Agri Stack Under Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM)

Syllabus: GS3/ Agriculture

In News

• The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare hosted the National Conference on Agri Stack under the Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM).

What is Agri Stack?

• Agri Stack is a digital ecosystem of technology platforms that integrates farmer identity, land records, crop data, and scheme benefits.
  • Its core idea is to personalized agricultural service delivery using data-driven tools.
  • For example:  Linking Agri Stack with PM-KISAN, PMFBY, KCC, and MSP procurement to ensure targeted benefits.

Key Highlights of the Conference

• Emphasized the importance of digital land records and Aadhaar seeding for accurate farmer identification.
• The Ministry provided an overview of Agri Stack, including the integration of Farmer ID with flagship schemes like PM-KISAN, PMFBY, and KCC.
• CKO introduced the Digitally Verifiable Credential (DVC), also referred to as the Kisan Pehchan Patra, which allows farmers to generate authenticated credentials for specific land parcels and crops. These DVCs are integrated with DigiLocker and dynamically revoked upon land mutation.
• The Special Central Assistance (SCA) Guidelines were launched, allocating ₹6,000 crore to support states: ₹4,000 crore for Farmer Registry (including legal heir systems) and ₹2,000 crore for Digital Crop Survey, on a first-come-first-served basis.
• The Ministry showcased an AI-powered chatbot, trained on Agri Stack data and built using Google Gemini, capable of answering queries in multiple languages.

About Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM)

• The Digital Agriculture Mission is designed as an umbrella scheme to support various digital agriculture initiatives. 
• These include creating Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), implementing the Digital General Crop Estimation Survey (DGCES), and supporting IT initiatives by the Central Government, State Governments, and Academic and Research Institutions.
• It is built on two foundational pillars:
  • Agri Stack
  • Krishi Decision Support System.
• AgriStack is designed as a farmer-centric Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to streamline services and scheme delivery to farmers. It comprises three key components:

The Krishi Decision Support System (DSS) will integrate remote sensing data on crops, soil, weather, and water resources into a comprehensive geospatial system.

Benefits of the Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM)

• Digital authentication for accessing services and benefits, reducing paperwork and the need for physical visits.
• Enhanced efficiency and transparency in government schemes, crop insurance, and loan systems through accurate data on crop area and yield.
• Crop map generation and monitoring for better disaster response and insurance claims.
• Development of digital infrastructure to optimize value chains and provide tailored advisory services for crop planning, health, pest management, and irrigation.

Source: PIB