Future Farming in India A Playbook for Scaling Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture 2025

The interviews conducted for this report offered valuable insights into the challenges currently faced by farmers and highlighted potential AI applications to address them. Before examining specific use cases, it is crucial to understand the perspectives of five key stakeholder groups – start-ups and the tech industry; the agribusiness industry; farmers and farmer cooperatives; government policy leaders; and academia – regarding AI in agriculture. These opinions, captured through multiple stakeholder interviews, have been edited and synthesized to present a cohesive perspective. This perspective will serve as a guide to help stakeholders design and develop an AI ecosystem tailored to the unique needs of agriculture. Start-ups and the tech industry Farmers want to watch YouTube, not use Google. They often don’t like to read Farmers interact with technology differently from urban users. They’re more likely to watch YouTube than search on Google, which makes voice- based technology far more effective in reaching them. User-friendly designs and patient capital are needed for AI to take root in agriculture. If AI solutions were designed with simple visual and voice-driven interfaces, farmers could start using them without needing much digital literacy.Fear of missing out prevents farmers from realizing their full potential Indian farmers are often reluctant to trust AI because it goes against traditional practices or what neighbouring farmers are doing. This creates a fear of missing out on tried-and-tested methods, making it hard to adopt innovative technologies. The result is poor coordination, especially during harvest season, when oversupply drives down prices. If AI could prove its value through small-scale demonstrations on farms and show results, it would help overcome farmers’ hesitation. Agribusiness industry Farmers’ lack of access to quality data leads to limited global market access for their produce In India, the focus is largely on quantity, driven by minimum support prices, rather than on quality that meets global standards. Farmers prioritize producing government-backed crops that guarantee sales regardless of quality, which makes it difficult for us to source the high-quality produce needed for international markets. If only AI could connect local farmers to global demand for high-quality produce, it would transform agriculture in India.When farmers cut out intermediaries, they also shrink the value they can realize In India, farmers rely on intermediaries to handle crucial tasks such as pricing and grading, which adds value to products. While replacing intermediaries might seem beneficial, it could reduce the value farmers capture as they typically lack the resources to handle these additional responsibilities. If AI could provide real- time market data and pricing insights directly to farmers, it would allow them to negotiate better with intermediaries while maintaining the intermediaries’ offers. Future Farming in India 11