Google Launches AI Tools to Empower Indian Farming and Culture

Key Highlights:

• Google launches AMED API to improve Indian farming.

• Tool offers crop data, field size, and harvest timelines.

• Google DeepMind partners with IIT Kharagpur for language datasets.

• Only 20% of Indian farmers currently use digital tools.

• High cost and small land sizes limit AI adoption in rural India.

In a major move to support Indian agriculture and cultural inclusion, Google has announced the launch of several open-source Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects in India. These tools are designed to help improve farming productivity and celebrate India’s diverse languages and heritage.

AI Support for Agriculture: AMED API

A key highlight is the introduction of the AMED API (Agricultural Monitoring and Event Detection API). This new tool provides detailed insights into crop patterns and field activities across the country. It allows developers to create apps and solutions that enhance farming efficiency and resilience.

The AMED API is built upon Google’s earlier ALU (Agricultural Landscape Understanding) API. It uses satellite imagery, machine learning, and crop-related data to detect:

• Types of crops

• Field sizes

• Sowing and harvesting timelines

It even includes three years of historical data, allowing for better tracking of farming activity at the micro-level. These features support precision agriculture, climate adaptation, and data-driven policy planning.

Also Read: Modern Tractors and Precision Farming: Transforming Agriculture for Sustainability

Cultural Collaboration: Google DeepMind & IIT Kharagpur

Alongside agricultural development, Google DeepMind has partnered with IIT Kharagpur to develop datasets that represent India's cultural richness and linguistic diversity. This work is part of Google’s Amplify Initiative, which promotes fairness and inclusion in AI tools.

According to Dr. Manish Gupta from Google DeepMind, these steps aim to empower Indian innovators to bring positive, AI-driven change in society.

Technology Challenges in Indian Farming

Despite these advancements, most Indian farmers still do not use such technologies. A February 2025 report by the World Economic Forum, titled “Future Farming in India”, highlights several challenges:

• Less than 20% of Indian farmers use digital or AI-based tools.

• The average annual income of an Indian farmer is around ₹1.25 lakh ($1,500).

• 85% of farmers are smallholders, with only 1.08 hectares of land on average.

Due to these financial and structural limitations, AI solutions remain inaccessible to many small farmers. The high cost of AI development, the need for real-time data, and lack of field testing also create further barriers.

As a result, most AI companies focus on large-scale farms and agribusinesses, leaving smallholder farmers behind.

Google’s Vision for Inclusive AI in Agriculture

Google’s new AI projects aim to bridge this gap. The AMED platform is expected to support smarter, more adaptive, and environmentally sustainable farming. Meanwhile, the Amplify Initiative will ensure that AI tools are more inclusive of India's diverse languages and communities.

With the right partnerships and government support, these tools could significantly improve the lives of millions of farmers, making agriculture more efficient, climate-resilient, and digitally connected.

Also Read: India’s Wholesale Inflation Falls to –0.13% in June 2025 After a Year, Led by Drop in Food, Fuel, and Power Rates

CMV360 Says

Google’s launch of the AMED API and Amplify Initiative marks a strong step toward supporting Indian agriculture and cultural diversity through AI. While adoption remains a challenge due to low income and land fragmentation, these projects offer hope for inclusive innovation that benefits small and marginal farmers across the country.