Digital agriculture and the problem of exclusion

Source: The post “Digital agriculture and the problem of exclusion” has been created based on “Digital agriculture and the problem of exclusion” published in “Business Line” on 30th September 2026.

UPSC Syllabus: GS-3- Indian Economy

Context: In recent times, the Digital technologies, including AI, have significant potential to improve farm productivity and farmers’ incomes sustainably. However, their true benefits can be realised only when they reach the majority of farmers and are effectively integrated into agricultural practices.

About Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM)

1. The Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM) was launched in September 2024.
2. It aims to create a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for agriculture and establish a robust, farmer-centric digital ecosystem in the country.
3. Through AgriStack, Farmers Registry, Digital Crop Survey, Krishi-DSS and scientific soil mapping, the Mission aims to improve access to agricultural services, strengthen evidence-based planning and promote sustainable and efficient agriculture.
4. The Mission seeks to make reliable and timely crop-related information available to farmers and promote innovative digital solutions in agriculture.

Major concerns with Digital Agriculture

1. Land-based definition of farmers

1. The DAM’s approach to identifying farmers is closely linked to land ownership, which can exclude people who cultivate land without owning it.
2. Women cultivators and tenant farmers may therefore remain outside the formal digital agricultural system.
3. This is significant because women constitute nearly 42% of the agricultural workforce, while 75% of rural women are employed in agriculture, but women constitute only around 17% of rural landowners.

2. Exclusion of tenant farmers

1. Tenant farmers play an important role in agricultural production but generally cultivate leased-in land without formal ownership rights.
2. They are often landless or near-landless and have historically remained outside official farmer registers.
3. Their exclusion from digital farmer databases can restrict their access to agricultural credit, subsidised inputs, direct benefit transfers and procurement services.

3. Lack of uniform farmer identification

1. The responsibility for identifying farmers is largely left to State Governments, without mandatory guidelines.
2. This may result in variations in identification practices and further exclusion of cultivators who do not possess formal land titles.

4. Earlier policy recommendations remain unimplemented

1. The National Agricultural Policy (2000), National Policy for Farmers (2007) and the Committee on Doubling Farmers’ Income (2018) had highlighted the need to broaden the definition of farmers.
2. These recommendations also emphasised the need to recognise women’s land rights and delink farmer status from land ownership.
3. Building digital infrastructure without resolving these underlying issues may institutionalise existing forms of exclusion.

5. Agricultural labourers remain outside the main focus

1. Landless agricultural workers, who often work under precarious conditions, receive limited attention within the DAM framework.
2. Many belong to historically marginalised communities, particularly Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
3. Village studies indicate that such workers are often pluriactive, and some also work as poor tenant farmers.

6. Risk of technological unemployment

1. Agricultural digitalisation can increase demand for skilled workers while reducing demand for routine manual labour.
2. Automation may have a greater labour-displacing impact in countries where agricultural labour productivity is relatively low.
3. The overall impact of digitalisation on rural labour markets remains uncertain and therefore requires systematic assessment.

7. Lack of institutional support for displaced workers

1. The DAM does not provide a clear institutional mechanism to anticipate technological disruption in rural employment.
2. There is a need for reskilling, new skills and alternative employment opportunities for workers who may be displaced by technological change.

8. Limited access to smartphones and internet

1. Access to digital infrastructure is an essential precondition for benefiting from digital agriculture.
2. According to the Comprehensive Modular Survey (2025) of the National Sample Survey Office, only around half of rural adults report both owning a smartphone and having internet access within their household.
3. The proportion is significantly lower among rural women, with only slightly more than one-third living in households with internet access and owning a smartphone.

9. Digital literacy remains inadequate

1. Merely possessing a computer or smartphone does not necessarily mean that people can make meaningful use of digital services.
2. When digital literacy is measured in terms of the ability to use the internet for informational purposes, more than one-fourth of rural households are digitally illiterate.
3. Nearly half of rural adults report that they cannot use the internet for informational purposes.

10. Gender and social inequalities in digital access

1. Digital illiteracy is disproportionately higher among women and marginalised groups.
2. Therefore, without targeted interventions, digitalisation may reproduce or deepen the existing social, economic and gender inequalities in Indian agriculture.

11. Concerns regarding data governance

1. Greater dependence on digital platforms and agricultural databases also raises concerns regarding data privacy and transparency.
2. Farmers need adequate safeguards regarding the collection, use and management of their personal and agricultural data.

Way forward

1. Broaden the definition of farmer: Farmer status should not be dependent solely on land ownership. Women cultivators, tenant farmers and other actual cultivators should be incorporated into digital farmer databases.
2. Ensure inclusive farmer identification: The Centre should provide clear and mandatory guidelines to States for identifying all categories of cultivators.
3. Bridge the gender digital divide: Improve women’s access to smartphones, internet connectivity and digital training. Digital services should be designed in accessible and user-friendly formats.
4. Strengthen digital literacy: Promote village-level digital literacy programmes through SHGs, cooperatives, Panchayats and agricultural extension networks. Training should focus on meaningful agricultural uses rather than merely basic computer skills.
5. Protect agricultural workers: Establish mechanisms to assess the impact of automation on rural employment. Provide reskilling, upskilling and alternative employment opportunities to workers affected by technological change.
6. Ensure data protection and transparency: Farmers should understand how their agricultural and personal data are collected, processed and used. Strong safeguards for privacy, consent and transparency are necessary.
7. Adopt a holistic approach: Digital agriculture policy should consider not only farm productivity but also employment, gender, social inclusion, digital access and rural livelihoods.

Conclusion: Digitalisation can transform Indian agriculture only when its benefits reach the entire farming and rural workforce. Therefore, DAM needs to move from a predominantly land-based farmer-centric approach to an inclusive cultivator- and livelihood-centric approach, ensuring that technology becomes a tool of empowerment rather than another source of exclusion.

Question: What are the major challenges associated with the Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM), and how can digital agriculture be made more inclusive in India?

Source: Business Line