Digital Agriculture Mission and AgriStack

The Digital Agriculture Mission was approved by the Union Cabinet on 2 September 2024 with a total outlay of ₹2,817 crore (Central share ₹1,940 crore). It aims to create Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for agriculture under the Viksit Bharat vision, enabling efficient, transparent, and farmer-centric service delivery while reducing paperwork and improving targeting.

Key components of the DPI include:

- AgriStack (core farmer-centric platform, built in a federated manner with data ownership largely with States/UTs).

- Krishi Decision Support System (Krishi DSS) — geospatial platform integrating remote sensing, weather, soil, and water data for advisories, monitoring, and planning.

- Soil Profile Mapping — detailed maps (1:10,000 scale) covering about 142 million hectares of agricultural land.

AgriStack rests on three foundational registries:

1. Farmers’ Registry — generates a unique Farmer ID (Kisan Pehchaan Patra), an 11-digit digital identity similar to Aadhaar. It is dynamically linked to state land records, demographic details, crop sown, livestock, and scheme benefits. Farmers give consent for data use.

2. Geo-referenced Village Maps — precise mapping of land parcels.

3. Crop Sown Registry — season-wise, plot-level crop data collected via digital crop surveys.

As of 23 October 2026, 11 crore Farmer IDs had been created—five months ahead of the 31 March 2027 target. Roughly 26% belong to women farmers and about 81% to small and marginal holders. More than 6 crore farmers have already received benefits through ID-based delivery (credit, insurance, procurement, relief, etc.).

UPSC significance: Highly relevant for GS-III (Agriculture, Economy, Digitalization/Science & Tech) and GS-II (e-Governance). Useful for questions on Digital Public Infrastructure, targeted scheme delivery, challenges of digital divide, data privacy, inclusion of tenant farmers/sharecroppers/Forest Rights holders, and transparency in agricultural governance. Facts about approval date, outlay, registries, and the Farmer ID milestone are Prelims-friendly; the broader implications support Mains answers on agricultural reform and inclusive growth.

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UPSC Practice Question

Consider the following statements regarding the Digital Agriculture Mission:

1. It was approved by the Union Cabinet in September 2024 with an outlay of ₹2,817 crore.

2. AgriStack consists of three foundational registries: Farmers’ Registry, Geo-referenced Village Maps, and Crop Sown Registry.

3. The Farmer ID under AgriStack is a unique 11-digit digital identity primarily linked to Aadhaar and not to state land records.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: (a)

Brief reasoning: Statements 1 and 2 are factually correct as per the Cabinet approval and the structure of AgriStack. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Farmer ID is dynamically linked primarily to the State’s land records (along with other details such as crops and demographics); Aadhaar may be used for authentication with the farmer’s consent, but it is not the primary or exclusive linkage.