Mumbai/New Delhi: In a video shared on microblogging platform ‘X’, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Monday highlighted the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the future of agriculture and farming.
Nadella highlighted the story of small-town sugarcane farmers facing significant challenges—from crushing debt to droughts, pests, and diseases affecting their harvests.
In the video, Nadella can be seen demonstrating how AI empowered a small farmer in Battis Shirala town in Maharashtra, to enhance crop yields and reduce chemical usage while also optimising water consumption.
Calling the impact “phenomenal” he said, “The one example that I wanted to highlight was one of the small farmers who was part of the Baramati Co-op, where you can take this powerful technology but make it have an impact, where a small landowner is able to improve the yield of their land.”
A fantastic example of AI's impact on agriculture. pic.twitter.com/nY9o8hHmKJ
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) February 24, 2025
Moreover, the use of geospatial data from drones and satellites can help farmers in their vernacular language, he said.
Reacting to his post, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote, “AI will improve everything.”
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What is Baramati Co-op
In November 2022, Microsoft launched an agricultural technology project in Baramati, Maharashtra, in collaboration with local organisations, experts and the Agricultural Development Trust (ADT). The goal was to use advanced technology to help farmers improve their yields while reducing costs and environmental impact.
At the heart of this initiative is FarmVibes.AI, a tool that collects data from soil sensors, drones, and satellites to provide farmers with useful insights. This helps them decide how much fertilisers to use, when to irrigate their crops, and how to manage pests effectively.
So far, the project has led to a 20 percent increase in crop production and a 25 percent reduction in fertiliser costs. It has also led to 8 percent reduction in water usage, and 12 percent reduction in post-harvest waste.
Microsoft and ADT
Former Union minister Sharad Pawar is a co-founder of ADT, which he founded along with his elder brother Appasaheb Pawar in 1968 to usher in agricultural and educational awareness. ADT’s early activities include construction of percolation tanks in drought-prone area of Baramati tehsil in Pune, to meet the requirement for drinking water and irrigation.
In January this year, Nadella had lauded ADT for its efforts in using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help farmers.
Reacting to his post Monday, Sharad Pawar’s daughter and Baramati MP Supriya Sule wrote on X, “The usage of fertilisers has also gone down….The recognition at the global level is very valuable. The credit goes to the entire team including Sharad Pawar, Pratapkaka Pawar.. we are all proud of you.”
'ॲग्रीकल्चरल डेव्हलपमेंट ट्रस्ट,बारामती येथील कृषी विज्ञान केंद्राने ऑक्सफर्ड आणि मायक्रोसॉफ्ट यांच्या मदतीने ऊस उत्पादनासाठी एआय चा वापर केला. यामुळे उत्पादनात ४० टक्के वाढ तर झालीच याखेरीज ५० टक्के पाणीबचत झाली शिवाय खतांचा वापरही कमी झाला. काही दिवसांपूर्वी या संशोधन प्रकल्प… https://t.co/bmfZLvAG3j
— Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) February 24, 2025
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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