Krishi Mela to be held from November 14 to 17 under the theme ‘Climate Smart Digital Agriculture’ 

 Krishi Bot, a battery-operated smart farming assistant; automated fertilizer broadcaster which can spread fertilizer up to a seven-metre radius; drone with mltispectral camera for crop health monitoring, and a solar operated bird scarer which uses three kinds of sounds to scare birds away from crops, are some of the innovations which will be displayed at the annual Krishi Mela which will be held on the Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra (GKVK) campus from November 14 to 17. 

The four-day mela will be organised by the University of Agricultural Sciences Bangalore (UASB), the Agriculture Department, and other government departments under the theme ‘Climate Smart Digital Agriculture’. 

“Karnataka, being an agrarian State, ranks second in area under rain-fed agriculture in the country. The rain-fed agricultural ecosystem in the State is known for its vulnerability to vagaries owing to climate change. The changes in the weather phenomena, especially rainfall in terms of altered spatial and temporal distribution, temperature in terms of heatwaves and cold waves, etc., added undesirable dimensions for sustainable agriculture,” said a press release from UASB.  

It further said: “Bringing climate smartness needs innovative approaches and digital agriculture is one of the recent approaches and need of the hour for effective implementation of climate resilient agriculture.” 

Many such climate smart digital agriculture technologies involving Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data analytics, robotics and drones, and precision agriculture will be demonstrated during the mela.  

A total of 700 stalls will be set up during the mela to showcase various crops, innovations and technologies developed by several agricultural universities, agricultural companies and veterinary sector.  

UASB will also release four new crop varieties of maize, cow pea, sunflower, and bajra during the mela. Over 140 awards will also be given to those who have achieved significant strides in agriculture at State, district, and taluk levels.

Published - October 27, 2024 07:00 am IST