Fred de Sam Lazaro:
Based in India’s tech capital, Bangalore, Cropin, Fyllo and others have generated lots of interest in financial markets. The question is, are they really improving this country’s food security?
For the majority of India’s farmers, who own only small plots of land, artificial intelligence might hold some promise, but their problems go well beyond the scope of A.I. It’s no use knowing when to irrigate, for example, when you don’t irrigate your farm and depend on rainfall. It’s no use knowing what market prices are when your produce can’t get to the market on time.
Amit Prakash, International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore: Almost 80 to 90 percent of our farmers are smallholders.
