IIT Madras and Agriculture Ministry partnered on project VISTAAR to empower farmers

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has announced a collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare on Project VISTAAR (Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources). The initiative aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the agricultural extension system through digitalization.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recently signed between the Agriculture Ministry and IIT Madras will enrich the VISTAAR platform by integrating information about start-ups in the agriculture and allied sectors. This will help farmers and other stakeholders more easily access these start-ups' capabilities and offerings.

“Agriculture forms the backbone of India’s social and economic fabric. Ensuring a strong agriculture sector is, therefore, a major policy imperative. Start-ups have an important role in bringing innovation across the value chain in agriculture and allied sectors,” said Prof. Thillai Rajan A., Head of the Centre for Research on Start-ups at IIT Madras.

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“The startup information platform developed by the Centre for Research on Startups and Risk Financing at IIT Madras, along with its incubated startup YNOS Venture Engine, contains details on over 12,000 start-ups in the agriculture and farming sectors. This collaboration will make this rich information easily accessible to farmers and significantly enhance the effectiveness of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare’s extension services,” Rajan added.

The digitalization of the agricultural extension system will substantially expand its outreach, enabling every farmer to access high-quality advisory services on crop production, marketing, value addition, and supply chain management.

Additionally, the advisory services will provide comprehensive information on government schemes related to agriculture, allied sectors, and rural development, ensuring farmers can benefit from them effectively.

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By delivering timely, contextual, and accurate information, the process of digitalization will augment the current extension system, ensuring better support for farmers in agriculture and allied fields. “Innovative technologies developed by agri-startups contribute to making agriculture sustainable and climate-resilient.

Connecting these technologies with farmers through extension services is critical for ensuring access and adoption. This collaboration with IIT Madras will help achieve this goal through the VISTAAR DPI for Agriculture Extension platform,” said Samuel Praveen Kumar, Joint Secretary (Extension), Ministry of Agriculture.

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