New Delhi: In a groundbreaking collaboration, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) partnered with the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence (Wadhwani AI), with support from Google.org, to introduce Krishi 24/7, the first-ever AI-powered solution for automated agricultural news monitoring and analysis.
Krishi 24/7 has been developed to address the pressing need for an efficient mechanism to identify and manage agricultural news articles of interest, facilitating timely decision-making in the realm of agriculture.
This innovative tool is capable of scanning news articles in multiple languages and then translating them into English. It efficiently extracts vital information from news articles, including headlines, crop names, event types, dates, locations, severity, summaries, and source links. Such capabilities enable the DA&FW to receive timely updates on relevant events published on the web.
Upon the launch of this initiative, Secretary (A&FW) Manoj Ahuja emphasized the significance of this news monitoring system, highlighting that it not only keeps stakeholders informed but also empowers them to shape the narrative. He encouraged a spirit of continuous improvement, suggesting that the system remains adaptable to the evolving world. He stated, “Let us work together to ensure that this news monitoring system becomes a dynamic force, adaptable to the changing landscape of information and a valuable asset in our mission to better serve our farmers.”
Joint Secretary (Extension) Samuel Praveen Kumar provided a brief overview of the solution’s functions. Krishi 24/7 is designed to provide near real-time monitoring of news articles related to the agricultural ecosystem, published online. This dynamic tool assists the DA&FW in identifying news of interest and offers a comprehensive mechanism to shortlist events, create alerts, and take timely action.
Mr. JP Tripathi, Associate Director (Ag) at Wadhwani AI, highlighted the institute’s commitment to building AI solutions for existing challenges. News monitoring and validation, which have traditionally been manual and time-consuming, are now being revolutionized by AI technology. The institute’s successful deployment of a similar event tracking and analysis solution for disease outbreaks in collaboration with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) exemplifies their dedication to enhancing data-driven decisions across various sectors, including agriculture.