrammatic form can make the information easier to understand.

- Farmer organizations and cooperatives in the developing world are turning to computerized management systems, despite their cost and the challenges posed by infrastructure, for some or all of the following reasons:

• Better accounting and management increase efficiency, save time, and reduce mistakes. The more logical approach demanded by computerization means that procedures have to be improved, which leads to better overall administration.
•  Information for control and management decisions is available instantly. Inventory control improves, and information becomes available in real time.
• Relations between members and management can be improved. Better services to members flow from more efficient administration. New and improved services to members mean that they are prepared to invest more in the society.
• The cooperative has more options for communication and information sharing. There may be opportunities to communicate beyond the organization, using email, newsletters, websites, and information networks.
• Attention is paid to develop a sustainable business model that ensures co-creation and ownership of the services needed by farmers
• Data are available to guide policy decisions.

-Computerization has clear potential to make the governance of cooperatives more efficient,transparent, and fair. Even if they do not necessarily understand the technology, cooperative members can see that the new systems work well.

- In dairy cooperatives, for example, computerized systems facilitate timely payments to farmers for their milk, together with clear records of all transactions (milk supplied and

inputs bought). Where there is an automated milk collection system, it is operated by personnel of the cooperative, who are generally also farmers and members of the society. Milk is always weighed and tested, with few errors, and the data are displayed clearly on the testing equipment. The operation is quick and transparent. Farmers no longer worry that

figures might be adjusted by unscrupulous staff.

- Dairy cooperatives typically have thousands of members. The recording system at the collection point has to cope with the huge volume of members’ daily transactions. Milk is highly perishable, especially in hot climates, and any delay in collection quickly leads to significant waste. Members often buy inputs on credit from the cooperative. These purchases have to be reconciled before members can be paid for their milk. Each member needs a statement at the time of each monthly or twice-monthly payment to show (correctly) how it has been calculated. Payments must be timely and regular, because cooperative members depend on receiving their money on time. In manual accounting systems, a mountain of paperwork is done before issuing each payment. Computer accounting can produce up-to-date payment calculations and member statements at the click of a mouse.

The most advanced examples of computerization are to be found in the Indian dairy industry, where cooperative societies have a long history. India has more than 10 million dairy farmers, most of whom run small, marginal operations (Sharma and Yadav 2003). Although milk yields had quadrupled in the 40 years ending in 2001, time-consuming manual recording systems had changed little. Producers waited for hours before

they could deliver their milk, much of which soured in the heat.

Case Study 1:

• A significant change occurred in 1996, when a small private company (Akashganga–Shree Kamdhenu Electronics Private Ltd.) developed IT-based tools to automate milk collection at local dairy cooperatives and computerize the accounting system.
• The company introduced simple technology to weigh milk, check its quality (fat content), and pay producers promptly. The basic model was an electronic weighing system, a milk analyzer, a personal computer, and accounting and management software.
• The new technology found a ready market, once initial mistrust was dispelled by active marketing by the company, which offered equipment to some cooperatives free of charge. 
• The free installations showed neighboring cooperatives the utility of automated collection centers. Intensive training was provided,and IT systems were maintained by motorcycle-borne service engineers who could quickly attend to any faults.
• Only when the cooperative was convinced of the system’s worth did it have to pay. 
• The application, initially built around a microprocessor but now usually involving computers, took a decade to diffuse on a large scale, but many Indian dairy cooperatives have now adopted computerized systems.
• Developers of the Akashganga system claim that there is a viable market for companies that can design products suited to the needs of cooperatives in developing countries. 
• The design of the equipment was carefully considered, not only to ensure that it was easy to use but also to make the weighing equipment sufficiently robust to cope with the heat and dust of rural India. 
• Price was an issue, as cooperatives have to justify expenditures to members. 
• The equipment to measure fat content was developed in India for less than one-quarter the cost of European designs.

Case Study 2: Amul

• Some dairies are now upgrading to enterprise resource planning (ERP), which encompasses the range of activities from the farmer or collection point to consumer sales (box 8.10).19
• One of these is the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd., whose brand name is Amul. The federation collects over 10 million liters of milk every day and is co-owned by some 2.8 million milk producers.
•  All zonal, regional, and member dairies are connected through very small aperture terminals (VSATs) to make information-sharing easier. 
• Amul is in the process of Web-enabling the entire supply chain so it can capture key information at the source.