Nabard and UNDP India Join Forces for Data-Driven Agricultural Innovation

In a significant development, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) have solidified their commitment to revolutionize Indian agriculture through data-driven innovations. Their collaborative effort is aimed at bolstering the agricultural and food systems to uplift the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

Key Objectives of the Memorandum of Understanding

Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), UNDP India and Nabard have outlined several key objectives:

1. Open-Source Data Sharing: Both organizations will actively share open-source data, laying the foundation for product development and the transfer of agricultural technology.

2. Policy Framing Support: The partnership will extend support to the formulation of agrarian policies, which can prove to be instrumental in shaping the future of Indian agriculture.

3. Digital Public Goods: One of the primary focuses is on enhancing and disseminating collaborative digital public goods like “DiCRA” (Data in Climate Resilient Agriculture).

DiCRA – Transforming Agriculture with Data

DiCRA, a digital initiative curated by UNDP and its partner organizations, plays a pivotal role in this partnership. It offers open access to crucial geospatial datasets that are essential for climate-resilient agriculture practices. Currently, DiCRA provides intelligence and insights into climate resilience for an impressive expanse of 50 million hectares of farmland across the nation.

Nabard Takes the Helm

In this strategic collaboration, Nabard will be entrusted with hosting and maintaining the DiCRA platform. Furthermore, it will harness the power of DiCRA’s key geospatial datasets for policy-making, research, and development activities, with the technical backing of UNDP.

Unveiling Opportunities for Rural India

Shaji K V, Chairman of Nabard, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, describing it as a gateway to numerous opportunities. The collaboration aims to harness data and present it as a digital public infrastructure, primarily catering to the vast rural Indian community of farmers.

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