National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)

The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) is a key policy initiative aimed at making Indian agriculture more productive, resilient, and climate-adaptive, especially in the context of increasing climate variability and resource stress.

Background

• NMSA is one of the eight National Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
• It was launched in 2008 to address the challenges of climate change on agriculture.
• The mission has been designed by converging, subsuming, and reorienting existing and newly proposed schemes related to sustainable agriculture into a unified framework.

Objectives of NMSA

The mission seeks to achieve sustainability in agriculture through the following objectives:

• Adoption of comprehensive soil management practices based on scientific soil fertility mapping.
• Optimisation of water resource utilisation to achieve the goal of “per drop more crop”.
• Capacity building of farmers and other stakeholders, in convergence with allied missions and programmes.
• Strengthening inter-departmental and intra-departmental coordination for effective implementation.

Key Strategies

NMSA adopts a holistic and region-specific approach through the following strategies:

• Promotion of location-specific Integrated Farming Systems (IFS).
• Soil and moisture conservation measures to enhance land productivity.
• Comprehensive Soil Health Management, including macro and micronutrient management.
• Efficient water management practices, particularly in rainfed and drought-prone areas.

Major Components of NMSA

1. Rainfed Area Development (RAD)

• Adopts an area-based approach for development.
• Focuses on conservation of natural resources such as soil and water.
• Promotes integrated farming systems to enhance farm income and resilience in rainfed regions.

2. National Bamboo Mission (NBM)

• Aims to harness the vast and largely untapped potential of the bamboo sector.
• Promotes domestic cultivation of quality and region-appropriate bamboo species.
• Supports bamboo as a livelihood, ecological, and climate-resilient resource.
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3. Soil Health Management (SHM)

• Focuses on location-specific and crop-specific soil health management.
• Involves creation and use of soil fertility maps.
• Emphasises balanced use of macro and micronutrients for sustainable soil productivity.

Implementation Mechanism

• A National Advisory Committee (NAC) has been constituted for effective implementation.
• It is chaired by the Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Cooperation.
• The committee provides strategic direction, planning guidance, and coordination support for the mission.

Why NMSA is Important for UPSC

• Directly linked to climate change adaptation in agriculture.
• Integrates themes of soil health, water management, rainfed agriculture, and sustainable livelihoods.
• Frequently relevant for GS-III answers, prelims MCQs, and agriculture-environment linkage questions.