Bhubaneswar: Krushi Samruddhi Advisory System, the digital agriculture extension mechanism developed by the Department of Agriculture, Government of Odisha has been selected by the Economic Times Conclave to receive an award under the Jury Choice Category – “Digital Initiative in Agriculture and Farmer Empowerment” at the DigiTech Awards 2025 ceremony held on Tuesday at New Delhi.
Principal Resident Commissioner Vishal Gagan received the award at this event on behalf of the department. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Deputy Chief Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Empowerment Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo congratulated the department for this achievement.
Agricultural extension is the process of providing farmers with the knowledge and techniques needed to improve their agricultural outcomes ensures that the latest advancements in agriculture are accessible to those working on the ground. Traditionally, service & extension delivery from VAWs to farmers occurs through direct 1:1 interactions, or at training in small cohorts. However, a very high farmer to VAW (2500:1) ratio in the state leads to lack of personalized timely advisories delivered to farmers.
Recognising the challenges with the traditional extension methods and the importance of technology, the Government of Odisha launched Krushi Samruddhi, an initiative aimed at providing digital extension services to farmers. Krushi Samruddhi is a two-way, voice-based platform that delivers weekly audio messages to farmers and allows them to call in for free, ask questions, and receive live responses from local agronomists.
The service covers a wide range of agricultural topics, from land preparation and seed varietal selection to appropriate application of fertilizer and other inputs, and post-harvest management. Farmers also receive relevant, non-agronomic information, such as government schemes targeting agricultural households and minimum support prices for main agricultural crops. The ability to broadcast advice based on frequently asked questions and areas of requirement along with temporal and geographic customization enables the delivery of personalised advisories.
Currently, through integration with the Krushak Odisha database, Krushi Samruddhi is able to deliver approximately 2000+ customised advisories (based on farmer data and needs) at scale to more than 75 lakh farmers in the state. Efforts are underway to incorporate AI/ML models, remote sensing technology and satellite data to enhance the scope of the system by delivering more personalized and accurate advisories in the future.
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