Paradigm change in Indian agricultural practices using Big Data: Challenges and opportunities from field to plate

Abstract

Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian Economy. However, statistics show that the rural population and arable land per person is declining. This is an ominous development for a country with a population of more than one billion, with over sixty-six percent living in rural areas. This paper aims to review current studies and research in agriculture, employing the recent practice of Big Data analysis, to address various problems in this sector. To execute this review, this article outline a framework for Big Data analytics in agriculture and present ways in which they can be applied to solve problems in the present agricultural domain. Another goal of this review is to gain insight into state-of-the-art Big Data applications in agriculture and to use a structural approach to identify challenges to be addressed in this area. This review of Big Data applications in the agricultural sector has also revealed several collection and analytics tools that may have implications for the power relationships between farmers and large corporations.