Experts underline key role of tech in modern agriculture

As part of the Virtual Conclave for Career Guidance 2021, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, in association with The Hindu, hosted a webinar on the Role of Technology in Agriculture Courses moderated by Deepa H. Ramakrishnan, Sr. Asst. Dr. M. Chinnadurai, Dean, SRM College of Agricultural Sciences, SRMIST spoke of the evolution in agriculture with output-increasing technologies leading to improvements in the field. Dr. M. Sanjeevagandhi, Assistant Professor, SRM College of Agricultural Sciences, SRMIST, described different technologies used in agriculture like sensors to identify soil moisture, smart water systems, and precision farming using geospatial technology. “Tech in agriculture is the need of the hour to secure food for a rapidly growing population, balance climate change issues, reduce workers’ workload, boost production quality and efficiency of farming products, optimise level of input application, storage, transport, and maximise profits,” he said. Dr. Subrat Panda, Chief Technology Officer, AgNext Technologies, explained how AI, Sensors and IoT impact Agtech in a big way.“Today, we need cross-domain technology and research collaboration in agriculture.