{"id":73455,"date":"2026-05-11T20:08:55","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T14:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=73455"},"modified":"2026-05-11T20:09:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T14:39:32","slug":"sustainable-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/11-05-2026\/sustainable-agriculture","title":{"rendered":"Sustainable Agriculture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Economy<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) is\u00a0 promoting\u00a0 sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture through efficient water use, soil health management, and resilient farming practices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sustainable agriculture<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It means producing food continuously without harming the environment or ecosystem health.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00a0It focuses on maintaining soil productivity and ensuring farmers can sustainably manage resources, inputs, and labor over the long term.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&nbsp;<strong>Significance of Sustainable Agriculture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Food Security<\/strong>: Ensures long-term productivity while conserving natural resources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate Resilience:<\/strong> Builds capacity to withstand droughts, floods, and heatwaves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Livelihoods<\/strong>: Supports nearly 46% of India\u2019s population dependent on agriculture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Environmental Protection<\/strong>: Reduces soil erosion, groundwater depletion, and chemical pollution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Global Leadership<\/strong>: India\u2019s promotion of millets (\u201cShree Anna\u201d) highlights climate-resilient crops.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&nbsp;<strong>Challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Soil Health Decline:<\/strong> Overuse of fertilizers and pesticides has reduced organic carbon levels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Water Stress:<\/strong> Excessive groundwater extraction and limited irrigation coverage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Small Landholdings:<\/strong> Fragmented farms hinder mechanization and adoption of modern techniques.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate Change<\/strong>: Increasing frequency of extreme weather events.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00a0<strong>Market &amp; Credit Access<\/strong>: Small farmers struggle with fair prices and institutional credit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Steps<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Government of India launched the <strong>National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA<\/strong>) in 2014\u201315 under the National Action Plan on Climate Change to address climate change impacts on agriculture and ensure long-term food and livelihood security.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From 2018\u201319, NMSA became a sub-mission under Green Revolution-Krishonnati Yojana, and from 2022\u201323 it was integrated into Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (PMRKVY) to strengthen climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>NICRA (National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture):<\/strong> Climate-resilient varieties, intercropping, agroforestry, zero-till sowing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Suggestions<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u00a0<strong>Promote Agroecology<\/strong>: Shift from industrial farming to eco-friendly practices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Water-Smart Farming<\/strong>: Expand micro-irrigation and rainwater harvesting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Digital Agriculture<\/strong>: Use AI, IoT, and drones for precision input management.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Diversification<\/strong>: Encourage pulses, oilseeds, and millets to reduce dependence on rice and wheat.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Farmer Cooperatives<\/strong>: Strengthen FPOs (Farmer Producer Organizations) for better bargaining power.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Capacity Building<\/strong>: Training farmers in sustainable practices and climate adaptation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&nbsp;<strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sustainable agriculture is essential for India\u2019s environmental protection, economic growth, and social well-being. The government has promoted it through policies, subsidies, and technology-based initiatives.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, long-term success depends on expanding eco-friendly farming practices, supporting small farmers, and combining modern technology with traditional knowledge.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A balanced strategy involving policy support, innovation, and community participation is key to achieving productive, resilient, and sustainable agriculture in India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source:TH<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> In News\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) is\u00a0 promoting\u00a0 sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture through efficient water use, soil health management, and resilient farming practices. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Sustainable agriculture\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> It means producing food continuously without harming the environment or ecosystem health. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> \u00a0It focuses on maintaining soil productivity and ensuring farmers can sustainably manage resources, inputs, and labor over the long term. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/11-05-2026\/sustainable-agriculture \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73455"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73457,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73455\/revisions\/73457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}