Government launches Atmanirbhar Krishi App for farmers

The government on Tuesday launched 'Atmanirbhar Krishi App' to provide farmers with actionable agricultural insights and early weather alerts.

The wealth of information relevant to farmers curated by various government departments on a national digital platform 'KisanMitr' is now being made available through the 'Atmanirbhar Krishi App' in a manner comprehensible to them.

The App -- in Android and Windows versions -- is available in 12 languages for free of cost for farmers, startups, Krishi Vighyan Kendras, Self Help Groups, and NGOs.

"With the Atmanirbhar Krishi app, farmers will have in their hands evidence-based information generated by research organisations like IMD, ISRO, ICAR, and CGWA," Principal Scientific Adviser to Government, K VijayRaghavan, said during the launch.

This information, when used by the farmers to make decisions on cropping patterns, mechanisation of small farmers' holdings, or stubble burning, will ensure that decisions are made factoring in the importance of sustainability of water and environment, and judicious use of resources, he said in a statement.

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An app available on a basic phone with information in a language comprehensible to farmers will also enhance inclusivity during the decision-making process, he added.

The government said that considering the connectivity issues in the remote areas of the country, the app has been designed to work on minimal bandwidth.

The app does not collect any inputs from the farmer. It relies on the geo-location of the farm to provide relevant data. Data relevant to another location can be collected by entering the pin code of that area.

Bengaluru-based Indian Centre for Social Transformation (ICST) Founder Trustee Raja Seeva is one of the major stakeholders in the development of this app and KisanMitr.