On Sunday, 27 July, the Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Department, in collaboration with Social Alpha, a non-profit organisation supporting science and innovations, conducted a technology driven agriculture workshop in Bhubaneswar to empower farmers through technology and innovation in the agriculture sector. This initiative has been taken to address the challenges faced by farmers and to boost productivity in the region.
The technology driven agriculture workshop became an interactive platform where various technologies demonstrated were shared by farmers who had used them first hand. This approach allowed the participants to directly learn about their experiences, the practical benefits of using technology and the impact the innovations in everyday work.
Furthermore, around five agri-tech startups, including Khetworks, Capsber, Steupify, Terracroft, and Ekosight, have been showcased in the technology driven agriculture workshop. Each of the startups’ solutions was presented alongside detailed field insights and testimonials by farmers who hailed from Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Rayagada and Dhenkanal, as well as demonstrations which offered hands-on experiences, further strengthening the understanding of technology and its application process. Additionally, the technology driven agriculture workshop presented a model of Hi-Tech Nursery, supported by Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiatives. It exemplified a successful model for decentralised seedling production in agriculture.
In addition, Ayan Deb, Director of East Zone, Social Alpha, stated that over the past four years, they have piloted 17 agri-tech solutions across Odisha. Five of them have completed the pilot stage. Several of these innovations have reached over 7,000 rural households. Adding further that the long-term goal is to shift from programme-based scale to institutional, government-driven scale. Moreover, Additional Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, Subhranshu Mishra, highlighted the commitment of the government to inclusive technology in the agriculture sector.