As part of the ongoing project “Digital Agriculture in India,” a team from the Foundation for Agrarian Studies (FAS) undertook fieldwork in Nalgonda district, Telangana, from August 24 to September 11, 2026.
The FAS team, comprising Dr. Sandipan Baksi (Director), Dr. Tapas S. Modak (Joint Director), Sai Chandan Kotu (Senior Research Assistant), Ashwin Sreekumar (Research Assistant), G. Sai Reshwitha (Intern), and G. Mahesh Babu (Intern), sought to gain a deeper understanding of the role played by drone technology in Telangana’s digital agriculture ecosystem. Along with agricultural drones, the interviews focused on different emerging technologies and their role in advancing digital agriculture.
During the visit, the team engaged with officials from the District Agriculture Officer’s office, District Rural Development Agency, and the Subject Matter Specialist in Plant Protection at Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Kampasagar to understand government and public-sector efforts in promoting drone technology penetration.
Further, in-depth interviews were conducted with a diverse set of stakeholders: drone assemblers, technicians, operators/pilots, Namo Drone Didi beneficiaries, and farmers.
The team also interacted with representatives from agri-businesses (Coromandel and IFFCO), agritech companies (Carbon-Mint and Cropwings), and farmer organisations (Kattangur FPO) to understand their respective roles in the drone ecosystem.
Insights gathered will feed into the ongoing research under the project.
Here are some glimpses from the visit…
