Minimalist IAS
Economy & social development

Prelims · Economy & social development · 37 questions

Agriculture economy, MSP & food security

Every UPSC Prelims question on this topic, 2016–2026, newest first. Tap an option to check yourself; the answer and explanation open below it.

Agriculture economy, MSP & food security questions per year: 2016: 2, 2017: 2, 2018: 4, 2019: 4, 2020: 6, 2021: 0, 2022: 0, 2023: 1, 2024: 0, 2025: 0, 2026: 1 Asked in 7 of 11 years · most in 2020 (6)

Practising Economy & social development? Take it as timed sets of 25 →

UPSC syllabus: “Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.” Sub-topics in the detailed syllabus →

Prelims 2026 · Q28

Easy Provisional key

राष्ट्रीय सतत कृषि मिशन (NMSA) के अंतर्गत वर्षा सिंचित क्षेत्र विकास (RAD) पहल का/के उद्देश्य निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा/कौन-से है/हैं ?

  1. 1.वर्षा सिंचित क्षेत्रों में एकधान्य कृषि (मोनोकल्चर) को प्रोत्साहित करना
  2. 2.सिंचित क्षेत्रों में धान की खेती को बढ़ाना
  3. 3.एकीकृत कृषि प्रणालियों (IFS) के माध्यम से उत्पादकता को बढ़ाना और जलवायु संबंधी जोखिमों का न्यूनीकरण करना

नीचे दिए गए कूट का प्रयोग कर उत्तर चुनिए :

Read this question in English

Which among the following is/are the objective(s) of the Rainfed Area Development (RAD) initiative under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)?

1. Encouraging monoculture in rainfed areas

2. Increasing rice cultivation in irrigated regions

3. Enhancing productivity and minimising climatic risks through Integrated Farming Systems (IFS)

Select the answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only · (b) 1 and 2 · (c) 2 and 3 · (d) 3 only

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (d) केवल 3

RAD is the NMSA component for rainfed areas. It takes an area-based, 'watershed plus' approach and promotes integrated farming systems that combine crops with horticulture, livestock, fisheries and forestry, so that farm incomes rise and the risk from erratic rainfall is spread. It works against monoculture and has nothing to do with irrigated rice.

  • ✗ 1. RAD pushes diversification by integrating several farm enterprises; monoculture would increase, not reduce, the climate risk in rainfed areas.
  • ✗ 2. RAD is meant for rainfed areas; expanding rice in irrigated regions is outside its scope.
  • ✓ 3. RAD introduces integrated farming systems with crops, horticulture, livestock, fishery and forestry, plus soil-health-based nutrient management, to raise productivity and cushion climatic risk.

Remember · NMSA (one of 8 NAPCC missions) components: RAD, Soil Health Management, Sub-Mission on Agroforestry, National Bamboo Mission, CCSAMMN. RAD = integrated farming in a 'watershed plus' framework.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

फ्रांस में जून, 2025 में आयोजित संयुक्त राष्ट्र महासागर सम्मेलन (UNOC) में संयुक्त राष्ट्र के खाद्य और कृषि संगठन (FAO) ने समुद्री और महासागरीय मुद्दों, विशेष रूप से समुत्थानशील आजीविका और ‘‘ब्लू ट्रांसफॉर्मेशन’’ हेतु संधारणीय मत्स्यपालन और जलकृषि पर सशक्त विचार व्यक्त किए।

खाद्य और कृषि संगठन (FAO) द्वारा ‘‘ब्लू ट्रांसफॉर्मेशन’’ के लिए प्रस्तावित ‘‘बेहतर चार (Four Betters)’’ के बारे में निम्नलिखित संयोजनों में से कौन-सा सही है ?

Read this question in English

At the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) held in June, 2025 in France, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations demonstrated its leading voice on marine and ocean issues, especially on sustainable fisheries and aquaculture for resilient livelihood and “Blue Transformation”.

Which of the following combinations about the “Four Betters” proposed by FAO for “Blue Transformation” is correct?

(a) Better production, better nutrition, better environment and better ocean · (b) Better production, better nutrition, better environment and better life · (c) Better coral reefs, better nutrition, better environment and better life · (d) Better estuaries, better nutrition, better environment and better mangrove vegetation

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (b) बेहतर उत्पादन, बेहतर पोषण, बेहतर पर्यावरण और बेहतर जीवन

FAO's Blue Transformation Roadmap is built around the 'four betters': better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life. Option (b) is the only one that lists all four correctly.

  • ✗ (a) 'Better ocean' is not one of the four betters; the fourth is a better life.
  • ✓ (b) Better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life are the four betters that FAO links to the Blue Transformation Roadmap.
  • ✗ (c) 'Better coral reefs' replaces better production, which is the first of the four betters.
  • ✗ (d) Better estuaries and better mangrove vegetation are not among the four betters, which are about production, nutrition, environment and life.

Remember · FAO's Blue Transformation Roadmap: the four betters are better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

The Syllabus X-Ray of this topic

1 of its 9 sub-topics is Core

1 Core · 3 High · 2 Steady · 3 Rare

  • Core #47MSP & agricultural pricing · 7 questions
  • HighFarm subsidies, insurance & credit · 4 questions
  • HighAgricultural trade: exports & imports · 3 questions
  • HighSustainable agriculture missions: organic, rainfed, millets · 3 questions

The X-Ray ranks all 928 sub-topics of the UPSC syllabus by what UPSC has asked since 2016. The 60 Prelims Core sub-topics are behind 51% of Prelims questions.

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The same topic in Mains