Bhubaneswar: The state government’s Krushi Samruddhi Advisory System, a digital agriculture extension mechanism developed by the Department of Agriculture 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 March 18 at the Hyatt Regency in New Delhi.
In response, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi congratulated the Agriculture Department on being honored under the Jury Choice Category – “Digital Initiative in Agriculture & Farmer Empowerment” at the ET DigiTech Awards 2025, for providing real-time, data-driven advisories, empowering farmers, and revolutionizing agriculture in Odisha.
Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture & Farmers Empowerment Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo also congratulated the Department of Agriculture for this achievement.
On behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Government of Odisha, Principal Resident Commissioner Vishal Gagan received the award at the event.
Agricultural extension is the process of providing farmers with the knowledge and techniques needed to improve their agricultural outcomes, ensuring that the latest advancements in agriculture are accessible to those working on the ground. Traditionally, service and extension delivery from VAWs (Village Agricultural Workers) to farmers occurs through direct one-on-one interactions or small group training.
However, the very high farmer-to-VAW ratio (2500:1) in the state leads to a lack of personalized, timely advisories being delivered to farmers.
Recognizing the challenges with 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, including land preparation, seed varietal selection, appropriate application of fertilizers 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 major agricultural crops. The ability to broadcast advice based on frequently asked questions and areas of need, along with temporal and geographic customization, enables the delivery of personalized advisories.
Currently, through integration with the Krushak Odisha database, Krushi Samruddhi is able to deliver approximately 2000+ customized 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.
