Image for representational purpose.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Hyderabad: Horticulture farmers in Andhra Pradesh will now receive AI-driven, timely, and climate-smart advisories through a new mobile app aimed at boosting their incomes.
The state government, in collaboration with tech giant Cisco and social impact organisation Digital Green, on Thursday has launched "Boosting Small-Scale Farmers’ Incomes with AI-Enabled Advisory."
The initiative centers on FarmerChat, a multimodal mobile app developed by Digital Green that delivers hyperlocal, multilingual, climate-smart guidance. As a pilot, it targets 50,000 farmers—25,000 through direct onboarding and 25,000 via digital channels—with at least 60% women participation across eight districts- Guntur, Palnadu, Kurnool, Anantapur, Krishna, NTR, Prakasam, and Satya Sai.
The programme will train 300 frontline extension workers (FLEWs) from departments like Horticulture and Sericulture, plus representatives from five farmer producer organizations (FPOs), to deploy FarmerChat effectively. Farmers will also be onboarded through social media campaigns, with workshops to gather feedback from officials and users to meet project goals.
State Horticulture and Sericulture director, K Sreenivasulu said this project will deliver measurable and meaningful benefits to smallholder horticulture farmers across Andhra Pradesh. “Through the effective use of the FarmerChat application and strong collaboration among partners, we will achieve tangible improvements in yield and quality of key horticultural commodities. Strengthening market linkages is equally critical to creating a win–win outcome for both the Department and the farming community. We remain fully committed to continuous support and regular reviews to ensure real, on-ground impact and to strengthen the state’s horticulture ecosystem,” he added.
The initiative aims to enable at least 25% of farmers to adopt recommended practices and 30% of active users to achieve a 20% household income increase over three years.
"By supporting smallholder farmers to use AI-driven tools like FarmerChat, we are helping translate complex data into simple, actionable guidance that farmers can trust and apply in their daily lives," said Harish Krishnan, Managing Director & Chief Policy Officer, Cisco India & Southeast Asia. "The initiative reflects our commitment to using technology to strengthen climate resilience, improve incomes, and ensure innovation reaches those who need it most—especially women farmers—through strong partnerships with Digital Green and the Government of Andhra Pradesh," he added.
FarmerChat offers tailored crop management advice, diagnoses pests from uploaded photos, calendaring with reminders for seasonal tasks, progress tracking, and personalized guidance for future seasons.
"As India advances its national AI Mission and the vision of Viksit Bharat, collaborations like this are vital to ensure every farmer, in every corner of the last mile, can access trusted, actionable AI-powered support," said Nidhi Bhasin, CEO, Digital Green India.