Uttarakhand Climate-Resilient, Low Carbon Agriculture Initiative

Project Summary:

The grant aims to promote the use of digital agricultural technologies to enhance agricultural productivity and efficiency.  

Uttarakhand, a Himalayan State, has approximately 80 percent of its farming population dependent on rainfed agriculture. Productivity is far below the national averages since almost 90 percent of them hold small and marginal land (up to two hectares). The increasing frequency of extreme climate events, including erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, and intense soil erosion, exacerbates these challenges, further limiting water availability, degrading soil quality, and increasing crop vulnerability. Therefore, the project will integrate various technologies such as IoT, sensors, GPS, and machine learning to contribute to the co-creation of public goods and adopt green growth strategies in the agricultural sector.

List of Activities:

Activities include:

(i) digital soil mapping to capture nutrient deficiencies and improve fertilizer dose response,

(ii) precision irrigation systems to optimize water use on farmlands,

(iii) solar-powered irrigation systems to pump water and reduce carbon footprint in agricultural management, and

(iv) adoption of decarbonization methodologies for selected crops.