Use of Mobile Technology in Agriculture in India

October 10, 2015 November 9, 2023

Indian Landscape is dominated by small and marginal farmers (80%) and it has been established that small holdings have higher productivity than medium and large farms in India. Mobile telephony has made it possible to reach every farmer of the country. Mobile is being used to bridge the information gap. One such early mobile based initiatives was Fisher Friend Project by MS Swaminathan foundation. It used mobiles to provide vital livelihood information to fisher folks of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. Later, mKrishi was launched by the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Mobile Agro Advisory System which connects farmers with an ecosystem that empowers them to make efficient decisions about agriculture, drive profits, and conserve the environment.

The key current mobile applications helpful for farmers are as follows:

MyRML

MyRML is a mobile application developed by Reuters Market Light, a PPP project running across several states in India. Reuters Market Light is a pioneering mobile phone-based highly-personalised professional information service specially designed to support the farmer community. Its myRML is available for android phones.

MKisan Application

This app has been designed and developed by inhouse IT team of DAC with the help of C-DAC Pune under project mKisan. It enables farmers and all other stakeholders to obtain advisories and information being sent by experts and government officials at different levels through mkisan portal without registering on the portal.

Farm-o-pedia

Developed by CDAC, Mumbai, this is an android app targeted for rural Gujarat. The app is useful for farmers or anyone related to agriculture. It is available in English and Gujarati languages.