Application of Digital Technologies & Remote Sensing in Precision Agriculture for Sustainable Crop Production

Soil is an abiotic component of environment which provides habitat for soil microflora and fauna which is very essential for good health. Anthropogenic activities can alter soil and affect health of soil. These activities include excess use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation, faulty agricultural practices, modern machinery, shifting cultivation etc. Alternative exists in the form of precision agriculture, as it will help in practicing agriculture in a way that will contribute towards sustainable rural development. The challenge for rural India is to feed more people from shrinking agricultural land and without having much negative consequence on our environment. This may be possible through precision agriculture as we have the correct information collected through satellite as well as aerial imagery about weather conditions and the needs of our agricultural land and also about crops in terms of requirement of fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation facility etc. By adopting precision agriculture, we would be able to rejuvenate and maintain good soil health. So, precision agriculture can be called the future of sustainable agriculture in India and around world, as this only has the potential to feed the millions of people with least negative consequence on Human life and Environment.