Unified Farmer Database

This document provides an overview of the unified farmer database, specifically focusing on the Krushak Odisha initiative in India. It explains the need for such a database to improve agricultural planning, policy implementation, and farmer empowerment. The intended audience includes policymakers, agricultural experts, and those interested in digital solutions for the agriculture sector. This document is useful for understanding the challenges in the agriculture sector and how data integration can address them.

Key Insights

The Need for a Unified Farmer Database

The document emphasizes that a unified and authentic farmer database is crucial for effective planning, monitoring, policymaking, and the smooth implementation of schemes for farmers nationwide. It argues that the lack of such a database hinders accurate estimation of food producers and impedes the food supply chain.

India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA) Framework

The Indian government has finalized the IDEA framework to enable the digitalization of the agricultural sector. This framework aims to build a federated farmers’ database by taking publicly available data from various schemes and linking them with digitized land records. The goal is to create an ecosystem that leverages emerging technologies for better agriculture in India.

Krushak Odisha: A Unified Database Solution

Krushak Odisha is presented as a one-stop database of farmers designed in sync with the state government’s 5T governance framework. It serves as the single source of truth for farmer demographics and assets, differentiating itself by aggregating information with the farmer as the premise, rather than their family.

Special Features of Krushak Odisha

The database boasts several key features, including:

• Unified farmer database based on the farmer, not the family
• 100% Aadhaar seeding
• Verified bank details
• ADAPT Portal Decision Support System
• Scheme Monitoring by Extension Workers
• A one-stop portal for farmer registration
• Verification of farmers’ details by extension workers
• Integration with all farmer databases
• Technology to identify farmers by integrating demographics with land records
• Deduplication leveraging Aadhaar as a unique identifier
• Mapping with several databases for auto-inclusion/exclusion of beneficiaries
• Ensures fair assistance to targeted beneficiaries

Benefits for Farmers

Farmers gain benefits through the unified database, including:

• Unique identity proof
• Instant eligibility check
• Customized agro advisory
• Input accessibility

Benefits for Government Officials

The government benefits from:

• Identification of beneficiaries
• Detection of anomalies
• Policy formulation & budgeting
• Impact assessment of schemes

Key Statistics & Data

• Approximately 60% of the Indian population is engaged in agriculture, contributing about 18% to India’s GDP.
• The share of the agriculture sector in total Gross Value Added (GVA) improved to 20.2% in 2020-21 and 18.8% in 2021-22.
• The farmer’s population is nearly 150 million.
• India has allocated Rs 1.33 lakh crores for Agriculture in its union budget.
• Krushak Odisha includes:
• 81 lakh Unique Aadhaar Numbers
• 66 lakh Identified authentic farmers
• 49 lakh Approved post verification
• 60-70 Identified fields of the farmer

Methodology

The document does not explicitly detail the methodologies used to create the database, but it implies a process of data aggregation, integration, and authentication utilizing existing databases and systems. The framework leverages Aadhaar for unique identification and integrates with land record databases.

Implications and Conclusions

The document concludes that a unified farmer database like Krushak Odisha can significantly improve the efficiency of government schemes, enhance policy formulation, and empower farmers by providing better access to information and resources. By integrating disparate datasets and authenticating farmer identities, the database aims to address the challenges of beneficiary identification, data redundancy, and scheme delivery delays. The long-term implications include a more data-driven approach to agricultural policy and improved welfare for farmers in India.