Why in the News? 

The Union Cabinet Committee, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given the green light to the 'Digital Agriculture Mission,' allocating a significant budget of Rs. 2,817 crores, with the central government's contribution amounting to Rs. 1,940 crores. 

About the Mission 

• It is an umbrella scheme supporting digital agriculture initiatives. 
• Focus: Building Digital Public Infrastructure, carrying out the Digital General Crop Estimation Survey (DGCES), and promoting IT initiatives by government agencies and research institutions. 
• It includes Soil Profile Mapping - It tracks soil characteristics, moisture content, and nutrient levels, enabling precision farming.  

Three Foundational Pillars 

• Agri Stack 
  • It is designed as a farmer-centric Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to streamline services and scheme delivery to farmers. 
  • It comprises three key components: 
    • 1. Farmers' Registry 
    • 2. Geo-referenced village maps 
    • 3. Crop Sown Registry 
  • Under this, a digital identity (Farmer ID) will be provided to farmers, similar to Aadhaar, called ‘Kisan ki Pehchaan’. 
  • This ID will link dynamically to various data points such as land records, livestock ownership, crops sown, and demographic details.  
  • Pilot projects have been conducted in six states to test the creation of Farmer IDs and the Digital Crop Survey.

• Krishi Decision Support System: It will integrate remote sensing data on crops, soil, weather, and water resources into a comprehensive geospatial system. 

• Soil Profile Mapping 
  • Detailed soil profile mapping at a 1:10,000 scale covering approximately 142 million hectares of agricultural land in India. 
  • It tracks soil characteristics, moisture content, and nutrient levels, enabling precision farming.