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<keyword id="19902762" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Google" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Google">Google</keyword> is intensifying its focus on <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword> with the introduction of advanced AI tools aimed at breaking down <keyword id="20932433" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="language-barriers" source="keywords">language barriers</keyword> and enhancing agricultural practices, a senior company official said. Abhishek <keyword id="22795920" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bapna" source="keywords">Bapna</keyword>, Director of Product Management at Google <keyword id="20260498" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="DeepMind" source="keywords">DeepMind</keyword>, highlighted the importance of reducing language barriers in India's economic development. "Language is very essential for economic development. For instance, a language barrier should not hinder someone from explaining their medical issues to a doctor or accessing banking services," Bapna said during his short visit to IIM Calcutta. The tech giant has launched Google <keyword id="19896990" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gemini" source="keywords">Gemini</keyword>, formerly known as Bard, an artificial intelligence chatbot that supports more than 40 global languages, including nine Indian languages. Bapna added that Google's ongoing focus is on continuously improving language quality and expanding support for more Indian languages in the future. Currently, the chatbot supports nine Indian languages - Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Bapna noted the complexity of India's multilingual environment, where people often use multiple languages simultaneously. This presents unique challenges for AI models, as they must correctly identify and apply the appropriate dictionaries to understand and generate accurate responses, Bapna said. To empower developers in India, Google is expanding <keyword id="22364430" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Project-Vaani" source="keywords">Project Vaani</keyword> in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The project offers developers over 14,000 hours of speech data across 58 languages, collected from 80,000 speakers in 80 districts. Additionally, Google introduced IndicGenBench, a comprehensive benchmark designed specifically for Indian languages. This initiative aims to assess and fine-tune language models for more accurate and effective use in India. In a parallel effort to support India's agricultural sector, Google is working towards launching the Agricultural Landscape Understanding (ALU) Research API. This limited availability tool is designed to make agricultural practices more data-driven and efficient. The ALU API aims to enhance farm yields, improve access to capital, and provide better market access for farm products. "On agriculture, right now we are conducting a pilot with the Telangana government that is already underway. Once the pilot is complete, we plan to scale it up and engage actively with state governments," Bapna said. He emphasized that Google's agricultural initiatives are driven by two major goals: improving livelihoods and addressing climate change through necessary interventions. "Banks and insurance companies could also be end users. Right now our focus is to make sure that the technology works properly," Bapna said. By offering granular landscape insights at the farm field level, the ALU API is expected to transform India's agricultural ecosystem.

Google to expand AI initiatives in India, targeting language barriers, agricultural efficiency

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Dennis Hutson has found ways to use less water in one of the most drought-stricken places in the US.</li><li>At his TAC Farm in San Joaquin Valley, CA, Hutson is training people of color to farm sustainably.</li></ul>Dennis Hutson has played many roles in his life: pastor, US Air Force chaplain, and devoted husband and father of three — to name a few.But it wasn't until he co-bought 60 acres of land in Allensworth, California, that he felt he'd fulfilled his ultimate destiny.<h2>A Black-led agricultural revolution over 100 years in the making</h2>Allensworth is the first Black-founded and -governed town in California.Allen Allensworth, an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/family-escapes-modern-day-slavery-in-pakistan-2023-11">escaped slave</a>, founded it in 1908. He traveled throughout the eastern and midwestern US advocating for self-help programs that would give Black people a chance at social and economic self-sufficiency."Allensworth believed <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-practices-for-offering-allyship-and-support-to-black-coworkers-2020-6">Black people are meant to help one another</a> — to pull one another into a higher station of life," Hutson told Business Insider.<div type="image" title="Dennis Hutson in a green shirt looks at the camera while standing in a thicket of bushes." height="720" width="1440" msid="105863623" hostid="261" sizebytes="77250"></div>The way he sees it, Hutson's destiny is to carry on Allensworth's legacy through farming. He's launching a teaching program on TAC Farm, which he co-founded with his sister and her husband on the land they bought together.Through the program, Hutson hopes to offer <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/black-farmers-jubilee-justice-louisiana-regenerative-farming-2023-10">Black farmers</a>, indigenous farmers, and other farmers of color hands-on experience in organic and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/farmer-shares-sustainable-farming-plans-new-town-freedom-georgia-initiative-2022-2">sustainable practices</a>."I thought, this is a way to realize the purpose on which this town was discovered," Hutson said.<h2>Closing the racial gap</h2>Research has found that farming offers <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/build-black-wealth-millionaire-mentor-2022-9">Black Americans a substantial economic opportunity</a> to build net worth and generational wealth.But research has also found that <a target="_blank" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10460-018-9883-3">significant racial disparities</a> in farmland ownership, in part due to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/black-minority-farmers-covid-relief-racial-discrimination-2021-3">discriminatory practices</a> by the USDA and lending organizations, have deprived farmers of color equal access to the loans, grants, and crop insurance necessary to sustain or grow their operations.As recently as 2021, only <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/agriculture/our-insights/black-farmers-in-the-us-the-opportunity-for-addressing-racial-disparities-in-farming">1.4% of farmers</a> in the US were Black or of mixed race — a significant decline from 14% about 100 years ago, according to McKinsey &amp; Company.<h2>A better way of doing things</h2>Hutson moved to Allensworth in July of 2017 — right after the 2012-2016 drought, one of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-town-sinking-drought-central-valley-2019-2">most severe in California's history</a>.<a target="_blank" href="https://plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov/wordpress/?p=22505">San Joaquin Valley</a>, a stretch of eight counties in central and southern California and where Allensworth is located, was hit especially hard, which is why Hutson said he knew he would have to lean into sustainable practices for TAC Farm."Otherwise, you're just adding to the problem instead of helping to solve it," he said.<div type="image" title="Picture of Dennis Hutson on TAC farm." height="717" width="1433" msid="105863625" hostid="261" sizebytes="109656"></div>To that end, TAC farm has adopted more efficient drip irrigation methods, which help reduce manpower while also conserving water, Hutson said.The farm also plants <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/patagonia-global-warming-solutions-2019-4">cover crops,</a> which aren't necessarily intended for harvest, but instead protect and enrich the soil for future harvest crops. Moreover, healthy soil can retain moisture longer, so it doesn't require as much water.A few years ago, Hutson began replacing the alfalfa, which required irrigating six to seven times per season, with the cover crop oats."I planted oats and relied on rains for irrigation. With this year's atmospheric rivers, I had an abundant harvest," he said. It's sustainable practices like these that could help TAC Farm survive in the face of the US's uncertain farming future.Over the next several decades, California's Department of Water Resources estimates that the state could <a target="_blank" href="https://resources.ca.gov/-/media/CNRA-Website/Files/Initiatives/Water-Resilience/CA-Water-Supply-Strategy.pdf">lose up to 10% of its water supplies</a> by 2040, and economists predict the central San Joaquin Valley will need to pull nearly half a million acres of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ppic.org/publication/policy-brief-the-future-of-agriculture-in-the-san-joaquin-valley/">farmland out of production</a>.It's also these sustainable practices that Hutson ultimately wants to pass on to other farmers of color.<h2>Cultivating the next generation of Black regenerative farmers in Southern California</h2>Hutson's TAC Innovation and Teaching Farm program has recruited approximately six farmers of color from across the Central Valley and Southern California, he told BI.In order to spread the word, TAC Farm partnered with a number of other organizations in the state — including African American Farmers of California, Crop Swap LA, and the Compton Community Garden.Participants will get access to a small plot of land on TAC Farm for two and a half years, and can then sell the crops they grow to local co-ops, Hutson said. The program will also help participants apply for loans.Hutson said most people don't realize how expensive agriculture is. For example, the Massey-Ferguson 4700 4-wheel drive tractor he purchased with a grant in 2020 cost $46,000.This program will equip students with a more realistic mindset about what it takes to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lawsuit-put-pause-usda-effort-pay-off-black-farmers-loans-2021-6">start a successful farm</a> from the ground up."After land cost, the second big hurdle is finding a water source — especially in the Central Valley," he said. "More and more, that means drilling a well."Before Hutson asked for a loan from the bank, he noted: "The bank said to me, 'We can't give you one until you have a water source.' So, I had to have a well drilled in 2009 — it's just 720 feet deep, and it was over $120,000. It probably costs twice that now. He added that's "not even taking into account equipment — tractors, implements, all those kinds of things."Hutson hopes the sustainable practices he's learned and designed over the last decade can usher in a new revolution of minority-owned and led sustainable agriculture in California."They can say, 'We did this with our hands.'"

How a California farmer is helping build a Black-led sustainable agriculture revolution

<keyword id="6354306" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="puducherry" source="Orion">Puducherry</keyword>, The Agriculture institute in Karaikal, Puducherry has developed a new <keyword id="13726" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rice" source="Orion">rice</keyword> variety that can tolerate floods. The rice variety was developed with the support of the Department of Biotechnology, Central government. The rice variety, KKL(R)2 was developed by a team of researchers led by Dr. S. Thirumeni, Head of the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru College of Agriculture and Research Institute. During samba/thalady season, the paddy crop is affected in rain and short-term submergence leads to the destruction of these crops. The institute has been working on the development of water submergence-tolerant rice varieties. Dr S. Thirumeni told IANS, "The new variety KKL(R)2 was developed by crossing ADT 46 and Swarna Sub 1 through the 'Marker Assisted Backcross Method' three times." He also said that the new rice variety matures in 135 days and is suitable for the Samba season. The scientist said that this rice variety is tolerant to flash floods and submergence for a period of 14 days during the tillering stage. Dr Thirumeni and his team told IANS that the average grain yield of KKL(R) 2 is 6,850 kg per hectare under normal circumstances but under submerged conditions, it can give a yield of 3,600 kg per hectare. KKL( R) 2 is the first rice Puducherry rice variety that is recommended for release by Central Variety Release Committee (CVRC). Scientists also said that this rice variety is moderately resistant to pets including brown plant hopper, white-backed brown hopper, and blast and brown spot. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/meta-planning-a-fresh-round-of-layoffs-in-year-of-efficiency-says-a-financial-times-report/articleshow/97802692.cms">Meta planning a fresh round of layoffs in 'year of efficiency', says FT report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/seventh-operation-dost-flight-reaches-earthquake-hit-syria-with-over-23-tons-of-relief-material/articleshow/97835516.cms">Seventh Operation Dost flight reaches earthquake-hit Syria with over 23 tons of relief material</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/chatgpt-wrote-6-love-letters-as-the-bard-chandler-bing-an-srk-fan-more-heres-what-it-missed/articleshow/97823242.cms">ChatGPT wrote 6 love letters as the Bard, Chandler Bing, an SRK fan &amp; more – here’s what it missed</a>

Puducherry scientists develop flood-resistant rice variety

<keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> has embraced technology in every field of activity. It is adopting smart farming methods through technology and innovation in the agriculture sector and this may prove to be a game changer in the days to come by substantially raising farmers income. How is this method beneficial? Smart farming involves the application of sensors and automated irrigation practices. It can help monitor agricultural land, temperature and soil moisture. This would enable farmers to monitor crops from anywhere. Moreover, smart farming can help integrate digital and physical infrastructures, which would benefit small farmers. Agri-based startups can reach out to the farmers and help them gain access to such viable and cost-effective solutions. Agri-based, tech-driven startups have been very innovative in assisting farmers and revolutionising farming techniques. They have also addressed one of the most powerful headwinds (climate change) through climate-smart farming. In a unique move, the Indian government is implementing a <keyword id="12166469" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Digital-Agriculture-Mission" source="Orion">Digital Agriculture Mission</keyword> (DAM), which includes India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA), Farmers' Database, Unified Farmers Service Interface (UFSI), funding to the states on the new technology (NeGPA), revamping <keyword id="3182679" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mahalanobis-National-Crop-Forecast-Centre" source="Orion">Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre</keyword> (MNCFC), Soil Health, Fertility and profile mapping. According to a report published by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) in 2019, there were more than 450 argi-based tech-driven startups in India as of 2019. This number has skyrocketed in the last two years as the sector witnessed a surge in investments and funding. Agri-based tech-driven startups have been very innovative in assisting farmers and revolutionising farming techniques. They have also addressed one of the most powerful headwinds (climate change) through climate-smart farming. Under the NeGPA programme funding is given to the governments in various Indian states for Digital Agriculture projects using emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Internet of Things (IOT), Block chain etc. Adoption of drone technologies is being done too. To promote smart farming, the government promotes startups in the agriculture sector and nurtures agri-entrepreneurs. The 'Per Drop More Crop' component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichai Yojana (PMKSY-PDMC) aims to increase water use efficiency at the farm level through micro irrigation technologies like drip and sprinkler irrigation systems. PMKSY is a scheme initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The <keyword id="87560" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Council-of-Agricultural-Research" source="Orion">Indian Council of Agricultural Research</keyword> (ICAR) promotes innovation, extension and education in agriculture. A total of 1,575 field crop varieties were released for different agricultural crops during 2014-21. During 2014-21, 91.43 crore agri-advisories were provided to farmers through mobiles. ICAR developed 187 mobile apps on different farm and farmer related services during 2014-21. The agriculture sector plays a vital role in enriching India's economy. Agriculture accounted for almost 17.8 per cent of India's Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2019- 20. According to the World Bank's collection of development indicators, employment rate in the Indian agriculture sector stood at 41.5 per cent in 2020. From a socio-economic standpoint, agriculture is a vital sector which requires focus and awareness at all levels. According to India Brand Equity Foundation, the rising population and changing diets have created a huge pressure on land in India. Farmers are struggling to keep up as crop yields level off, soil degradation rises, water shortage increases, biodiversity declines, and natural calamities become more frequent. Furthermore, agriculture accounts for almost 14 per cent of India's total greenhouse gas emissions. In the meantime, the NITI Aayog (erstwhile Planning Commission of India) conducted a study entitled "Efficacy of Minimum Support Prices on farmers", in 2016, which found, among other things, that MSP declared by the government has encouraged 78 per cent of the farmers covered under the study for adopting improved methods of farming such as high yielding varieties of seeds, organic manure, chemical fertilizer, pesticides and improved methods of harvesting etc. Additionally, oilseeds, pulses and copra of Fair Average Quality (FAQ) are procured from registered farmers under Price Support Scheme of the umbrella scheme of Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA), as per its prescribed guidelines. The Indian national Budget for 2018-19 had announced the pre-determined principle to keep Minimum Support Price or MSP at levels of one-and-half times of the cost of production. Accordingly, government has increased the MSPs for all mandated Kharif (including wheat), Rabi and other commercial crops with a return of at least 50 per cent over all India weighted average cost of production from the agricultural year 2018-19. Moreover, India's National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP) is the only source of enrolment for Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), on which farmer applications from various designated sources including banks/financial institutions are entered. Specific cut-off dates have been prescribed for enrolment of farmers, debit of premium, remittance of farmers' premium to concerned insurance company and uploading of data of farmers on NCIP. The <keyword id="603825" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ministry-of-Food-Processing-Industries" source="Orion">Ministry of Food Processing Industries</keyword> (MoFPI) has been incentivising setting of food processing industries through central sector umbrella scheme �Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY), Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI) and centrally sponsored scheme �PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme across all the country. Under scheme of creation of infrastructure for agro processing clusters, a component scheme of PMKSY, the scheme is aimed at development of modern infrastructure and common facilities to encourage entrepreneurs to set up food processing units based on cluster approach and also to create modern infrastructure for food processing closer to production areas and to provide integrated and complete preservation infrastructure facilitates from the farm gate to the consumer. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/india-must-pitch-for-rupee-as-dollar-distancing-might-be-finally-happening-sbi-ecowrap/articleshow/93513940.cms">India must pitch for Rupee as dollar distancing might be finally happening: SBI Ecowrap</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/snapchat-comes-to-india-with-exclusive-features-heres-how-much-it-costs-and-how-to-sign-up/articleshow/93513880.cms">Snapchat+ comes to India with exclusive features — here's how much it costs and how to sign up</a>

Smart farming can prove to be a game changer in the coming days

The pandemic, global interruption to supply chains, rising costs of major primary commodities, conflicts and humanitarian <keyword id="1541218" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="crises" source="Orion">crises</keyword> threaten the functioning of world agrifood systems, <keyword id="7790373" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="qu-dongyu" source="Orion">QU Dongyu</keyword>, Director-General of the <keyword id="397960" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="food-and-agriculture-organisation" source="Orion">Food and Agriculture Organisation</keyword> of the <keyword id="6355833" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="united-nations" source="Orion">United Nations</keyword> (<keyword id="18639" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="fao" source="Orion">FAO</keyword>), said. "We are at serious risk of facing a food access crisis now, and probably a food availability crisis for the next season. All this has put at risk our efforts to achieve the SDGs," Qu said at the opening of the 2022 United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in New York on Tuesday. The HLPF is the main United Nations platform for following up and reviewing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the <keyword id="879547" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sustainable-development-goals" source="Orion">Sustainable Development Goals</keyword> on the global level. "We must prevent the acceleration of acute food insecurity trends in the coming months and years," Qu said. The FAO Director-General outlined measures to be taken by the international community to address the situation. These include food production at the country-level must be expanded, cash and critical inputs are needed for cereal and vegetable production and to protect livestock with treatments, vaccinations, feed and water and agrifood supply chains and value chains must be strengthened with the engagement of the public and the private sectors, to support smallholder farmers and households. In addition, livelihoods, agrifood systems and economies need protection against future shocks. Speaking later in the day at the FAO-led side event, "Agrifood Systems Transformation for a Resilient World: Responding to Global Crises," Qu said, "We only have eight years before our agreed timeline to implement the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. We have no time to lose." Qu summarised the scale of the task ahead, pointing to the impacts of the pandemic, conflicts, and the cumulative loss to the global economy of more than $12 trillion in 2020 and 2021, setting back progress on the SDGs. To overcome these problems, he outlined four main areas that need attention: Investment in the countries most in need; policies that increase productivity and protect natural resources; ensuring more efficient use of available inputs and outputs; and the importance of innovation, science and research. Timely food aid is required but there needs to be more attention on producing nutritious food locally, FAO advocates. Only eight per cent of all food security funding in emergencies goes to assist agricultural production but investing in agriculture and rural livelihoods is seven to 10 times more cost-effective than traditional assistance. "We must put policies in place that both increase productivity and protect natural resources," Qu said. Qu also spoke of the need to ensure better and more efficient use of available outputs and inputs, citing the examples of global water stress, food loss and waste, and using fertilizer more efficiently. Around one billion hectares of land face severe water constraints and almost 800 million hectares of rainfed cropland and pastureland are severely affected by recurring drought. Better use of the best technology and regulation for the efficient use of water in agriculture is needed. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/twitter-seeks-judicial-review-against-new-content-blocking-directives-from-the-it-ministry/articleshow/92677831.cms">Twitter seeks judicial review against new content blocking directives from the IT Ministry</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/investment/news/infy-lic-reliance-and-6-more-stocks-that-mutual-funds-are-going-long-on/articleshow/92693363.cms">Infosys is the most favourite mutual fund stock – find out the eight others</a>

The world is on the verge of a food crisis - access and availability both

<keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> is set to deploy drones to gather atmospheric data that is currently collated by sending sensors through weather balloons released from at least 55 locations across the country twice every day. The sensors embedded in a radiosonde, which is a telemetry instrument carried by a weather balloon, record atmospheric pressure, temperature, wind direction and speed as the hydrogen-filled weather balloon soars up to 12 km height and transmit data to the ground receiver through radio signals. However, weather balloons and radiosondes are unretrievable as they drift afar from weather stations that release them in the atmosphere. We are now exploring the possibility of using drones to gather this atmospheric data which is crucial for weather forecasting, M Ravichandran, Secretary, <keyword id="158211" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ministry-of-earth-sciences" source="Orion">Ministry of Earth Sciences</keyword>, told PTI. Various studies have suggested that specialised drones equipped with sensors to gather weather data could be an efficient successor to the traditional weather balloons. The <keyword id="6355166" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india-meteorological-department" source="Orion">India Meteorological Department</keyword> (<keyword id="6366970" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="imd" source="Orion">IMD</keyword>) gathers weather data from 550 locations across the country through weather stations and uses radiosonde observations which are then fed into forecasting models to issue weather forecasts. The drones have a key advantage over weather balloons as they can be controlled and guided to fly at low as well as high altitudes. The IMD plans to use drones to gather data from up to five km altitude and compare it with data gathered using the traditional weather balloons. It has invited industry and academia to join the demonstration of the capability of drone technology for weather observations. It is expected that drones should be capable, economically feasible, easily deployable and recoverable and should be technically comparable or superior to currently deployed radiosondes for upper air observations up to the boundary layer of upper air atmosphere, the weather office said. While the flight of a weather balloon usually lasts for up to two hours, the IMD expects to gather data using drones during a 40-minute flight. If successful, a key benefit would be reducing the wastage of radiosondes as the IMD loses more than 100 such instruments every day as weather balloons cannot be retrieved after their flight. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/2-out-3-indians-are-facing-digital-payment-issues-due-to-poor-network-connectivity/articleshow/92076595.cms">A survey suggests that 2 out 3 Indians are facing digital payment issues due to poor network connectivity</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/galaxy-z-fold-4-is-expected-to-come-with-1tb-internal-storage-and-snapdragon-8-gen1-chipset/articleshow/92074564.cms">Galaxy Z Fold 4 might be Samsung's most expensive foldable phone — here’s everything you need to know</a>

India is all set to replace weather balloons with drones

<h2>What Are Agricultural or Farming Drones?</h2>Agricultural <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/drone-technology-uses-applications">drone technology</a> has been improving in the last few years, and the benefits of drones in agriculture are becoming more apparent to farmers. Drone applications in agriculture range from mapping and surveying to cropdusting and spraying.On the surface, agricultural drones are no different than other types of drones. The application of the UAV simply changes to fit the needs of the farmer. There are, however, several drones specifically made for agricultural use (more on that in a later section).<h2>Agricultural Drone Technology</h2><h3>Precision Agriculture</h3>Precision agriculture refers to the way farmers manage crops to ensure efficiency of inputs such as water and fertilizer, and to maximize productivity, quality, and yield. The term also involves minimizing pests, unwanted flooding, and disease.Drones allow farmers to constantly monitor crop and livestock conditions by air to quickly find problems that would not become apparent in ground-level spot checks. For example, a farmer might find through time-lapse drone photography that part of his or her crop is not being properly irrigated.<h3>Mapping/Surveying</h3>The process of using a drone to map or survey crops is a relatively straightforward one. Many newer agricultural drone models come equipped with flight planning software that allows the user to draw around the area he or she needs to cover. Then, the software makes an automated flight path and, in some cases, even prepares the camera shots.As the drone flies, it automatically takes pictures using onboard sensors and the built-in camera, and uses GPS to determine when to take each shot. But if your drone does not have these automatic features, then one person needs to fly the drone while the other takes the photos.<h3>Cropdusting/Spraying</h3>In 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration approved the Yamaha RMAX as the first drone weighing more than 55 pounds to carry tanks of fertilizers and pesticides in order to spray crops. Drones such as this are capable of spraying crops with far more precision than a traditional tractor. This helps reduce costs and potential pesticide exposure to workers who would have needed to spray those crops manually.<h2>Future of Farm Drones</h2>BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, expects spending on the overall drone market to surpass $12 billion by 2021. But what about the agricultural drone market specifically?<a href="https://www.gminsights.com/pressrelease/agricultural-drones-market">Global Market Insights</a> forecasts that the agricultural <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/drone-industry-analysis-market-trends-growth-forecasts-2017-7">drone market</a> size will exceed $1 billion and 200,000 units shipped by 2024. GMI attributes the growth through 2024 to increasing awareness of the pros and cons of drones in agriculture among farmers.The company also claims that technological advancements in farming techniques will push demand during the forecast period. Increased automation stemming from a lack of skilled resources and a labor crisis will also bolster agricultural drone demand. Finally, GMI expects government programs in this sector to permit operations of various sizes to help make farming processes more efficient.<h2>Agricultural Drones for Sale</h2>There are numerous types of agricultural drones on the market, but a few have risen above the rest as the cream of the crop. <ol><li>PrecisionHawk's DJI Matrice 200 v2: PrecisionHawk is a popular drone choice for farmers, and after partnering with DJI in 2016 the company has flourished in the market. PrecisionHawk describes the <a href="https://www.precisionhawk.com/drones/dji-matrice-200">M200</a> as the ideal drone for, "the toughest farming environments." It features advanced obstacle detection and can even fly in sub-zero temperatures.</li><li>senseFly eBee SQ: senseFly describes its <a href="https://www.sensefly.com/drone/ebee-sq-agriculture-drone/">eBee SQ</a> as the "advanced agricutlture drone." It's popular among farmers, and the biggest selling point is the company's proprietary eMotion software, which makes designing a flight plan incredibly simple. The drone boasts the ability to capture hundreds of acres of footage in a single flight. </li><li>Sentera PHX Complete System: The <a href="https://sentera.com/product/sentera-phx/">PHX</a> features a long-range omnidirectional communication link and can collect data from 700 acres. Senetra offers farmers the ability to increase opperational efficincies and perform plant health analytics. </li></ol><h2>More to Learn</h2>Governments globally are retaining restrictions on drone use - limiting the potential for agricultural monitoring via the aircraft. Business Insider Intelligence's Global Drone Regulation Landscape report details what exemptions the FAA have made for construction, energy, and agricultural firms as well as obstacles drones face in these areas, and others, globally.Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to get access:<ol><li>Purchase &amp; download the full report from our research store. &gt;&gt; <a href="https://store.businessinsider.com/products/the-global-drone-regulation-landscape?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=content_marketing&amp;itm_campaign=report_teaser&amp;itm_content=full_report_text&amp;itm_term=store_text_link-drone-license-laws-regulations&amp;vertical=connectivity#!/">Purchase &amp; Download Now</a></li><li>Join thousands of top companies worldwide who trust Business Insider Intelligence for their competitive research needs. &gt;&gt; <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/corporate?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=content_marketing&amp;itm_campaign=report_teaser&amp;itm_content=learn_more_text&amp;itm_term=enterprise_text_link-drone-license-laws-regulations">Inquire About Our Enterprise Memberships</a></li></ol><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/drones-101?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;itm_content=drone&amp;itm_campaign=drones-101"></a>

Exploring agricultural drones: The future of farming is precision agriculture, mapping, and spraying

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ezgi Barcenas is the chief <keyword id="11896309" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sustainability" source="Orion">sustainability</keyword> officer at AB InBev, maker of Budweiser and Stella Artois.</li><li>She spoke to Insider at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.</li></ul>Investing in local agricultural has made the world's largest brewer more resilient to supply-chain disruptions and <keyword id="11896311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="climate-change" source="Orion">climate change</keyword>, a top executive at AB InBev said."About five years ago, there was a fundamental change in how we thought about supply security and risk management," Ezgi Barcenas, AB InBev's chief sustainability officer, told Insider on Wednesday. "That gave us the ability to work more strategically with suppliers. This is about the water, the raw materials, the packaging, the energy that we need."AB InBev, which is based in Belgium, brews beers such Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_Artois" title="Stella Artois"></a>Barcenas said the shift has paid off as industries grapple with global supply-chain bottlenecks because of the pandemic and Russia's war in Ukraine. AB InBev has been able to avoid major hits from the disruptions, underscoring that having local <keyword id="11994879" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="farming" source="Orion">farming</keyword> and recycling operations is more sustainable for the company. Climate change, however, still remains a major threat. The beer maker operates in nearly 50 countries and has plans to expand over the next decade, including across markets in Africa, where intense drought and other natural disasters in some regions have caused <a href="https://unfccc.int/news/climate-change-is-an-increasing-threat-to-africa">food production and water security</a> to suffer. "What policies are going to allow us to actually achieve that growth?" Barcenas asked. "How do you lift people out of poverty so they can be part of our consumer base?"AB InBev has been monitoring how climate change affects the regions where it sources ingredients. Many farms rely on rain and lack irrigation, making them vulnerable to crop loss and disease, Barcenas said. AB InBev convened a discussion on food security alongside the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The event highlighted the need to get farmers the right seed varieties, weather insights, and capital to be financially stable. Partnering with "influencers" or "early adopters" in farming communities who apply less fertilizer, use less water, or use certain seed varieties can encourage other farmers to adopt more sustainable practices, Barcenas said.National governments and development banks also have a role to play, she added. They can devote more financing to projects that help farmers adapt to the climate crisis. For its part, AB InBev aims to power its operations with 100% renewable energy and <a href="https://www.ab-inbev.com/assets/pdfs/ABINBEV_ESG%202021_Final.pdf">is more than three-fourths of the way there</a>. The company is targeting net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2040 across its entire business, including the farmers it works with, its product packaging, and the energy to keep those products cool. AB InBev's investments in clean energy are also reducing the company's risks amid an oil and gas crisis exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "Some of the projects that we've invested in, where the payback would have been five or six years, will now be two or three years," Barcenas said. "So this is actually accelerating investment into alternative sources of fuel or energy-efficiency improvements."

Investments in local agriculture have helped AB InBev, the world's largest brewer, deal with supply-chain challenges and the climate crisis

<ul><li>Commercial 5G services have already been deployed across more than 1,500 cities in over 60 countries worldwide</li><li>5G is perhaps the first cellular technology that already has more compelling use cases in the enterprise space than in the B2C segment.</li><li>The cellular technology will be widely adopted by manufacturing, energy &amp; utilities, agriculture, retail, financial services and media &amp; entertainment</li></ul>India is the second-largest mobile market in the world after China. As the long wait for 5G roll out in India will likely come to an end, discussions heat up on how this fifth generation of wireless technology will transform the world of connectivity. 5G is the fastest deployed mobile generation technology and can theoretically be 100 times faster than the current 4G speeds. While the consumer or B2C segment is vast and untapped, 5G is perhaps the first cellular technology that already has more compelling use cases in the enterprise sector. In fact, right from the initial days, telcos have been optimistic about how they can effectively monetize 5G in the B2B arena. In the consumer segment, however, there still seems to be ambiguity. Therefore, the technology is expected to make greater inroads into the enterprise sector and transform the way businesses function. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="5G for enterprise has some significant use cases" comment="subhead" text="5G for enterprise has some significant use cases">5G for enterprise has some significant use cases</cmsannotation> Recent reports indicate that commercial 5G services have already been deployed across more than 1,500 cities in over 60 countries worldwide. With high speeds, superior reliability and negligible latency, 5G has several use cases across major industries, including manufacturing, energy &amp; utilities, agriculture, retail, financial services and media &amp; entertainment. The global pandemic has also driven substantial applications of the technology in two important verticals – healthcare and public safety services. “The spread of COVID-19 has indeed been a global challenge, but it has also been a platform for illustrating that 5G has been designed to be much more than just a consumer-focused mobile broadband network,” said Dimitris Mavrakis, Research Director at ABI Research. ABI Research predicts that 5G enterprise applications will accelerate in the post-pandemic world starting with Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), which will provide a foundation for network slicing, reliable networking, and much more. 5G promises incredible results in three areas of business – <ul><li>Improve operational performance and cost efficiencies through easy integration of intelligence and automation.</li><li>Enhance employee experience by helping employees perform better in safer environments</li><li>Elevated customer experience by providing multi-platform experiences in real-time</li></ul>Through better connectivity and ultra-low latency, 5G will play a critical role for businesses in achieving digital transformation goals and becoming more data-driven entities. From an industry perspective, low-latency networks will further push faster adoption of autonomous cars, tele-health, and widespread deployments of the Internet of Things (IoT). In sectors such as manufacturing, education and retail that are more localized, 5G is expected to have an immediate impact. For example, manufacturers can rely on 5G to accelerate the use of bandwidth-heavy applications around automation, AI and IoT; incorporate AR/VR more effectively and embrace predictive analytics in advanced ways. In the healthcare sector, where 5G offers great potential, there are impactful use-cases such as remote temperature checking, patient transfer, out-patient clinics and temporary hospitals, and repurposing networks, according to ABI Research. With private 5G networks, which are predicted to become the standard network of choice among 90% of executives, adoption barriers will be significantly reduced. With improved security, reliability, and speed, private 5G networks can cater to the growing data-intensive workloads of enterprises. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/how-to-back-up-and-restore-your-whatsapp-chats-with-google-drive/articleshow/92492128.cms">How to back up and restore your WhatsApp chats with Google Drive</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/slow-sowing-wary-global-buyers-can-take-rice-prices-on-the-same-path-as-wheat/articleshow/92489067.cms">Slow sowing, wary global buyers can take rice prices on the same path as wheat</a>

You Searched For "agricultural efficiency" and got 9 results

Google to expand AI initiatives in India, targeting language barriers, agricultural efficiency

PTI

How a California farmer is helping build a Black-led sustainable agriculture revolution

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Puducherry scientists develop flood-resistant rice variety

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Smart farming can prove to be a game changer in the coming days

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The world is on the verge of a food crisis - access and availability both

IANS

India is all set to replace weather balloons with drones

PTI

Exploring agricultural drones: The future of farming is precision agriculture, mapping, and spraying

Andrew Meola

Investments in local agriculture have helped AB InBev, the world's largest brewer, deal with supply-chain challenges and the climate crisis

Spriha Srivastava,Catherine B…

Commercial 5G network is going to transform businesses by improving operations, customer experience, employee efficiency and much more

BI India Tech Bureau

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