• Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is implementing the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) as one of the Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change.
  • NMSA has been formulated for enhancing agricultural productivity especially in rain-fed areas focusing on integrated farming, water use efficiency, soil health management & synergizing resource conservation.
  • The Activities of the NMSA includes components to minimize the carbon footprint of agricultural activities.
  • This mission tries to comprehensively revamp the agricultural practices so that the desired objectives of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC’s) can be achieved.
  • NMSA includes programmatic interventions like,
    1. Soil Health Card (SHC),
    2. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY),
    3. Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North-Eastern Region (MOVCDNER),
    4. Rain-fed Area Development (RAD),
    5. National Bamboo Mission (NBM) and
    6. Sub-mission on Agro Forestry (SMAF).

Mission Objectives

  • To make agriculture more productive, sustainable, remunerative and climate-resilient by promoting location specific Integrated/Composite Farming Systems;
  • To conserve natural resources through appropriate soil and moisture conservation measures;
  • To adopt comprehensive soil health management practices based on soil fertility maps, soil test based application of macro & micronutrients, judicious use of fertilizers etc.;
  • To optimize utilization of water resources through efficient water management to expand coverage for achieving ‘more crop per drop’ ;
  • To develop the capacity of farmers & stakeholders, in conjunction with other ongoing Missions e.g. National Mission on Agriculture Extension & Technology, National Food Security Mission, National Initiative for Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) etc., in the domain of climate change adaptation and mitigation measures;
  • To pilot models in select blocks for improving the productivity of rainfed farming by mainstreaming rainfed technologies refined through NICRA and by leveraging resources from other schemes/Missions like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), RKVY etc.; and
  • To establish an effective inter and intra Departmental/Ministerial co-ordination for accomplishing key deliverables of National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture under the aegis of National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
Different strategies for implementation of NMSA:
  1. Integrated farming system: Integrated Farming System is being promoted under NMSA in which activities like horticulture, livestock, fishery, agroforestry, value addition are to be taken up along with cropping system. It is important for enhancing livelihood opportunities, ensuring food security and minimising risks from crop failure through supplementary production systems.
  2. Adopting Technology: NMSA seeks to achieve its objectives by popularising resource conservation technologies and introducing practices that will support mitigation efforts in times of extreme climatic events or disasters like prolonged dry spells, floods etc. This is important especially in changing climatic conditions due to global warming.
  3. Water resource management: Under NMSA it is strategized to focus on effective management of available water resources and enhancing water use efficiency. It will be achieved through application of technologies coupled with demand and supply side management solutions.
  4. Agronomic practices: NMSA envisage encouragement of improved agronomic practices for higher farm productivity like improved soil treatment, increased water holding capacity, judicious use of chemicals and enhanced soil carbon storage.
  5. Creating Database: Through creation of database on soil resources by land use survey, soil profile study and soil analysis on GIS (Geographic Information System) platform NMSA seek to facilitate adoption of location and soil-specific crop management practices & optimise fertiliser use.
  6. Integrated Nutrient Management Practices: For improving soil health, enhancing crop productivity and maintaining quality of land and water resources, NMSA will focus on promoting location and crop specific integrated nutrient management practices.
  7. Involving professionals: NMSA will involve knowledge institutions and professionals in developing climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies for specific agro-climatic situations and promoting them through appropriate farming systems.
  8. Interventions: NMSA seeks to disseminate and adopt rainfed technologies with greater reach in disadvantaged areas. It is envisaged to be done by coordination, convergence and leveraging investments from other schemes like MGNREGS, National Food Security Mission, National Mission for Agricultural Extension & Technology etc.

4 Major Programmes of NMSA

  1. Rainfed Area Development (RAD)
    • Develops an area-based approach for the development and conservation of natural resources along with farming systems. It is a combination of various aspects of agriculture such as crops, fishery, livestock, horticulture, forestry and other agro-based activities which will act as a source of generating revenue.
    • Implement practices that will regulate soil nutrient based on soil health card, development of farming lands.
    • Using an approach that is cluster-based, with an area of 100 hectares or more
    • Develop new property resources which would be common, like a bank for grains, fodder, shredders for biomass, combined marketing initiative.
  2. On-Farm Water Management (OFWM)
    • The primary focus is optimum utilisation of water by promoting advanced on-farm water conservation equipment and technologies.
    • Emphasis on efficient harvesting and management of rainwater.
    • Water conservation on the farm itself by digging farm ponds utilising funds from MGNREGA mission.
  3. Soil Health Management
    • Promote sustainable practices which preserve the health of soil based on a specific location and the type of crops that could be grown in those locations by taking the help of various techniques like management of residue, organic farming by making new maps with details on soil fertility and linking them with macro-management and micromanagement of nutrients, optimum land use, right utilisation of fertilisers and reducing degradation & erosion of soil.
    • Use of thematic maps generated with the help of Geographical Information System (GIS) technology and the databases created on soil and land with the help of scientific surveys.
    • State Government, Soil and land Use Survey of India (SLUSI), National Centre of Organic Farming (NCOF), Central Fertilizer Quality Control and Training Institute (CFQC&TI).
  4. Climate Change and Sustainable Agriculture: Monitoring, Modeling and Networking (CCSAMMN)
    • Create and disseminate knowledge and updated information on climate change.
    • Support pilot blocks for spreading rainfed technologies and co-ordinate with other schemes or missions like MGNREGS, NFSM, RKVY, IWMP, Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Program (AIBP), NMAET.


Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments