Govt launches digital crop survey in 12 States to create data on cultivation

  • August 2, 2023
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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Govt launches digital crop survey in 12 States to create data on cultivation

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Space technology

Context:

  • The Centre has launched a digital crop survey in 12 states on a pilot basis from the kharif (summer-sown) season of this year for better sowing data collection.

Details of the survey:

  • The project aims “to create a single and verified source of truth about the crop sown data which is useful for accurate crop area estimation and development of various farmers centric solutions.
  • DCS reference application has been developed as an open source, open standard and interoperable public good.
  • The geo-referenced cadastral maps with Geographic Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) Technologies are used to ensure the farmland position.
  • The 12 states selected for pilot on DCS are Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Odisha, Assam and Telangana.
  • The states have been selected based on the preparedness in respect of pre-requisite criteria for DCS i.e.geo-referencing of village map and digitised Record of Right (RoR) with ownership extent.
  • The survey will help in creating visibility on-
    • Accurate and transparent estimates of crops sown in states;
    • Crop identification for improved production, crop grown area;
    • Yield estimation from crop-sown data;
    • Easy implementation of departmental schemes focused on crops;
    • Easy verification, estimation and settlement of crop insurance claims;
    • Assess cropping patterns for environmental impacts; and
    • Improve market from the village to national levels.

Role of satellites in the survey:

  • Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launchedResourcesat -2A,Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT) – 1A (Earth Observation Satellite-04) in polar orbits and Indian National Satellite (INSAT) 3D, INSAT-3DR in geostationary orbits.
  • These are aimed to provide data for:
    • assessing total area under cultivation,
    • damage from natural calamities,
    • disease attacks,
    • agro-met services across the country.

How is India Focusing on the Use of Geospatial Technology in Agriculture?

  • The Government of India has taken several initiatives towards promoting digital agriculture. For example,
    • The Remote Sensing Data Policy 2011, released by the Department of Space, mandates restricted public distribution of imagery sharper than 5.8-metre resolution.
    • The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) set up a specialized organization Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC) in 2012, with focus on enhancing satellite remote sensing and GIS technologies in crop estimation.
    • In 2021, the government opened access to its geospatial data and mapping services for all Indian entities.
    • The draft National Geospatial Policy 2021 of the Department of Science and Technology further discusses the methods to create, access, and use geospatial data.
    • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing a new remote sensing policy, aiming to provide resolution data of up to 50 cm to all Indian organisations, including private companies.
    • The satellite data (from Earth Observation Satellites like CARTOSAT) from National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), which comes under the ISRO, has already been made available to the states.
Govt launches digital crop survey in 12 States to create data on cultivation Science and tech