New Delhi, Aug 23 : Space science has brought miraculous changes in the agriculture sector, said Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development, on Saturday.

In a virtual address at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), organised on the occasion of National Space Day, Chouhan called space scientists the 'modern sages'.

'Through space science, we are bringing change in India and the world. We all know how important technology and science are in agriculture ' and we must take it further,' Chouhan said.

'We have changed farming, its direction, and transformed farmers' lives. We have ensured food security for the people. We have achieved record food grain production, and space science has made an incomparable contribution.

"Space applications are now central to agriculture -- from crop yield estimation, cropping systems, wheat, rice, mustard, cotton, sugarcane production, acreage assessments, to weather information -- space technology plays a key role," the Union Minister said.

He said that earlier, weather forecasts relied on folklore and assumptions, but today, ISRO's Geo Portal provides nearly accurate information on rainfall, drought, and weather.

'Farmers now plan their farming based on this. The portal also gives information on soil moisture, integrates crop health data, and provides precise information,' he said.

Chouhan noted that technologies have been developed to detect pests from photos uploaded by farmers, and for real-time wheat monitoring, sowing, and harvesting area estimation.

With NASA-ISRO's NISAR mission, accurate estimates of soil moisture, crop health, and biomass -- from small plots to large tracts -- will become possible.

'Through science and technology, we have transformed farmers' lives -- but much more remains to be done,' he said.

Chouhan also congratulated astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla on his successful mission, which, he said, 'has opened new doors for faster progress in this field.'

Stating that India's scientific tradition is ancient, he said, 'We have not learned from others but taught the world. Thousands of years ago, Aryabhata laid the foundations of mathematics and astronomy. We are carrying forward that tradition. Chandrayaan's landing on the Moon's South Pole is a matter of great pride. Today, we are preparing for Gaganyaan, and our nation is advancing rapidly.'

The Union Minister urged scientists to deeply deliberate on themes such as space technology in agriculture -- past and future -- agricultural surveys, livestock, horticulture, natural resource management, and various crops.

'The ideas shared in today's session will yield a nectar-like roadmap for agricultural development,' he said.

/IANS