Digital Agriculture Mission: A Transformative Step Towards Smart Farming
- September 3, 2024
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
Digital Agriculture Mission: A Transformative Step Towards Smart Farming
Sub: Schemes
Sec: Agriculture
Why This is in News
The Union Cabinet recently approved the Digital Agriculture Mission with a budget allocation of ₹2,817 crore. This mission aims to create robust Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in the agricultural sector, integrating data and information on farmlands, crops, and yields. The mission is expected to revolutionize the overall efficiency of the farm sector.
Digital Agriculture Mission:
It was officially announced in the Union Budgets for 2023-24 and 2024-25.
The mission seeks to establish a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in the agricultural sector. This initiative is modelled after successful e-governance projects like Aadhaar, Digi Locker, eSign, UPI, and electronic health records. Its primary goals are to:
Total Budget: ₹2,817 crore
Central Government Contribution: ₹1,940 crore, and remaining amount by States and Union Territories.
Digital Public Infrastructure:
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is a versatile open-source identity platform that facilitates access to a vast array of government and private services through the development of innovative applications and products.
The platform encompasses a range of digital identification and verification tools, civil registration capabilities, and payment features, including digital transactions and money transfers, data exchange, and information systems.
India operationalised DPIs through India Stack, which enabled its citizens to:
- Be part of the formal system through digital identity (Aadhaar).
- Be able to reach the national (and, increasingly, international) marketplace through a fast payment system (Unified Payments Interface or UPI).
- Safely share personal data without compromising privacy through the Account Aggregator platform built on Data Empowerment and Protection Architecture (DEPA).
Major Components of DPI in Agriculture:
| Component | Purpose | Description |
| AgriStack | Digital platform designed to integrate various agricultural services. | DPI consisting of three key databases: Farmers’ Registry, Geo-referenced Village Maps, and Crop Sown Registry. Farmers’ Registry: Provides a digital identity (Farmer ID) linked to records of land ownership, livestock, crops, and benefits availed. Crop Sown Registry: Records details of crops planted through mobile-based Digital Crop Surveys. Geo-Referenced Village Maps: Links geographic information on land records with their physical locations. |
| Krishi Decision Support System (KDSS) | Comprehensive geospatial system | It aids in generating crop maps, monitoring droughts/floods, and assessing crop yields for insurance purposes. |
| Soil Profile Maps | Detailed digital maps | Detailed soil profile maps on a 1:10,000 scale for approximately 142 million hectares of agricultural land. |
| Digital General Crop Estimation Survey (DGCES) | Deliver accurate estimates of agricultural production. | Provides reliable data for policy decisions, agricultural planning, and resource allocation, enhancing overall agricultural productivity and planning. |
Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment, 2024-25 (SSASCI) 2024-25 is a central government initiative aimed at enhancing infrastructure and promoting land-related reforms in both rural and urban areas.
Launched: Initially launched in FY 2020-21 to drive state-level capital investments and economic growth.
Total Allocation: ₹1,30,000 crore.
Loan Terms: 50-year interest-free loans to states.
Land Reform Incentives: ₹10,000 crore for land-related reforms.
₹5,000 crore for creating a Farmers’ Registry.
Key Areas of Focus
Rural Land Reforms
- ULPIN (Bhu-Aadhaar): Unique IDs for land parcels to prevent fraud.
- Cadastral Digitization: Updating and digitizing land records.
- Comprehensive Land Registry: Establishing accurate land ownership records.
- Urban Land Reforms
- GIS Mapping: Digitization of urban land records to improve planning and management.
Reform-Driven Assistance
Milestone-Based Funding: ₹75,000 crore for states completing specific reforms in citizen services and sectoral governance.
Impact on Farmers and the Agricultural Sector
Enhanced Agricultural Data: The mission will support accurate and timely agricultural data, crucial for implementing government schemes like paperless Minimum Support Price (MSP) procurement, crop insurance, and credit card-linked crop loans.
Technological Integration: The mission will integrate advanced technology for better crop management, yield estimation, and resource allocation, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable and productive agricultural sector.