India Launches Krishi-DSS to Revolutionize Agriculture with Space Technology

As part of the nationwide celebrations in August 2024, the Department of Space has organized events to engage and inspire the youth under the theme "Touching lives while touching the Moon: India's Space Saga."

In celebration of the successful Chandrayaan-3 Mission and the historic landing of the Vikram Lander and Pragyaan Rover on the Moon, the Government of India has declared August 23rd as National Space Day (NSpD) annually. This milestone marks India as the fourth nation to achieve a lunar landing, and the first to land near the Moon's south pole.

As part of the nationwide celebrations in August 2024, the Department of Space has organized events to engage and inspire the youth under the theme "Touching lives while touching the Moon: India's Space Saga."

In honor of this occasion, the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare held a conference highlighting the critical role of space technology in driving growth in India’s agricultural sector. The event featured the launch of the Krishi-Decision Support System (Krishi-DSS), a groundbreaking digital geo-spatial platform aimed at revolutionizing agriculture in India. The platform was unveiled by Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Bhagirath Choudhary, alongside Secretary Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi.

Krishi-DSS is a first-of-its-kind geospatial platform tailored specifically for Indian agriculture, offering access to comprehensive data, including satellite images, weather updates, reservoir storage, groundwater levels, and soil health information. This platform is designed to support comprehensive agricultural management, providing tools for crop mapping, drought monitoring, field parcel segmentation, and soil data analysis.

Key features of Krishi-DSS include:

Crop Mapping and Monitoring: Analyzes parcel-level crop maps to understand cropping patterns and promote sustainable agriculture.

Drought Monitoring: Provides near real-time information on soil moisture, water storage, crop condition, and dry spells.

Field Parcel Segmentation: Offers precise field parcel units to help understand unique needs and cropping patterns for targeted interventions.

One Nation-One Soil Information System: Provides comprehensive soil data, aiding in crop suitability assessment and soil water conservation.

Ground Truth Data Library: Supports innovation by offering essential resources like ground truth data and spectral libraries for various crops.

Krishi-DSS also includes features for flood impact assessment, crop insurance solutions, and disaster warnings, empowering farmers with data-driven insights and informing policies to enhance agricultural resilience.

The conference gathered key stakeholders from the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Department of Space, ISRO centers, central agencies, state remote sensing centers, and the agri-tech industry. Technical sessions and panel discussions highlighted the current utilization of space technology in agriculture and explored future applications.

The event underscored the importance of public-private partnerships, a farmer-centric approach, and capacity-building programs to ensure the benefits of space technology reach the grassroots level. The Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare remains committed to leveraging space technology for the advancement of Indian agriculture, ensuring food security for a growing population.