India’s agricultural landscape is undergoing a seismic shift thanks to the ambitious Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM). Leveraging the latest digital technologies and robust data frameworks, DAM is reshaping how government welfare reaches farmers, how land and crop records are maintained, and how policy decisions are informed. This article explores the core features, achievements, and the impact of this mission, supported by the latest data and analysis.
Launched for the period 2021–2025 and extended into 2027, the Digital Agriculture Mission is a flagship initiative of the Indian government. Backed by an outlay of ₹2,817 crore, the mission seeks to modernise agriculture by harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, IoT, geospatial data, drone technology, and analytics. The overarching objective is to centralise and streamline agricultural data, thereby improving efficiency, transparency, and productivity across the sector.
Core Components
AgriStack: At the heart of DAM is AgriStack, a digital infrastructure organised around three foundational registries:
· Farmer Registry: Assigns unique digital IDs to farmers, linking demographic, land ownership, and cropping information.
· Geo-Referenced Maps: Digital mapping of villages, farms, and landholdings.
· Crop Sown Registry: Digital record of crop patterns, updated via technological surveys and remote sensing.
Krishi Decision Support System (DSS): This data- and geospatial-driven platform integrates inputs like weather, soil, crop, and water information for real-time advisories, yield forecasts, and risk management.
Soil Profile Mapping: The mission also includes soil health mapping of 142 million hectares at high resolution, informing sustainable land and nutrient management.Digital Crop Survey (DCS): By moving from manual to mobile and AI-based crop area surveys, DCS delivers more accurate, up-to-date cropping information over millions of fields nationwide.
Achievements as of August 2025
Massive Scale of Digital Farmer IdentificationOne of the headline achievements is the issuance of over 70 million (7 crore) digital IDs to farmers across 14 states, linked directly to their land records. This foundation supports seamless delivery of benefits through direct transfer and ensures authenticity in subsidy and policy targeting. The mission aims to cover 110 million farmers by 2027.
Digital Crop Surveys
In Kharif 2024, the Digital Crop Survey initiative covered 461 districts by overachieving the target of 400 districts, impacting over 23.9 crore plots in total. It integrates mobile data collection, remote sensing, and geotagging, moving the needle from outdated manual systems and enabling timely, reliable government estimates.
Soil Mapping and Environmental Gains
Approximately 29 million hectares out of the targeted 142 million have undergone detailed soil profile mapping, guiding more sustainable fertilizer and water use. This supports long-term land productivity and environmental health.
Youth Employment and Digital Inclusion
The mission is projected to create around 2,50,000 new rural jobs for digital data collection, technology support, and field operations, empowering youth and narrowing the rural-urban digital divide.
Impact and Significance
DAM’s data-driven approach has resulted in:
· Enhanced Efficiency: Rapid, targeted, and transparent delivery of benefits, reducing leakages and fraud.
· Better Decision-Making: Real-time, granular data informs policymakers, insurers, and financial institutions.
· Improved Farmer Welfare: Integrated registries ensure that even marginal and tenant farmers are accounted for, broadening the reach of government support.
· Environmental Sustainability: Precision soil and crop information promotes eco-friendly practices at scale.
Conclusion
India’s Digital Agriculture Mission stands as a bold, highly impactful digital transformation effort. By creating a unified, tech-enabled agricultural infrastructure, the mission is setting the stage for a more prosperous, equitable, and sustainable future for Indian farmers and the broader agri-ecosystem.
