To Commemorate UN World Rural Development Day, an International online webinar ‘Smart Tribal Farming Achieving Sustainable Agriculture and Livelihood Opportunities’ will be organized by Shobhit Institute of Engineering & Technology in partnership with CIRDAP and AARDO. 

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared July 6th as World Rural Development Day, to highlight the importance of Rural Development and its impact on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to recognize the crucial role of Women in rural areas and their contribution to Agricultural development, Food security, and Poverty eradication. Agricultural sector is the backbone of Indian economy and it continues to employ more than 50 per cent of India’s workforce. since its independence, and of late, contributes almost 17–18 per cent of its GDP. Indian Agriculture confronts with its sheer complexity, inadequate factors of production, weather uncertainties, multiplicity of schemes and multiplicity of institutions, at farm level. India has delineated its geographical area into 15 Agro-Climatic Regions and more than 127 Agro-Climatic Zones, having different farming practices, evolved over the centuries, with changes in weather and climatic conditions, technological innovations and socio-cultural practices. By 2050, it is pronounced that there will be more than 2 billion additional people on the planet, requiring 50% more food from the same agricultural footprint.

The Sustainable Food Production Systems for Self-Reliant and Climate Resilient Agriculture requires intensive application of Science and Technology within a well-defined framework to adopt “strategic use” of Digital Technology in Farming System Life Cycle, through seven DFI-2022 Mission Mode Programmes. This is detailed in the Chapter-10 of the Ashok Dalwai Committee on Doubling Farmers Income by 2022 Report 2018, in a time bound manner, for the benefit of more than 14.5 Crore operational farm holders in India and their farming activities viz.

The digitalization of agriculture and rural management, as recommended by the Ashok Dalwai Committee on Doubling Farmers’ Income in India by 2022, aims to establish about 2.5 lakh AgriTech startups/scale-ups, one in each Gram Panchayat. Each Gram Panchayat will have 1 GBPS internet bandwidth (scalable up to 10 GBPS) through PM-WANI, connecting villages across the country. The Volume XII (B) of Dr. Ashok Dalwai Committee on DFI-2022 Report 2018 (www.agricoop.gov.in) has suggested strategic use of Digital Technology in the Farming System Life Cycle, through seven DFI-2022 Mission Mode Programmes in its Chapter-10 as given below:
1. Digitalized Agriculture: Digital Technology and Innovation in Agriculture: Digital India, Make in India, Skill India and Start Ups India Programmes for Transformational Reforms in Agricultural Sector (SMART Irrigated Farming, SMART Rainfed Farming and SMART Tribal Farming);
2. Digitalized Agro-Met Advisories & Agricultural Risk Management Solution;
3. Digitalized Agricultural Resources Information System (AgRIS) and Micro-Level Planning for achieving SMART VILLAGE & SMART FARMING;
4. Digitalized Value Chain for about 400 agricultural Commodities;
5. Digitalized Access to Inputs, Technology, Knowledge, Skill, Agricultural Finance, Credit, Marketing and Agribusiness Management, to Farmers;
6. Digitalized Integrated Land and Water Management System – Per Drop More Crop;
7. Digitalized Farm Health Management for Reduction of Farmers’ Losses.