Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the G20 under India’s presidency is making the entire nation proud. Everyone has a feeling of pride. Entering the “Amrit Kaal” era, India has embarked on a transformational journey towards development, especially in the agriculture sector. It has always been at the forefront of human progress, providing sustenance, livelihoods, and economic stability. With the advent of digitalisation and emerging technologies, the agriculture sector is witnessing a new wave of transformation. This digital revolution has the potential to take agriculture to the next level while helping governments and stakeholders tackle pressing challenges related to food security, the environment, and socio-economic development.
At the heart of this transformation lies the Open Public Digital Infrastructure concept, a critical enabler for effective, synergetic, and scalable digital solutions in agriculture. Embracing open standards and interoperability, Digital Public Goods hold the potential to drive inclusive growth, foster cooperation, and facilitate international trade by reducing costs and expediting adoption. One such example of digital public goods can be found in the innovative initiatives developed by the Government of India, including the India Stack and the Aadhar ecosystem, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and the National Health Stack.
Applying similar digital public infrastructure in agriculture promises to revolutionise farming practices and enhance farm productivity through sustainable methods. Services like Real-time Advisory, the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Remote Sensing will strengthen digital infrastructure and reduce the digital divide in agriculture. Easy access to financing and other resources levels the playing field, especially for small and marginal farmers. It enables them to compete effectively, expand their operations, and invest in cutting-edge agricultural technologies.
The G20 member nations also committed to collaborating with all stakeholders and strengthening capacity-building efforts, including disseminating digital tools and technology and promoting its adoption by farmers, especially by marginal, smallholders, family farmers, women, youth, indigenous people as applicable, ageing farmers and other underrepresented groups. The cross-border and global exchange of experiences will provide insights into the use of digital technologies in agriculture and improve food systems.
The involvement of both the public and private sectors, through science, technology, and innovation (STI) initiatives, can invigorate the technological and digitally enabled agri-food system. Agri-tech start-ups have a significant role to play by providing innovative and affordable solutions that address challenges across the agricultural value chain using open digital networks. Through a multi-dimensional, multi-stakeholder, and collaborative approach, we can unlock digitalisation’s transformative potential in agriculture, ensuring a sustainable and prosperous future for farmers and the broader agricultural ecosystem.
India is focusing on transforming agriculture through the digital revolution and reiterating its commitment to address food security and nutrition on the global stage. Under the able guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the brainstorming held in the G20 meetings chaired by India is being discussed all over the country and the world. An important grouping of the G20 deals with agriculture, which has held meetings in different cities of India over the past months, emphasising promoting food security and climate resilience through sustainable agriculture. This has been a major topic during the meetings, which concerns the whole world.
The G20 Agriculture Working Group (AWG) meetings held during this mega event were historic. The achievements of the Agriculture Working Group represent the collective efforts of over 200 delegates who have travelled over the past months from India’s cleanest city, Indore, to the well-planned urban landscape of Chandigarh, to the holy city of Varanasi, and finally reached the mesmerising city of pearls, Hyderabad.
The G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting held on 16-17 June 2023 in Hyderabad, India, offers a major milestone in the global food security and nutrition discourse. This gathering reaffirmed international commitments to establishing inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agricultural systems.
The context: An unprecedented call for action
The meeting’s outcome document covered the global community’s concerns about food and fertiliser price volatility, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical tensions. Resilient and reliable supply chains were emphasised as essential for global food security, particularly for marginalised groups like women and girls during humanitarian crises.
Diversifying food resources
One of the meeting’s standout sections focuses on the importance of nutritious, diverse, sustainably produced food. Encouraging initiatives to innovate in crop development, the ministers highlighted the need for climate-resilient, locally adapted, and underutilised grains. The document emphasises the role of research and development in enhancing agricultural productivity.
Nutrition and biofortification
The ministers endorsed an evidence-based approach to nutrition, stressing that nutrient adequacy must primarily come from a diverse food base. They also acknowledged the potential of biofortification in improving the nutritional content of crops.
A focus on Sustainable Development Goals
The ministers recognised the interconnectedness of sustainable agriculture, food production, international trade, and the achievement of the SDGs—especially the zero-hunger goal (SDG2). According to recent projections, almost 600 million people will still be chronically undernourished by 2030, underscoring the immense challenge of eradicating hunger. They highlighted the importance of enhancing capacity in developing countries for sustainable food production, storage, marketing, and loss reduction.
Transparency and data-driven decision-making
The Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) and the Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM) were acknowledged as crucial initiatives for enhancing agricultural market transparency. Given that food insecurity is not just a matter of availability but also of access.
Implications, future actions
Under India’s leadership in this G20 meeting, these discussions provide a scaffold upon which international initiatives can be built or expanded, offering a timely response to the increasing acute food insecurity and persistently high levels of hunger reported globally.
The roadmap has been laid. The challenge now is implementation. As nations share best practices and build on these principles, the promise of a world with robust food security and better nutrition comes closer to realisation. This meeting serves as a significant catalyst, potentially changing the course of food security and nutrition for generations to come.
Narendra Singh Tomar
Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare