Agencies that hire drones for demonstration purposes will receive Rs 6,000 per hectare as a contingent expenditure while implementing agencies that buy drones to use for demonstrations will receive Rs 3,000 per hectare. Agriculture graduates who set up custom hiring centres will receive 50% or up to Rs 5 lakh for drone purchase. The .0000cxfeproposals for the grant have to be submitted through state governments and they will be considered by the Sub-mission on Agricultural Mechanisation (SMAM).

There are about 725 Krishi Vigyan Kendras, 70 agriculture universities, and 90 ICAR institutes in India. All these institutions will get 100% funding to purchase drones for research and demonstration purposes. The use of drones by these institutions is surely going to galvanize agricultural activities across the country. KVKs, for example, are extension centers of agriculture research institutions and act as a bridge between labs and farms. They have spectacular facilities with a minimum farm area of 80 acres and in some cases 200- 500 acres. They are staffed with agriculture scientists who work with the farmers on providing them with solutions to their everyday problems on the field. They have developed a strong network with the local communities. But despite doing a great job in ensuring food security for 1.4 billion people, these institutions lack the appreciation and recognition they deserve. The fault lies with the average Indian outlook that considers farming a low-level menial engagement fit only for the poor and uneducated. This mindset must change if India wants to harness the potentials that lie in the agriculture sector, which employs 50% of people.

The widespread use of drones in rural farmlands may take some shine off the metro cities where swanky cars have come to represent wealth, status, and glamour. These must be restored to rural farms from where India sources its food and strength.

But the use of agriculture drones is just the beginning. There are more changes likely to take place in the agricultural sectors where old and unviable practices will give way to more efficient and futuristic solutions.

The new topic of discussion on this front is future foods. Forecasts are being made about what people might eat 25 to 100 years later. The divide between ‘animal as a food or not’ is becoming bigger as rearing animals for food is more energy- and resource-intensive than agriculture. Besides, there are issues of animal rights and ethics that disapprove of humans feeding on animals.

Plant-based alternatives to animal protein are already on the horizon. For example, Tofurky in Hood River, Oregon, is a US company that pioneered the mass production of tempeh and plant-based alternatives to animal proteins. The week leading to Thanksgiving in the US sees the killing of 46,000,000 turkeys but what animal rights activists find more appalling is the life of these birds before those final moments of cruelty. The situation is no different anywhere in the world. Rather, in developing countries like India, the condition of farm factories is far worse. Even if a majority of the people don’t talk about these issues, they don’t become acceptable. Tofurky is rolling out plant-based ham-style ‘turkey’ slices believing that the future of foods is different than what it’s today.

Even as we write this, a 2-day online workshop on “Futuristic Technologies in Agriculture for Sustainable Living” was organized on January 18-19 by STI Ladakh (Science Technology & Innovation Hub), a collaborative project by CSIR-IMTECH, Chandigarh, PGIMER, Chandigarh, NIELIT, Jammu, and NIELIT, Leh. If we look at the global level, the world is already discussing exotic ideas on future foods. Farming insects to eat them in a widespread manner is just one of them.

Billed as low-cost, farms of the 21st century, soil-less urban farming technique hydroponic is being promoted through training and masterclasses. They also seem to offer high returns. Foods from hydroponic farms are free from any contamination and use just enough land, fertilizers, water, and labour. And, the best part of it is it can be managed through a mobile app or software on a desktop.

A lot is happening on the agriculture front across the globe. It’s more happening and fascinating than it ever was. But for the people and the governments to take note of it needs courage. "There is always light if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it," says 23-year-old poet and activist Amanda Gorman, who shot to fame with her book, ‘The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough’ in 2015. (IPA Service)