BharatNotes Introduction
India's agriculture sector — which employs ~46% of the workforce and contributes ~17% of GDP — has historically been characterised by low productivity, high input costs, fragmented landholdings, and information asymmetry. Agritech (agricultural technology) and precision agriculture aim to bridge these gaps using data, sensors, AI, drones, and digital infrastructure. The Union Cabinet's approval of the Digital Agriculture Mission in September 2024 marked the most significant policy push towards tech-led agricultural transformation in India's history.
1. Precision Agriculture — Core Concept
Precision Agriculture (Precision Farming) is a data-driven, technology-enabled approach that uses site-specific information to optimise inputs (seeds, water, fertilisers, pesticides) based on actual crop needs at a particular location.
Technology Stack
| Technology | Application in Agriculture |
|---|---|
| IoT sensors | Soil moisture sensors, weather stations, crop growth monitoring; real-time data collection in fields |
| GPS / GIS | Geo-referenced mapping of field variability; variable-rate application of inputs |
| Drones (UAVs) | Aerial imaging, NDVI crop health mapping, precision spraying of pesticides/fertilisers |
| AI / Machine Learning | Crop disease prediction from satellite/drone imagery, yield forecasting, advisory services |
| Satellite Remote Sensing | Crop area mapping, drought monitoring, flood damage assessment |
| Soil sensors | Real-time pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (NPK) measurement |
| Variable Rate Technology (VRT) | Machines that apply different amounts of inputs based on geo-referenced prescription maps |
Benefits of Precision Agriculture
- Reduces input overuse (fertiliser, water, pesticide) by applying the right amount at the right place and time
- Increases crop yields and resource use efficiency
- Reduces environmental pollution from excess agrochemicals
- Enables data-driven crop insurance and credit
- Reduces farmer decision-making uncertainty through AI advisory
2. Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM) — September 2024
The Union Cabinet approved the Digital Agriculture Mission on 2 September 2024 with an outlay of ₹2,817 crore (central share: ₹1,940 crore; state share: ₹877 crore). The nodal ministry is the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare.
Key Components
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| AgriStack (Farmer Digital Identity) | Unique Farmer ID linked to land records, crops, livestock, scheme benefits; 11 crore farmer IDs targeted by FY 2026-27 |
| Krishi Decision Support System (Krishi DSS) | Geospatial intelligence platform integrating remote sensing with crop, soil, weather, and water data; enables crop mapping, yield assessment, disaster monitoring |
| Digital Crop Survey (DCS) | Geo-fenced, GPS-verified crop sowing data collected via smartphones; replaces manual patwari surveys |
| Unified Farmers Service Interface (UFSI) | API-based open platform for agri services (credit, insurance, advisory, input supply) to connect with Farmer ID |
Progress (as of February 2026): Over 84 million (8.4 crore) Farmer IDs generated under the Digital Agriculture Mission.
3. AgriStack — India's Agricultural DPI
AgriStack is India's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for agriculture — analogous to how Aadhaar is DPI for identity and UPI is DPI for payments.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Farmer ID | Unique digital identity akin to Aadhaar; links land records, crops sown, livestock ownership, scheme entitlements |
| Target | 11 crore farmer IDs by FY 2026-27 |
| Land records integration | Links to Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP) — over 90% of states have computerised Records of Rights (RoR) |
| PM-KISAN linkage | Farmer ID linked to PM-KISAN scheme; direct benefit transfer (DBT) validated via Farmer ID to eliminate ghost beneficiaries |
| Open API architecture | Private agri-fintech, insurance companies, crop advisory platforms can build services on top of AgriStack |
Why AgriStack matters: India's smallholder farming structure (average farm size ~1.08 ha) means farmers lack collateral and credit history. Farmer ID + crop data + land record creates a verifiable digital farming profile for precision credit, insurance, and advisory.
4. Drones in Agriculture
Namo Drone Didi Scheme
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Launched | March 2024 |
| Target | 15,000 women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to receive agricultural drones |
| Timeline | FY 2023-24 to FY 2025-26 |
| Budget | ₹1,261 crore (central sector scheme, FY 2023-24 to 2025-26) |
| Purpose | Women SHGs provide drone rental services to farmers for spraying pesticides/fertilisers, crop monitoring |
Other Drone Uses in Agriculture
- NDVI (Normalised Difference Vegetation Index) mapping: Drone multispectral cameras identify crop health stress zones before visible symptoms appear
- Precision spraying: Drones spray 10x faster than manual spraying with 30–50% less chemical use (reduced drift, targeted delivery)
- Seed sowing: Drone seeding in paddy fields reduces labour; being piloted in Odisha and West Bengal
- Soil mapping: Hyperspectral drone surveys for soil organic carbon and moisture mapping
5. AI in Agriculture — Advisory Services
| Platform / Initiative | Details |
|---|---|
| Kisan e-Mitra | AI chatbot under Digital Agriculture Mission; multilingual crop advisory; answers farmer queries via natural language processing |
| Krishi AI (ICAR) | AI tools for crop disease identification from smartphone photos; pest prediction models |
| FASAL | AI-based crop acreage and production forecast system (Ministry of Agriculture); uses satellite data + ML |
| Weather-based crop advisory | IMD + ICAR joint GKMS (Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa) — block-level weather forecasts for 12.5 million farmers; AI-enhanced crop-specific advisories |
6. e-NAM — Digital Market Linkage
The National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) is an online trading platform connecting APMC mandis across India.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Launched | April 2016 |
| Ministry | Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare (via SFAC) |
| Coverage | Over 1,389 mandis across 23 states + 4 UTs (as of 2024) |
| Functionality | Online bidding, price discovery, digital payment to farmers, quality assaying |
| Challenge | Many farmers still depend on local mandis; limited access for small farmers without smartphones or digital literacy |
| Integration with AgriStack | Farmer ID linkage to e-NAM account being implemented for seamless trading history and credit profiling |
7. Soil Health — Digital Tools
- Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme (2015): 23+ crore cards distributed; tests 14 parameters (NPK, pH, organic carbon, secondary and micronutrients, EC, salinity); now being digitised with geo-tagged soil test results
- mKisan portal: Farmer-level SMS-based crop and weather advisories linked to soil health data
- Real-time soil sensors (IoT): Being piloted in precision farming projects; ICAR-developed electrochemical sensors for field-level N-P-K measurement
Recent Developments (2024–2026)
Digital Agriculture Mission — ₹2,817 Crore Approved, 8.4 Crore Farmer IDs Created
The Union Cabinet approved the Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM) on 2 September 2024, with a ₹2,817 crore outlay for 2024–2028. The mission integrates AgriStack (Farmer Registry with Kisan Pehchaan Patra), Krishi Decision Support System (Krishi DSS — integrating satellite remote sensing, soil maps, crop models, and weather data), and Soil Profile Mapping into a unified digital agriculture platform. By February 2026, over 8.4 crore Farmer IDs (Kisan Pehchaan Patra) had been created against a target of 11 crore by FY 2026–27.
The Krishi DSS platform, integrating data from ISRO, ICAR, IMD, and CWC, provides AI-generated crop advisories, yield forecasts, and input recommendations at village scale. 90 million+ farmers are targeted for integration with PM-KISAN direct benefit transfer, crop insurance (PMFBY), and Kisan Credit Cards through the unified farmer database — enabling seamless subsidy delivery and eliminating duplicate beneficiary records.
UPSC angle: Digital Agriculture Mission (2 September 2024, ₹2,817 crore), AgriStack (Kisan Pehchaan Patra, 8.4 crore IDs), Krishi DSS (integrated satellite/soil/weather platform), and linkage to PM-KISAN/PMFBY delivery are Prelims and Mains GS-3 content.
Namo Drone Didi and Agricultural Drones — 10 Lakh Flight Hours, Precision Spraying Scale
The NAMO Drone Didi Yojana, approved in 2023 with a ₹1,261 crore budget, targets equipping 15,000 women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) with agricultural drones by 2025–26, with 80% subsidy (up to ₹8 lakh per drone). By March 2024, the scheme formally launched with training centres established across 12 states. Garuda Aerospace's agricultural drones crossed 10 lakh cumulative flight hours by November 2024 — a benchmark demonstrating scalable agricultural drone deployment in India.
Agricultural drones are being used for crop health monitoring (multispectral imaging for pest/disease detection), precision spraying of pesticides/fertilisers (reducing chemical use by 20–30%), and mapping for soil sampling. The agriculture drone market reached USD 243.6 million in 2024, projected to grow at 24.1% CAGR to USD 2.1 billion by 2033. Field mapping (35.4% share) and variable rate application (24.6%) are the top drone use cases in Indian agriculture. The India Agritech market stands at ~$9 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $28 billion by 2030.
UPSC angle: Namo Drone Didi Yojana (₹1,261 crore, 15,000 SHGs, 80% subsidy), 10 lakh flight hours milestone (Garuda Aerospace), agriculture drone market $243.6M (2024), and precision agriculture drone applications are Prelims and Mains GS-3 content.
e-NAM Expansion and Digital Markets — 1,389 Mandis, Cross-State Trading
The e-National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) platform expanded to 1,389 mandis across 23 states and 3 UTs by 2025, enabling online trading in 200+ commodities. Cumulative trade on e-NAM crossed ₹3.17 lakh crore since launch in April 2016, with 1.8 crore farmers registered. The platform's Warehouse Receipt System allows farmers to store produce in WDRA-registered warehouses and obtain finance against digital receipts — reducing distress sales at harvest time.
The AGMARKNET (Agricultural Marketing Information Network) platform integrated real-time price data from 7,000+ markets into Krishi DSS and e-NAM, enabling price discovery. FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations) — with 10,000+ registered by 2024 under the Central Government's scheme — are the primary digital market adoption vehicles for small and marginal farmers. ONDC's expansion into agricultural commodities in 2024 created additional e-commerce channels bypassing traditional intermediaries.
UPSC angle: e-NAM (1,389 mandis, ₹3.17 lakh crore cumulative trade, 23 states), Warehouse Receipt System, 10,000+ FPOs, and ONDC's agri commodities expansion are Prelims and Mains GS-3 content on agricultural markets and technology.
Exam Strategy
For Prelims:
- Digital Agriculture Mission approved: 2 September 2024; outlay: ₹2,817 crore
- AgriStack target: 11 crore Farmer IDs by FY 2026-27; over 8.4 crore generated by Feb 2026
- Namo Drone Didi: 15,000 women SHGs; launched March 2024; ₹1,261 crore budget (FY 2023-24 to 2025-26)
- e-NAM launched: April 2016; over 1,389 mandis on platform
- Soil Health Card: 2015; tests 14 parameters; 23+ crore cards distributed
- Krishi DSS integrates: remote sensing + crop + soil + weather + water data
- Three pillars of precision agriculture: right input, right place, right time
For Mains (GS Paper 3):
- Frame agritech answers around: digital identity (AgriStack) + market access (e-NAM) + precision inputs (IoT/drones/AI) + farmer welfare (PM-KISAN, insurance)
- AgriStack as agricultural DPI: "Just as Aadhaar transformed welfare delivery by eliminating ghost beneficiaries, Farmer ID can transform farm-level credit, insurance, and subsidy delivery"
- Drone policy: Namo Drone Didi is both agritech and women empowerment — a good example of convergent policy
- Limitations: fragmented landholdings, digital divide among small/marginal farmers, data privacy concerns with Farmer ID, limited 4G/5G connectivity in farm areas — all valid counterpoints
- e-NAM's limitation: APMC malpractices persist; physical infrastructure (cold storage, grading) still inadequate in most mandis
