Why in news?
The Ministry of Agriculture recently highlighted the achievements of the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture in a background paper released on 9 May 2026. The document detailed progress under the mission’s various components and set new targets for expanding micro‑irrigation and climate‑resilient farming practices during the 2025–30 period.
Background
Launched in 2014–15 as part of India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change, the NMSA seeks to make farming more resilient to climate variability and to conserve natural resources. From 2018–19 it functioned as a sub‑mission under the Green Revolution–Krishonnati Yojana and was later merged into the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. The mission focuses on three pillars: integrated farming on rain‑fed lands, efficient water use through micro‑irrigation and soil health management. It aligns with Sustainable Development Goals such as zero hunger, clean water and climate action.
Main components and recent achievements
- Rainfed Area Development (RAD): Promotes agro‑climatic zone‑specific integrated farming systems combining crops with horticulture, livestock and fisheries. Since 2014–15 around ₹2,119.84 crore has been released, covering 8.5 lakh hectares and benefiting more than 14 lakh farmers. In 2025–26 the government allocated ₹343.86 crore for this component, and over 96,000 farmers received training.
- Per Drop More Crop (PDMC): Encourages drip and sprinkler irrigation to maximise water‑use efficiency. About 109 lakh hectares have been brought under micro‑irrigation since 2015–16 with ₹26,325 crore of central assistance. A new target seeks to cover an additional 100 lakh hectares between 2025 and 2030.
- Soil Health Management (SHM): Supports soil‑testing laboratories, promotes balanced use of nutrients and advocates organic farming. Nearly 97.5 lakh soil samples were collected and about 92.9 lakh tested in 2025–26. Since 2015 the programme has generated over 25 crore Soil Health Cards to guide farmers on fertiliser application.
- Soil fertility mapping: The Soil and Land Use Survey of India is preparing village‑level fertility maps in selected model villages so that farmers can make site‑specific nutrient decisions. Maps have been completed for more than 2,000 villages, and the information is displayed publicly.
- Climate‑resilient research: The Indian Council of Agricultural Research runs the National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project. Vulnerability assessments across 651 districts have identified 310 as highly vulnerable. Climate‑resilient villages have been established in 448 locations to demonstrate drought‑tolerant crops, zero‑till farming and other adaptive practices. Between 2014 and 2025 nearly 3,000 climate‑resilient crop varieties were released.