Revolutionizing Agriculture: Government Launches Krishi-DSS for Enhanced Crop Management

On Friday, the government introduced a satellite-based agricultural decision support system aimed at equipping farmers with crucial information to enhance crop management and productivity. Minister of State for Agriculture, Bhagirath Choudhary, revealed the Krishi-Decision Support System (Krishi-DSS), a geospatial tool designed to provide real-time updates on crop conditions, weather forecasts, water availability, and soil quality. Choudhary emphasized the significance of this platform for farmers facing escalating climate adversities during the launch event. The Krishi-DSS, constructed using technology akin to the government’s Gati Shakti initiative, will leverage satellite imagery to issue timely alerts concerning potential threats like pest infestations and extreme weather conditions. This system will facilitate crop mapping, monitoring, and encourage crop diversification and rotation. It will furnish insights into crop patterns across different regions and monitor crop status throughout various growth phases. Devesh Chaturvedi, the Agriculture Secretary, advocated for broader utilization of remote sensing across a wider spectrum of crop types. Nilesh M Desai, the Director of ISRO Space Applications Centre, highlighted the historical application of space technologies in agriculture since 1969 and emphasized the necessity of expanding their deployment beyond rice and wheat crops. Officials mentioned that the Krishi-DSS platform was developed using RISAT-1A and Vedas from the Department of Space.