Big Data, Climate Smart Agriculture and India–Africa Relations: A Social Science Perspective

Abstract

Currently, climate change has emerged as the greatest challenge to humanity and pertains to possibility of events that have led to the previous mass extinctions on Earth. It is having a greater impact on agriculture through a multitude of challenges. In the emerging scenario of digital interconnectedness as well as complex interlinkages of climate change leading and increasing population stresses, there have arisen the need to find solutions. These solutions should not only deal with the pertinent issues, but also provide innovative and technological solutions as well. This is critical in the field of agriculture, on which populations of countries are dependent upon, both for production as well as for consumption. This paper analyses the possibilities of collaboration across agriculture and allied activities that can benefit both Indian and African economies by integrating big data into climate-smart agriculture, which thereby increases agricultural productivity as well as efficiency in the utilisation of resources. It takes exploratory and descriptive research, with the intention of filling the void of lack of literature in social sciences.