AgriStack

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Economy

Why in News?

Recently, the Finance Minister unveiled an AI-driven advisory and roadmap for AgriStack, making it the “next UPI” for farmers.

AgriStack – It is a centralised Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) platform for the agriculture sector.
- It is a sub-component of the umbrella scheme, the Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM).
Launched in – 2024.
Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
Implementation – It is a collaborative project between the various agencies of the Central and State Governments.
- Built on – InDEA 2.0 (India Digital Ecosystem Architecture) standards for interoperability and security.
Objectives – Drive innovative, farmer-centric digital solutions.
Ensure timely and reliable crop-related information is accessible to all farmers.
Key targets – Generate 11 Crore Farmer IDs (digital identities) by 2026-27.
Components –

Blocks	Purpose
Farmer Registry & Farmland Plot Registry	Assigns a unique Farmer ID linked dynamically to land records, demographic details, crops, livestock, and benefits availed. Enables digital access to schemes, loans, insurance, and other services.
Unified Farmer Service Interface (UFSI)	A federated interface with standardized schema and APIs allowing government, banks, Agri-Techs, and value chain companies to securely access farmer data. Ensures interoperability.
Crop Sown Registry	Records all crops sown on each farm every season via smartphone, drone, and satellite-based surveys. State-standardized crop data, centrally stored, replaces paper surveys.
AgriStack Sandbox	A "safe space" for startups to test new apps and solutions using AgriStack data.
Consent Manager	Ensures data privacy and compliance with relevant regulations. Provides farmers (data principals) an easy-to-use interface to give, manage, or revoke consent, forming a critical pillar for trust and secure data usage. Farmers can manage or revoke access to their data.

Progress – Bharat-VISTAAR – A multilingual AI tool (Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources).
Serves as AgriStack’s “intelligence layer,” providing AI-driven, local-language advisory linked to ICAR practices.
Leading States – Maharashtra, MP, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Andhra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana as the frontrunners in Farmer ID generation.
AgriStack Roadmap – Farmer Registry – Complete synchronisation with Records of Rights by March 2027 (North Eastern states – 2028).
Crop Sown Registry – Cover 30 crore farm plots by the Kharif 2026 season.
Village Maps – Geo-referencing of 6.75 lakh villages by March 2027.

References