In 2024, the Indian government launched the Digital Agriculture Mission to create a standardized digital framework supporting farmer welfare, with the Agri Stack emerging as a central component of this initiative. Developed through close cooperation between the central and state governments, the Agri Stack incorporates three interconnected registries: farm, farmer, and crops sown, designed to streamline service delivery and policy implementation across the country’s diverse agricultural landscape.

The farm registry contains a geo-referenced database of agricultural plots, while the farmer registry assigns each land-owning farmer a unique identifier that consolidates information on all owned plots, including shares in cases of co-ownership. This registry is dynamically linked to the Record of Rights, ensuring automatic updates whenever ownership changes occur due to inheritance, sales, or other transfers. The third registry details the crops sown on each plot, compiled through digital crop surveys conducted each season using mobile devices, geotagging, and satellite technology.

Agri Stack functions as a federated database that supports rule-based, automated delivery of services across various government schemes and regions, maintaining strict compliance with privacy and data protection laws. Its architecture is adaptable to accommodate diverse state-level land administration systems and legal frameworks. In regions with outdated land records, such as where ancestral names persist, successor farmers can obtain farmer IDs after verification by local revenue authorities to ensure uninterrupted access to benefits. The system also includes mechanisms to onboard sharecroppers and tenant farmers in states that permit such inclusion, relying on owner authorization for verification. In northeastern states, where community land ownership is prevalent, geo-coordinate-based certification allows for integration without disrupting traditional practices.

As of 2025-26, more than 94 million farmer IDs have been issued nationwide. In the same period, 24 states conducted digital crop surveys covering approximately 300 million plots across over 600 districts, leveraging advanced technologies for accurate data collection.

By integrating land, crop, and soil health data, Agri Stack has the potential to revolutionize agricultural extension services. It enables the delivery of personalized advisories to farmers regarding optimal sowing schedules, irrigation, nutrient management, and pest control, all tailored to specific local conditions and disseminated cost-effectively.

Additionally, the availability of precise and timely data through Agri Stack supports evidence-based policymaking, allowing authorities to monitor cropping patterns, forecast supply-demand dynamics, and intervene effectively to stabilize markets and prevent price fluctuations.

Previously, various central and state ministries operated separate farmer databases for implementing schemes, often resulting in fragmented and siloed data. Agri Stack addresses this challenge by providing a unified digital platform with verified data accessible across multiple systems.

Several states have already integrated Agri Stack into their agricultural programs. Uttar Pradesh utilizes it for procurement under the minimum support price (MSP) scheme; Chhattisgarh employed the system to register farmers for MSP-based paddy procurement during the last kharif season; Madhya Pradesh leveraged the data for price deficiency support to soybean farmers under the PM ASHA scheme; and Maharashtra uses Agri Stack for direct benefit transfers, including disaster relief efforts.

As the initiative matures, opportunities are arising for startups and private sector actors to develop applications that combine Agri Stack’s crop data with weather forecasts and market prices, creating comprehensive tools for farmers.

Overall, Agri Stack represents a forward-looking reform that harnesses digital technology and intergovernmental collaboration to empower farmers while enhancing governance and service delivery in India’s agricultural sector.