Ludhiana: New book focuses on the future of farming in digital times

Ludhiana: Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Vice-Chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal on Friday released a book focusing on the future of agriculture in the digital age. Titled “The Farmer’s Databank: A Comprehensive Guide to Agricultural Informatics,” the book is authored by Jastinder Kaur and Raj Sinha. Puneet Jindal, head of the Computer Applications Department at Ludhiana College of Engineering and Technology, said this is Kaur’s first international book. She is a research scholar in the Computer Science Department at Jyoti Vidyapeeth Women’s University, Jaipur, and an assistant professor in the Computer Applications Department at Ludhiana College of Engineering and Technology, Katani Kalan.

Co-author Raj Sinha is an assistant professor in the IT and Computer Science Department at Parul University in Vadodara, Gujarat. Praising the authors, Vice-Chancellor Gosal said the book teaches farmers that data is as essential to farming as seeds and water, and provides a roadmap for the future of agriculture. Tarseem Singh Dhillon, Additional Director of Extension Education at PAU, said that the first part of the book explains the true importance of precision farming. Mahesh Kumar, Assistant Director of Research (Agricultural Engineering), said that estimating market prices and crop yields helps increase farmers’ income, and the book explains this in detail. JM Singh, Head of the Department of Economics and Sociology, said, “This book teaches us how even a mobile phone can become a tool in farming. It serves as a complete syllabus for students and a practical guide for farmers.”