Agricultures centrality to dealing with Indias problems of food security and hunger is well recognised. The dissemination of these advisory services through ICTs will go a long way in making Indian agriculture sustainable....
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P P Nageswara Rao
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India has moved from food scarcity to food surpluses in the last three decades. This was possible due to the adoption of technology inputs into agriculture by farmers and large scale investments made in infrastructure, especially in irrigation, power, credit, research and extension. Indias food-grain production of 212 million tons is certainly an achievement notwithstanding the millions of impoverished people, mostly in rural areas.
The rural economy largely depends on a) increasing the productivity of land and water resources and their conservation, b) employment opportunities, c) timely technological, accurate and reliable information in the hands of more than 100 million farm families to adjust their production strategies in accordance with the prevailing weather/ climatic regime and market trends in the sector.
It is with this background that the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs), in creating and integrating spatial and non-spatial databases into advisory and intelligence service systems for aiding the development of rural areas in India, is discussed.
Space technology in India
Remote sensing, satellite communication, geographical information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS) and relational data base management systems (RDBMS) are recognised as efficient tools in areas as diverse as the surveying and monitoring of natural resources, distance education and training, and trend analysis and for demand/supply assessment. The Indian National Satellites (INSAT) system is one of the largest domestic communication satellite systems in the Asia-Pacific region. Besides telecommunications and TV broadcasting, this system supports weather forecasting and disaster warning systems, developmental and telemedicine communications. The recently launched RESOURCESAT-1 is a state-of-art satellite that has three sets of advanced scanner and sensor based cameras, with spatial resolutions ranging from 56 metres to 5.8 meters.
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Precision Farming Approach to Sustainable Agriculture
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In the following paragraphs, a few examples where these technologies were used to further developmental goals are mentioned.
A timely crop forecasting system is essential to strengthen any countrys food security. Periodic within-season estimates of crop acreage and yield and accurate forecasts of the most likely range of growth conditions could greatly help in organising for the availability of inputs (pesticides, fertilisers, etc.) and for formulating optimal prices and strategies for marketing, procurement, transportation and storage. Experiences with airborne multi spectral data show that with adequate information from satellites crops could be identified and their growth stages could be assessed.
Data from the LANDSAT- Multi Spectral Scanner and Thematic Mapper and similar sensors from other Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites have been used for acreage and production estimation of homogeneous cropping patterns in India (Nageswara Rao and Rao, 1987; Navalgund et al., 1991; Dadhwal et al., 2002).
IRS satellites have improved the accuracy of pre-harvest estimations of crop production in areas having smaller acreages and mixed cropping patterns. The Central Directorate of Economics and Statistics is using satellite-based crop forecasts to suggest efficient action plans for food-grain management. The Directorate and the Department of Science jointly work on Crop Acreage and Production Estimation (CAPE), while the Department of Agriculture and Co-operation is a partner on FASAL (Forecasting Agricultural output using Space, Agrometerology and Land-based observations).
During four years of its implementation in Orissa, FASAL showed that it is possible to forecast rice production four times during the crop-growing season with an accuracy of 85 to 95 per cent (Patel et al., 2004).
Soil resource management
Soil is one of the most important natural resources for agricultural production. Soil surveys carried out by conventional ground methods are not only slow and time-consuming, but are also very difficult in remote and inaccessible terrains. The use of aerial photographs since the 1960s have accelerated soil-mapping techniques to some extent. Additionally, space borne data in narrow-discrete spectral bands have enabled soil scientists/ pedologists to map fairly large areas on a repetitive basis. Such data along with data obtained from on ground techniques mapping crops spectral response to soil conditions can help delineate the areas that need to be prioritised for nutrient application and precision farming.
Space borne soil data is also used to monitor degraded lands. The monitoring of egraded land is very important for assessing the progress of reclamation and conservation programmes. Satellites with improved spatial, spectral and radiometric resolutions have helped in mapping families land association on a 1:50,000 scale.
Fertiliser decision support system (DSS) for IFFCO
Fertilisers play an important role in increasing the productivity of land. The demand for fertilisers peaks for short periods of one or two months during crop seasons, thus creating logistical problems in the movement, storage and distribution of fertilisers across the country.
Considering that shortages in supplying and stocking of fertilisers occur due to factors such as geographical inaccessibility and the inability of private traders to transport goods to inaccessible areas, the responsibility of supplying fertilisers is on farmers co- operatives such as the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative Ltd (IFFCO). GIS and satellite Remote Sensing were used to build a Decision Support System (DSS) to help manage the supply and stocking of fertilisers. Data on soil conditions from the satellite IRS-1C/1D Wide Field Sensor (WiFS) was used to prepare a series of modules for IFFCO.
The fertiliser demand modules were based on district wise crop area estimates during the kharif and rabi seasons. Inputs on soil composition and behaviour were obtained from the National Soil Survey and Land Use Planning Departments of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). A weather and agro - climatic analysis module was also built from this data to help IFFCO decide when to move the fertilisers to the sale points. The logistic module provides information on rail and road networks, administrative boundaries (taluks, districts and states), locations of societies, sale points, godowns, warehouses and rake points that belong to IFFCO and Non-IFFCO agencies in the district. By integrating all the above modules, the DSS called Geo FARMS (Geographically encoded fertiliser demand, allocation and routing information system) was developed for IFFCO.
Precision farming approach to sustainable agriculture
Farmers are now aware of spatial variability in crop production, which is in turn related to differences in soil properties. Using the vegetation index, derived from crop reflectance in the red and near infrared bands of the electromagnetic spectrum as viewed from the IRS, spatial variation in crop yields and input usage can be delineated. GIS can also be used to further process the data and identify the administrative units that have unfavourable spatial variabilities.
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Agricultural intelligence gathering through space applications
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Vegetation indices and more precise indicators like canopy chlorophyll index, red shift, and thermal infrared-based crop water stress index, etc., are more promising for diagnosing the nutrient and water stress. These
remotely sensed methods are now finding place in crop management through precision farming. Such an approach can aid sustainability by assisting the farmer in deciding the quantity of inputs to be applied to ensure food production and profits from agriculture as an enterprise, thus minimising farmers input costs and reducing environmental degradation.
Satellite based inputs for IPM
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a pest population management system that uses all available techniques - physical, chemical and biological - in ensuring the least possible damage to the agricultural system through pest attacks. The IPM methods aims at lowering the population density of the pest to acceptable levels. Studies show that the remote sensing techniques can be applied to:
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implement legislative measures to stop growing crops prone to pests
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monitor the time of sowing and harvest of the crops so that decisions on breaking the life cycle of the pest can be taken, and
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estimate the acreage under primary (e.g. cotton) and alternate hosts (tomato, chilli, etc.) for assessing the carry over potential of the pest in off seasons.
All these factors are important components in the IPM. Researchers have applied image enhancement and classification techniques to identify and extract information on the spatial extent and distribution of healthy and diseased plants (Ranganath et al. (2004).
Space application data can also be used to study existing drawbacks in pest control systems. For example, a study carried out in the Kasargod district of Kerala state (Nageswara Rao et al., 2004) considered the pollution potential of pesticides. In this district, the aerial spraying of pesticides on cashew plantations was a common practice to control the Tea Mosquito Bug. Over the years, many people in the cashew nut-cultivated region have been suffering from abnormal health problems. A remote sensing based survey of the region showed that the affected villages were located in the watersheds that have steep slopes, high runoff potential and the first order streams of drainage originating from cashew nut plantations that have been sprayed with pesticides for many years. The micro-watersheds of the affected region having terrain characteristics favourable for transporting the pesticide from the sources of spraying through the entire drainage system resulted in its accumulating in the food chain of the region. Such studies could help decision-makers come to terms with the environmental implications of large-scale pesticide spraying.
Weather conditions have a major influence on pest populations and their natural enemies. An hour-by-hour study of cloud developments and rainfall estimation is possible through an analysis of satellite data. Many orbital satellites can be used for monitoring environmentally important phenomena. The weather parameters that can be remotely sensed are
cloud types, the extent and duration of cold clouds, etc. Information obtained from GIS and satellite systems have been used to study rust diseases of wheat crop, desert locust habitats etc. Dutta et al. (2004) had developed a GIS-based information system called Geo-LIMIS (Geographically Encoded Locust Impact Minimisation Information System) by integrating remotely sensed landform, soil texture, soil moisture, vegetation density with the daily weather data to forecast the suitable breeding sites and time of onset of locust upsurge in and around the study area.
Management of other natural resources
Forest management and mapping is essential to estimate and maintain bio-diversity. Changes in the vegetation cover for the entire country are monitored by Forest Survey of India using remote sensing and GIS tools (FSI, 2003). Satellite-based methodologies have been developed for forest type mapping and for preparing working plans for the characterisation of biodiversity at the landscape level. Illegal encroachments and estimation of damage due to forest fires have been detected by satellite imagery (Roy et al., 2002).
From its modest beginning with the surface water inventory, this technology has progressed to more complex water management tasks such as irrigation system performance evaluation, snowmelt runoff forecasts, reservoir sedimentation and storage loss assessments, prioritisation of watersheds and their treatment, environmental impact assessment of developmental projects, prospecting of under ground water, locale specific water harvesting and recharge, interlinking of rivers and monitoring of spatial and temporal distribution of rainfall, etc., (Thiruvengadachari et al.,1996).
Satellite based sea surface temperature and biological productivity charts are communicated to fishermen of the coastal states. Such information, beamed over television and radio, helped increase the catch substantially (Solanki et al. 2003). Satellite surveys of coastal areas have also shown suitable sites for aquaculture, an excellent additional source of income for rural populations.
An integrated approach to natural resource management
Remote sensing and GIS tools have been used in a variety of ways to address the problems of urban traffic, transportation, greenery, solid waste disposal, pollution, location of new layout for urban growth, road alignments, etc. These techniques allow development of an information system at the level of land ownership and allow an integrated approach to land resource management (Rao et al., 1996).
The first step of this approach involves an assessment of the areas resource endowments under study delineating (i) surface water bodies showing dry tanks, (ii) ground water potential zones showing favourable areas for the immediate extraction of drinking water, (iii) potential zones for ground water recharge (iv) soil maps including the nature and erosion status, (v) existing land use and distribution of wastelands.
The second step is to draft an action plan for the optimal use of land and water resources, which requires the identification of high priority areas for agriculture development, soil and water conservation and afforestation.
The third stage is the development of a package of practices and strategies to address local needs. Such alternatives and options for natural resource management have been suggested for vast rural areas of India under a project called the Integrated Mission for Sustainable Development (IMSD).
Agro-climatic planning and supporting system for disaster management
The annual monsoon is a major factor shaping the Indian economy. Though some insulation has been achieved from the unpredictable monsoons through the expansion of irrigation facilities, much more needs to be done. The Agro meteorological Advisory Service initiated by the India Meteorological Department and the State Departments of Agriculture in 1975 assists farmers by supplying them with information on weather, crop growth stage and likely weather impacts for a three-day period.
Additionally, the National Centre of Medium Range Weather Forecasting issues medium range (3-10 days in advance) weather forecasts for 127 agro-climatic zones in the country through its Agro Meteorological Forecasting Units (AMFU) located at the State Agriculture Universities (SAUs). The Agro- climatic Planning and Information Bank is an example of space technology based agricultural advisory services developed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Indian satellite systems critically support disaster management in India by providing emergency communication links, cyclone warnings, flood forecasting data, rainfall monitoring and crop condition assessments. Such information is essential in the relief and rehabilitation of affected populations. The Decision Support Centre (DSC) at the National Remote Sensing Agency serves as a single window access to the digital databases used for disaster management.
Future satellites
The EDUSAT- an exclusive satellite for educational purposes and the INSAT-4 series of satellites have the potential to greatly improve connectivity and reach. Forthcoming remote sensing satellites like CARTOSAT (a satellite for mapping) and RISAT (Radar Imaging Satellite) intend to support efficient developmental planning and disaster management systems. These satellites systems could be appropriately used for the dissemination of farm advisory services, weather and market forecasting, and land and water use planning.
Conclusions
Agricultures centrality to dealing with Indias problems of food security and hunger is well recognised. Satellite based information gathering, GIS - based data analysis and the dissemination of these advisory services through ICTs will go a long way in making Indian agriculture sustainable, and in improving the livelihood of millions of Indian farmers and agricultural labourers. =
References
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Dadhwal, V.K., Singh, R.P., Dutta, S. and Parihar, J.S. (2002). Remote Sensing based crop inventory, Trop. Ecol., 43(1): 107-122.
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Dutta, D., Bhatawdekar, S., Chandrashekharan, B., Sharma, J.R., Adiga, S., Wood, D. and McCardle, A. (2004). Geo-LIMIS - A Decision Support System for Minimizing Locust Impact in Republic of Kazakhstan. Photonirvachak: J. Indian Soc. of Remote Sensing, 32(1): 25-47.
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FSI (Forest Survey of India), (2003). The State of the Forest Report 2001, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, Dehradun.
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Nageswara Rao, P. P. (2004). Agricultural Planning and Information Bank (APIB): Information Services for the Farmers. i4d (information for development), 2(7): 16-17.
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Nageswara Rao, P.P. and Rao, V.R. (1987). Rice Crop Identification and Area Estimation using remotely sensed data from Indian Cropping Patterns. Int. J. Remote Sensing, 8: 639-650.
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Nageswara Rao, P.P., Elango, S., Rajmohan, H.R., and Krishna Murthy, V. (2004). Satellite-Based Assessment of Physiographic Disposition to Health Problems in Kasargod district, Kerala, India. Photonirvachak: J. Indian Soc. of Remote Sensing, 32 (1): 75-79.
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Navalgund, R.R., Parihar, J.S., Ajai and Nageswara Rao, P.P. (1991). Crop inventory using remotely sensed data. Current Science, 61 (3 and 4): 162-171.
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Patel, N.K., Chakraborty, M., Dutta, S., Patnaik, C., Parihar, J.S., Moharana, S.C., Das, A. Sarangi, B.K. and Behera, G. (2004). Multiple Forecasts of Kharif Rice in Orissa State-Four Year Experience of FASAL Pilot Study. Photonirvachak: J. Indian Soc. of Remote Sensing, 32(2): 125-143
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Ranganath, B.K., Pradeep, N., Manjula, V.B., Gowda, B., Rajanna, M.D., Shettigar, D. and Nageswara Rao, P.P. (2004). Detection of Diseased Rubber Plantations Using Satellite Remote Sensing. Photonirvachak: J. Indian Soc. of Remote Sensing, 32(1): 49-58.
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Rao, D.P., Navalgund, R .R., and Krishnamurthy, Y. V. N., ( 1996).Cadastral Applications using IRS-1C data- Some Case Studies, Current Science, 70(7): 624-628.
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Roy, P.S., Singh, S., Agrawal, S., Gupta, S., Joshi, P.K., Aung, S., Singh, I.J., and Shukla, Y. (2002). TREES II Tropical Forest Assessment in India and Northern Myanmar. In: Forest Cover Assessment in Asia: Proceedings of the International Workshop on Asia Forest Cover Assessment and Conservation Issues, February 12 - 4, 2002, Dehradun, India. pp. 61-100.
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Solanki, H.U., Dwivedi, R.M., Nayak, S., Gulati, D.K., John, M.E. and Somvanshi, V.S. (2003). Potential Fishing Zones (PFZ) Forecast Using Satellite Data Derived Biological and Physical Processes. Photonirvachak: J. Indian Soc. of Remote Sensing, 31(2): 67-69.
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Thiruvengadachari, S., Jonna, S., Hakeem, K.A., Raju, P.V., Bhanumurthy, V., Srinivas Rao, G., Paul, P.R., Siva Sankar, E. and Jeyaseelan, A.T. (1996). Improved Water Management: The IRS-IC Contribution. Current Science, 70(7): 589-599.
Author P. P. Nageswara Rao is the Deputy Director of North Eastern Space Applications Centre, Shillong, India.
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