National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA): operational guidelines
Sustaining agricultural productivity depends on quality and availability of natural resources like soil and water. Agricultural growth can be sustained by promoting conservation and sustainable use of these scarce natural resources through appropriate location specific measures. Indian agriculture remains predominantly rainfed covering about 60% of the country’s net sown area and accounts for 40% of the total food production. Thus, conservation of natural resources in conjunction with development of rainfed agriculture holds the key to meet burgeoning demands for foodgrain in the country. Towards this end, National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) has been formulated for enhancing agricultural productivity especially in rainfed areas focusing on integrated farming, water use efficiency, soil health management and synergizing resource conservation. NMSA derives its mandate from Sustainable Agriculture Mission which is one of the eight Missions outlined under National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).