Unlocking AI's Potential in Agriculture: The Critical Role of Data

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Main Authors: Vedamurthy, K. B., Patil, Manojkumar, Vaishnavi, V, Priyanka, L, Suman, Ajayakumar, Sagar
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Vedamurthy, K. B.
Patil, Manojkumar
Vaishnavi
V, Priyanka
L, Suman
Ajayakumar
Sagar
author_facet Vedamurthy, K. B.
Patil, Manojkumar
Vaishnavi
V, Priyanka
L, Suman
Ajayakumar
Sagar
contents India generates substantial volumes of public agricultural data, yet artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in farming remains limited and largely confined to pilot initiatives. This paper examines this gap by assessing India's agricultural data infrastructure against the requirements of AI systems deployed at scale. Drawing on a systematic review of major national datasets and digital initiatives including Soil Health Cards, crop insurance, AgriStack, and selected state platforms we identify persistent structural constraints, including temporal misalignment between data collection and agricultural decision cycles, spatial fragmentation arising from the absence of common geocodes linking soil, weather, and yield information, limited machine readability due to reliance on static data formats, and unclear governance frameworks that restrict data access and reuse. These deficiencies impede cross-dataset integration and automated decision support, with disproportionate consequences for smallholders, who constitute 86~\% of India's farmers and lack the capacity to compensate for weak data infrastructure. Drawing on implementation evidence from India and comparative international experiences, the paper identifies recurring features associated with scalable digital agriculture systems, including incentives linked to data provision, service bundling through local institutions, and sensor-enabled risk management.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_23289
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Unlocking AI's Potential in Agriculture: The Critical Role of Data
Vedamurthy, K. B.
Patil, Manojkumar
Vaishnavi
V, Priyanka
L, Suman
Ajayakumar
Sagar
General Economics
Economics
India generates substantial volumes of public agricultural data, yet artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in farming remains limited and largely confined to pilot initiatives. This paper examines this gap by assessing India's agricultural data infrastructure against the requirements of AI systems deployed at scale. Drawing on a systematic review of major national datasets and digital initiatives including Soil Health Cards, crop insurance, AgriStack, and selected state platforms we identify persistent structural constraints, including temporal misalignment between data collection and agricultural decision cycles, spatial fragmentation arising from the absence of common geocodes linking soil, weather, and yield information, limited machine readability due to reliance on static data formats, and unclear governance frameworks that restrict data access and reuse. These deficiencies impede cross-dataset integration and automated decision support, with disproportionate consequences for smallholders, who constitute 86~\% of India's farmers and lack the capacity to compensate for weak data infrastructure. Drawing on implementation evidence from India and comparative international experiences, the paper identifies recurring features associated with scalable digital agriculture systems, including incentives linked to data provision, service bundling through local institutions, and sensor-enabled risk management.
title Unlocking AI's Potential in Agriculture: The Critical Role of Data
topic General Economics
Economics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.23289