What you need to know
- The Indian government has been signing on big tech companies to help with its farming initiatives.
- Microsoft and Amazon are among the companies that have signed on.
- Microsoft has chosen 100 villages to receive AI and machine learning tools as part of a year-long pilot program.
Much like South Australia, India is keen on harnessing Microsoft's technological expertise for its goals and initiatives. Though India and Microsoft have teamed up in the past, this time the focus is specific to farmers.
As reported by Bloomberg, the Indian government has enlisted Microsoft, Amazon, and Cisco to help ensure that India's farmers have the technological tools needed to optimize their work and ensure that crop yields are as high as possible.
Many hurdles stand in the way of Microsoft spreading its tech throughout Indian farming communities, including a lack of infrastructure for said technology to run on, as well as farmers' concerns over privacy and how all this data harvesting will affect them and their crop harvesting.
Operations are already underway, though. Microsoft has picked 100 villages to receive AI and machine learning tools in what's being framed as a one-year pilot program. Amazon has also begun its farmer assistance efforts via a mobile app and cloud services.
The idea is that with all the data being accumulated, the government will have an easier time figuring out which regions need help and in what capacity.
This isn't Microsoft's first go-round with high-tech food assistance. Not long ago, the company announced an extension and expansion of its partnership with Mars, wherein it's utilizing the power of Azure to help spread the equally potent power of Twix chocolates.
