Digital technologies range from 'low-tech' tools such as mobile phones and computers to more 'high-tech' solutions such as blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence. Digital technologies are poised to transform food and farming systems around the world, but it is the transformation of smallholder farms that is critical as the global population, food demand, and potential insecurity continue to increase. Digital technologies can help smallholder farmers increase their yields and incomes if they are effectively targeted to facilitate agriculture as a potential pathway out of poverty. For digital agriculture to deliver on its promise, digital agriculture interventions must be designed to consider the target populations' needs, constraints, appropriateness, but also to ensure that digital technologies do not exacerbate social and economic inequalities. Awareness of the potential application of digital technology coupled with cognizance of these risks is essential to ensure that digital agriculture fulfills its potential to transform food systems around the world.

The emerging consensus is that the world likely will exceed 9 billion people by 2050 requiring 70%, 80% and 55%, more food, water and energy, respectively. Managing Food-Water- Energy (FWE) nexus has become a matter of global concern due to environmental security under changing climate. Increasing agricultural productivity and developing sustainable water management techniques are needed to feed the ever-increasing population. The challenges faced by the world in general and India, specifically, in respect of energy, water, and food sectors are increasingly becoming interlinked. Subsequently, strategies for tackling one or the other aspect of this integrated challenge would require consideration of critical aspects of managing supply and demand for energy, water, and food in a manner that ensures security in each of these. Global projections indicate that demand for freshwater, energy, and food will increase significantly over the next decades under the pressure of population growth and mobility, economic development, international trade, urbanization, diversifying diets, cultural and technological changes, and climate change. Today, most Indian farmers typically rely on the monsoon for watering crops, however, irrigation can increase crop yields up to four times. But irrigation requires energy. Currently, it is estimated that 26 million diesel and electric pumps run on Indian farms, making them the dominant technology offerings today. However, grid-connected pumps that rely on electricity face the same challenge that any other load connected to India’s central grid faces: frequent outages. In addition, diesel-based pumps burden farmers with high recurring fuel expenditures. The lack of access to dependable pumping solutions hampers livelihood improvements throughout rural India. India uses more than 4 billion liters of diesel (13% of total diesel consumption in India) and around 85 million tons of coal per annum (19% of total coal consumption in India) to support water pumping for irrigation. If 50% of these diesel pumps were replaced with solar PV pump sets, diesel consumption could be reduced by about 225 million liters/year (7.5% of total diesel consumption in India). Similarly, groundwater is one of the most important water sources in India accounting for 63% of all irrigation water and over 80% of the rural and urban domestic water supplies. As per IWMI report, adopting micro-irrigation techniques can save roughly 20% of the groundwater used annually on irrigation in India. A key challenge is to convince farmers to adopt such techniques. In 2025, the total demand for water in India is projected to be 886 billion cubic metre, and the total electricity demand 4,18,277 million kWh. Adoption of micro-irrigation is increasing at 1.22% per annum. If this growth rate continues, about 8.8 million hectares will be under micro-irrigation in 2025, and 24 billion cubic metre of water and 3,598 MkWh of electricity will be saved annually. In addition, currently a number of solar based technologies like solar water pumping system, solar dryer, solar greenhouse, solar electric fence, solar milking machine, solar mowers and recently added solar tractors are available on Indian farms. However, there is need to develop, demonstrate and propopagate complete renewable energy based mechanization model in which all farm operations from production to processing and storage are powered by either solar energy or through bio-fuels. So that the usage of electricity from grid-power and non-renewable sources can be reduced. Sustainable Food-energy-water nexus-potential options in Indian context for future will be Smart technologies (agro-hydrological interventions): Improved irrigation techniques (Laser levelling, micro-irrigation, SRI, increasing pump efficiency), Reduction in energy used in pumping, (utilization of solar energy), Minimum tillage system, Genetic improvement in crops for heat and drought tolerance.

TheAs an approach to advance the next generation agriculture, Kubota has been engaged on the development of smart agriculture technology by using ICT and IoT. In this session, Dr. Iida will discuss 1) precise agriculture through data utilization, 2) ultra-labor-saving through partial and full automation, and 3) technology development for reducing workload and saving labor as solutions for the challenges faced by farmers who support the agriculture.