Government Approves Digital Agriculture Mission For Smarter Farming

Union Government has started executing the Digital Agriculture Mission, which was authorised in September 2024. By establishing a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for agriculture, the project would promote innovation in the industry and provide fast, accurate crop and soil data.

The rollout includes the operationalisation of AgriStack, the Krishi Decision Support System (KDSS), and the development of a nationwide Soil Fertility and Profile Map. The AgriStack will comprise Geo-Referenced Village Maps, a Crop Sown Registry, and a Farmer Registry, maintained by states and union territories, providing verified farmer data for accessing benefits such as credit, insurance, and procurement.

The Digital Crop Survey (DCS) will deliver real-time crop area information for every agricultural plot, while Krishi-DSS will integrate satellite, weather, soil, crop, and groundwater data with scheme information to generate crop maps, soil maps, yield estimates, and drought/flood monitoring systems. Officials said these tools will enable evidence-based policymaking and support innovation by agritech firms and research bodies.

Concurrently, the Soil and Land Use Survey of India is conducting a Soil Resource Mapping Project at the village level, creating standardised soil maps for crop planning and sustainable land use using high-resolution satellite and ground data.

Additionally, the government is extending its Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) programme, which uses micro-irrigation to encourage water-use efficiency. For drip and sprinkler systems covering up to five hectares per beneficiary, farmers are eligible for subsidies of 55% for small and marginal farmers and 45% for others, with further state top-ups.

According to officials, the joint initiatives will help Indian agriculture become more sustainable over the long run by increasing output, cutting expenses, and giving farmers access to digital markets.