Lucknow, Oct 16 (PTI) World Bank Group President Ajay Banga has lauded Uttar Pradesh’s efforts to integrate technology with agriculture, describing the state’s “resilient farming model” as a global example for small and marginal farmers. At the AgriConnect flagship event during the 2025 annual meetings of the World Bank, Banga showcased the UP model, after visiting the state and seeing things for himself in May, said the state’s director of information, Vishal Singh. “The World Bank also posted its chief’s speech on X, where he described what he saw in Uttar Pradesh,” he said. The UP government also issued a statement stating how Banga praised the Yogi Adityanath government for developing an agricultural ecosystem that is resilient by design, stressing that climate adaptability was built into the system from the start rather than added later. “The way Uttar Pradesh is addressing climate challenges through its farmers is remarkable,” Banga said in his speech shared by the UP government. According to the statement, the head of the World Bank highlighted the use of heat-resistant seeds, soil-based fertilizers, regenerative practices, efficient irrigation and robust insurance and financing systems that ensure that a single bad season does not ruin a farmer’s life. Banga emphasized that digital technology is the glue that holds the whole system together. Simple AI tools and mobile phones are now helping farmers diagnose crop diseases, guide fertilizer use, issue weather warnings and ensure secure digital payments, the UP government quoted Banga as saying in the statement. Recalling his previous visit to the state, Banga noted that Uttar Pradesh has demonstrated how resilience, cooperatives and digital tools can combine to form a vibrant and scalable ecosystem. “This model is working. It is a proof of concept,” the UP government said, quoting Banga’s speech. The success of the model depends on alignment between governments, businesses and development partners, according to the statement. The World Bank and the Uttar Pradesh government recently launched the ‘UP AGREES’ (UP Agriculture Growth and Rural Enterprise) project aimed at strengthening the state’s agricultural systems through technology and finance. The initiative is expected to directly benefit nearly one million small and marginal farmers. The state has also set up a digital agriculture ecosystem framework to provide real-time information on weather, seeds, markets and insurance. Banga, who visited UP in May, was also quoted in the government statement as saying that Uttar Pradesh is emerging as a model of “smart agricultural transformation, and the world must adopt such integrative frameworks to ensure sustainable livelihoods for small farmers worldwide.
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