Parliament Question: Digital Literacy among Farmers

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 350 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 2ND DECEMBER, 2025 DIGITAL LITERACY AMONG FARMERS 350. MS. S JOTHIMANI: Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE (कृ(cid:874)ष एवं (cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण मं(cid:287)ी) be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government recognises that large segment of Indian farmers, particularly small and marginal cultivators, continue to face serious digital divide with limited access to smartphones, internet connectivity, digital literacy, if so, the measures taken to support such farmers; (b) the steps being taken to ensure that these technologies like AI-based interventions in agriculture, including initiatives such as Kisan e-Mitra and other AI- driven advisory tools, are inclusive, farmer-friendly, accessible in regional languages, usable by those with limited or no digital skills; (c) whether the Government is developing models to integrate AI applications with traditional knowledge systems and local agricultural extension services to ensure last- mile adoption and trust-building among farming communities; and (d) the details of training, awareness, or human-assisted extension programmes being implemented to help farmers understand and benefit from AI-driven advisories, including any region-wise or crop-specific pilot projects launched so far? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ(cid:874)ष एव ं (cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण रा(cid:207)य म(cid:287)ं ी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR) (a): Smartphones are becoming available and accessible to everyone, and major telecom companies of India have reached almost every corner of the country with their services. However, additional steps have been taken to ensure that farmers who do not have mobile phones can also avail themselves of the benefits of digital services. Such farmers can avail services and benefits by utilising existing support facilities like Farmers Producer Organisations (FPOs), Krishi Sakhis, Common Service Centres (CSCs) and state government institutions. The Government is also making digital applications available in local languages through the integration of Bhashini Platforms.(b) to (d): The government has employed Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods to improve crop productivity, sustainability and farmer livelihoods and to address various challenges in the agricultural sector. Some initiatives are given below: I. “Kisan e-Mitra” is a voice-based AI-powered chatbot, developed to assist farmers with responses to their queries on PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, PM Fasal Bhima Yojna and Kisan Credit Card. This solution supports 11 regional languages and is evolving to assist with other government programs. At present, it handles over 8000 farmer queries daily and so far, more than 93 lakh queries have been answered. II. The National Pest Surveillance System, for tackling the loss of produce due to climate change, utilizes AI and Machine Learning to detect pest infestation in crop issues, enabling timely intervention for healthier crops. This tool, currently used by over 10,000 extension workers, allows farmers to capture images of pests to help them mitigate pest attacks and reduce crop losses. At present, it supports 66 crops and over 432 pests. AI-based analytics using field photographs for satellite-based crop mapping is being used in Crop-weather matching monitoring of crops sown. ******