Monsoon rains are the lifeblood of Indian agriculture. An accurate prediction of monsoons helps farmers determine when and how to work their land. For nearly a century, the country has used a statistical method to forecast and prepare for these seasonal downpours.
All that will change next year when India introduces a $60 million supercomputer that will predict the monsoon season with greater accuracy. According to experts, this could raise agricultural output by about 15 per cent.
But wouldn’t it be a better investment to champion the solutions of the past and renew the water infrastructure that harnesses the rain? The more than 5,000-year-old Indus Valley civilisation, for example, laid emphasis on irrigation systems. Developing and maintaining this infrastructure is as essential to the success and sustainability of India’s agriculture as any supercomputer may prove to be.