[Answered]Give an account on different strategies for implementation of National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture.

National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) is one of the eight Missions under National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). It aims at making agriculture more productive, sustainable and climate resilient. NMSA has been formulated for enhancing agricultural productivity especially in rain fed areas focusing on integrated farming, water use efficiency, soil health management and synergising resource conservation.

Different strategies for implementation of National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture:

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.

The Mission acknowledges that the risks to the Indian agriculture sector due to climatic variabilities and extreme events would be accentuated. If implemented In letter and spirit it can help the agricultural sector and can help farmers mitigate the developing risks due to climate change.