AgTech: Ashiss Dash Of Infosys On The New Technologies That Are Revolutionizing Agriculture

An Interview With Martita Mestey

Find opportunities to upskill: Staying relevant in the industry depends largely on your employers’ training and learning resources. I believe that having a farsighted manifesto for consistent upskilling is the key to long-term employee success and retention — it is no longer a nice-to-have for employers but a must-have.

The agriculture industry is undergoing rapid transformation as innovative technologies are being developed and implemented, from precision agriculture to vertical farming, and beyond. In this series, we are speaking to leaders, innovators, and experts in the AgTech space who are playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of agriculture. We aim to explore the latest developments, discuss the challenges and opportunities that these technologies present, and showcase the impact of AgTech on the industry as a whole. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ashiss Kumar Dash.

Ashiss Kumar Dash is Executive Vice President and global head of services, utilities, resources, and energy industries at Infosys. He leads a highly driven team of client services professionals and technologists focused on creating leading-edge capabilities to help clients navigate their digital journey. In his role, Dash is responsible for the growth of this amalgamation of verticals, from setting strategic direction, driving financial and operational excellence, to accelerating revenue momentum.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?

Wow. That’s a question I don’t get very often! I grew up around the mining and steel belt in India, often marveling at the natural resources around us and how our economy is centered around harnessing these for sustaining and improving human life.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

Well, there’s quite a few. From my journey as a technology geek, to heading some of our strategic relationships in APAC, North America and then leading our sector’s go-to-market strategy and business globally, I have had too many interesting stories. Many of these started with a gauntlet being thrown at me with the promise that it will be exciting.

You are a successful leader. Which three-character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Thank you for your kind words. At Infosys, our value system is called C-LIFE which is an acronym that stands for Customer Value, Leadership by Example, Integrity, Fairness, Pursuit of Excellence. I think embedding these into my ways of working has been instrumental to whatever I have been able to accomplish in my career. Let me share an example around sustainability. Leading from the front by adopting a sustainable lifestyle myself and inspiring my teams to do the same has gone a long way in us understanding and serving our services, utilities, resources and energy customers much better. Focusing on customer value for a critical global transformation program for a strategic client, I am the sponsoring executive taking accountability for an ecosystem of partners that are collaborating with one single client goal in mind.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

We recently concluded a project with a seeds company that combines the best of IoT technology, remote data acquisition and artificial intelligence to increase crop productivity and yield for mid to large size farms. Sensors that are spread across the field measure moisture, soil conditions and plant growth, while visual imagery from drones is used to create and overlay the information with yield maps and crop input maps. Our teams have worked on creating AI-based models to combine these inputs and revise farmer recommendations, giving them a 360-degree view of the plant environment, which allows them to create a digital plant model to correlate yield fluctuations. This will have a tremendous effect on small and medium farmer productivity, and our larger community, especially with the focus on increasing organic yields.

Further downstream, Infosys has partnered with Purdue university to address select business challenges presented by the clients and to investigate comprehensive and interdisciplinary solutions in digital agriculture domain. We have already concluded a research program for efficient grain storage, ensuring availability of effective grain transportation during harvest season peaks, and growing capabilities to trace and deliver full value for grains. We have jointly developed CO2 sensors and simulation models to monitor and maintain grain health in storage conditions.

Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. How did you become involved in AgTech, and why does it matter to you?

In my current role as the Global Head of Services, Utilities, Resources and Energy industries at Infosys, I’m responsible for the growth of an expansive set of verticals including Agribusinesses — from setting strategic direction, driving financial and operational excellence, to accelerating revenue momentum and presence in the market.

We realize that the global agricultural market size has grown from $12.25 trillion in 2022 to $13.39 trillion in 2023 and is expected to grow further in the coming years at a CAGR of 9.1%. Growing populations, shrinking arable land, shortage of labor, increase in per capita consumption and diet pattern changes, increase in greenhouse gas emissions, need for sustainable agriculture, need for robust agri supply chain and adulteration in food products are some of the important concerns to ensure food security and food safety for all. Easier and quicker access to real-time data such as weather, crop characteristics/data, soil data, disease/pest data, and telemetric data enable a new wave of transformation to revolutionize traditional agriculture into data-driven precision farming for profitable and sustainable agriculture.

Though agricultural domain-specific advancements have helped to address the concerns to some extent, digital technologies are considered promising to go beyond and to establish an inclusive ecosystem for all stakeholders in the ecosystem. I strongly believe the contemporary IT interventions will help not only the growers but also the enterprises to optimize their resources for profitable business while ensuring sustainable practices across the value chain. I strongly believe we need to have agri-collaborative platforms to connect all the stakeholders to perform their business activities. Such platforms will enable all the stakeholders to advertise and manage the products and services they offer. Growers can buy their agri-inputs and get other services from the service providers such as produce certification, crop residual reports, farm equipment, logistics, warehousing, etc.

What are the most transformative technologies currently in use in AgTech, and how are they revolutionizing the industry?

Agtech is transforming the agriculture industry with the advent of Agriculture 4.0, being driven by key transformative technologies. These technologies include the integration of digital solutions like 5G, cloud services and AI, enabling decision-making through comprehensive data collection. Swarm technology is optimizing AI algorithms to minimize human intervention to reduce errors, thereby enhancing farming equipment efficiency. Additionally, automation and robotics streamline tasks to reduce labor costs. Through these innovations, we can address food security and sustainability amid the global food crisis.

Remote sensing, generative AI, machine learning and artificial intelligence, image analytics/processing, blockchain, and agri-bots are enabling a new wave of transformation to revolutionize traditional agriculture into data-driven precision farming for profitable and sustainable agriculture. Digital marketplaces are similar to commodity exchanges, digital means of quality testing of fresh fruits and vegetables, produce aggregation analytics, smart weigh bridges, and price discovery are some of the important aspects where technology can play an important role.

Leveraging these digital enablers, Infosys has built a cloud-hosted ‘Infosys Smart Agriculture’ platform to enable precision and sustainable farming. The platform has capabilities to enable personalized recommendations, market connect, smart warehousing, sustainable farming practices, crop scouting using remote sensing, yield projections, variable rate application, disease identification, digital procurement platform, and food traceability. The solution has been built leveraging Internet of Things (IoT), AI/ML, big data & analytics, mobility and cloud platforms combined with customizable algorithms, business logic, and strong agriculture domain expertise. The solution has been in use for the last seven crop seasons covering various Kharif and Rabi crops. The solution integrates with several devices on the farm such as sensor integration for real-time data (monitoring soil conditions, warehouse monitoring), weather station integration (for latest weather information), sensor-triggered irrigation system (for automated irrigation and optimizing water usage) and drone with RGB and NIR cameras (for crop scouting).

‘Infosys Cobalt for Agri-Chem’ is a cloud-first platform used to accelerate business value for clients digitizing business functions across the agrochemical value chain for scientists, procurement managers, planners, maintenance managers, sales managers and customer service managers. It is a comprehensive, one-stop solution that offers intelligent services such as demand forecasting, supply control tower, inventory optimization, asset management, cognitive operations, safety, quality control, carbon trading, e-commerce, knowledge management, customer services and procurement services, and research and development by leveraging its different contemporary components at its core engine.

How do these technologies contribute to sustainable agriculture practices and the fight against climate change?

Digital technologies in Agriculture 4.0 are revolutionizing farming by amplifying both productivity and sustainability. These innovations optimize resource utilization, minimize emissions and promote precision farming by addressing the sector’s productivity challenges while mitigating environmental impact. By integrating AI, IoT and real-time analytics, farmers can make informed decisions, leading to more efficient operations and reduced ecological footprints. For one of our clients, we have developed a solution that calculates ecological footprints (toxicity, eco-toxicity, greenhouse gas emissions, soil erosion, etc.) based on the agri practices and agri inputs a grower deploys for crop cultivation.

There are multiple ways in which remote sensing and image processing techniques help to identify the field pockets where a crop is under stress. Drones can spray crop protection products at the right place and in the right quantity, not only to optimize the resource utilization but also to minimize impact on the environment. Automated irrigation systems have been proven environmentally friendly — “grow more with less water.” IoT framework coupled with AI/ML supported decision making and relevant automation can minimize the wastage in grain warehouses to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon trading platforms can help to promote sustainable farming practices.

Through these advancements, companies can strike a balance between automation and job creation, ensuring sustainable business practices and resilience against the challenges posed by climate change. The implementation of swarm intelligence in autonomous farming facilitates decentralized, self-learning operations, improving efficiency and reducing energy consumption. Open-source software and affordable technological interventions democratize access to these advancements, enabling small-scale farmers to benefit from the digital transformation in agriculture.

What are the challenges in integrating these technologies with existing farming practices?

The integration of advanced digital technologies into existing farming practices presents several key challenges that require careful consideration and strategic solutions. Access and affordability are primary concerns, specifically for those with limited resources and small-scale farmers. Ensuring access to these technologies, along with affordable pricing models, is necessary for widespread adoption and the prevention of the exacerbation of existing inequalities within the agricultural sector. Additionally, providing technical training and support is essential to empower farmers to effectively utilize these tools, interpret data insights and make informed decisions aligned with their specific farming needs.

Infrastructure limitations, including unreliable internet connectivity and power supply, also pose significant obstacles to the seamless integration of digital farming technologies, emphasizing the need for substantial investment in robust infrastructure. Addressing data and privacy concerns is also necessary to foster trust and promote wider acceptance within the farming community.

The prime factors to fuel growth in digital transformation are availability of affordable hardware (sensors and other communication devices), farm equipment and integrated software to take care of all stakeholders’ needs, adequate extension services to enhance technology adoption and trust, availability of master data, willingness of agribusinesses to invest, strong universities and research institutes’ support, as well as favorable government policies. In fact, growers, research institutes/universities, government and ag-tech companies should go hand-in-hand to accelerate innovations and adoption in digital agriculture.

What emerging technologies do you see as having the potential to disrupt the AgTech industry in the next 5–10 years?

Over the next five to ten years, the AgTech industry is set to be disrupted by several emerging technologies. Data analytics, IoT and AI offer improved resource management, while AI and ML, the cloud and 5G can optimize agri value chain management and decision-making processes, paving the way for the development of smarter farming technologies in the agriculture sector.

Digital twins and IoT technologies, through real-time monitoring of resource utilization and proactive adjustments, are set to transform traditional farming practices by enabling precision farming, waste reduction and more efficient resource management. Additionally, the integration of renewable energy technologies, such as solar and wind power, holds the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact and enhance energy resilience within the agriculture sector. These advancements, when incorporated into agricultural operations, can pave the way for cleaner and more efficient energy usage, thus reshaping the landscape of the AgTech industry.

Robotics: A shortage of farmworkers has initiated the need for agri-bots, which can pick fruit, pick up animals or do many of the common backbreaking tasks associated with farming. Robots can now milk cows, pick strawberries and cut up carcasses in processing plants. Robotics in farming represents a global market of over $5 billion and is projected to double in the next five years.

IoT And Sensors: The ability to track produce and live animals, detect crop health issues, evaluate the environment inside a vertical farm, and monitor soil moisture in real-time are of huge value in addressing the major challenges of climate/sustainability, animal welfare and tracking in the food supply chain. The availability of IoT devices has paved a new path to collect and analyze farm data for effective decision-making.

Artificial Intelligence (AI): Many occupations in food and farming rely upon learning by doing, rather than explicit knowledge transfer. This creates real challenges, such as how to avoid human error, misunderstandings, and cognitive bias. AI can help to make available more accurate data with a speed for better decision-making.

GenAI: Interpretation of data is a challenge when it comes to AI. GenAI may help to interpret or conclude the analysis for a variety of agricultural activities. Such decision-making capabilities can help to get contextualized information for further decision-making or automation.

What kind of policy changes would be beneficial for the growth of the AgTech industry?

Policy changes that can facilitate the growth of the AgTech industry include the development of robust digital infrastructure, ensuring high-speed access to high-speed internet and reliable power supply. Such measures would enable the seamless integration of emerging technologies in agriculture, allowing farmers from various regions to leverage digital tools effectively.

The agriculture industry is very conservative but not static as it depends on environment, market conditions, and government regulations. The industry is going through a transformation using innovative agri domain-intensive technologies and leveraging the latest innovations in Information technology. The below factors can facilitate AgTechs to devise sustainable solutions for the agri Industry:

1. More investment in research and development.
2. Financial assistance to the startups to develop pointed solutions for specific problems.
3. Cross-border collaboration to boost best practices.
4. Promoting and rewarding sustainable agricultural practices.
5. Collaboration with agribusiness houses to weave an effective and sustainable ecosystem.
6. Public-private partnerships should be promoted.
7. Promoting easier digital reach through farmer collectivization.
8. Boosting agribiotech capabilities to create greener and sustainable products.
9. Promote programs that can encourage young people to appreciate the value of and explore career opportunities in agriculture.

What advice would you give to someone looking to start a career in AgTech?

Tech delivery challenges are among the largest obstacles that AgTech faces, so those getting started in the space must figure out how to harness distribution and adoption. Today, village-level entrepreneurs (VLEs) are cropping up as a viable pathway to enter AgTech. VLEs attract and retain talent and build robust pipelines for continued talent development and upskilling.

Information technology is an enabler to unleash immense value from data and to make informed and appropriate decisions. I believe that if we integrate domain knowledge with the latest IT interventions, we can devise market-relevant solutions for the entire agri-ecosystem. There are immense issues and opportunities to be solved and AgTech are innovating solutions to address the issues to support growers and agribusinesses.

What are the “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

1. Prioritize mental health: No matter what field you’re in or what stage you’re at in your career, I believe all workers should prioritize psychological and physical health. Employers and managers should encourage their employees to partake in regular exercise, which can positively impact mental health by increasing endorphin production, reducing stress and anxiety, and improving self-esteem.
2. Express gratitude: I’m grateful for the amazing mentors who have supported me in my career and personal life. At Infosys, we’re committed to promoting a safe and inclusive environment for all employees, and taking the time to recognize the hard, amazing work our colleagues do each day. In the same vein, I’ve learned that taking just a few moments out of your day to say “thank you” to your mentor, mentee and others, can go a long way in building trust, fostering a culture of collaboration and boosting morale.
3. Find opportunities to upskill: Staying relevant in the industry depends largely on your employers’ training and learning resources. I believe that having a farsighted manifesto for consistent upskilling is the key to long-term employee success and retention — it is no longer a nice-to-have for employers but a must-have.
4. Work for companies that care: Organizations and leaders must understand that bonuses and extra time don’t solve burnout or quiet quitting. I believe employers need to address issues like these rather than beating around the bush and start building solutions to combat low employee morale. Once employers start listening to their employees and understanding what it is that their workers want and need, they will start blending purpose with work and that’s when true alignment and success will be achieved.
5. Embrace digital: Digital advancements create a better world for everyone, regardless of our differences. At Infosys, we celebrate an all-inclusive technological future where everyone can be themselves and embrace their truth. This is why I’m proud to work for the firm and I encourage those getting started in their careers to find firms that embrace similar morals.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I believe our planet needs to re-imagine the way we channelize energy, transform it into a consumable form, and then dissipate it back into the environment whether it is through food, minerals, oil, gas or any other materials. I wish I could start a movement to re-imagine the role each sector participant needs to play and action it through one global program for every industry I touch.

This was very inspiring and informative. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this interview!