UPSC Mains 2021 GS3 Q14 — Agricultural diversification
What are the present challenges before crop diversification ? How do emerging technologies provide an opportunity for crop diversification ? (Answer in 250 words)
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- What areHow do
- Scope keywords
- present challengescrop diversificationemerging technologiesprovide an opportunity
- Implicit sub-parts
- Briefly define crop diversification and its current necessity in the Indian context (e.g., Green Revolution fatigue).
- Analyze structural, economic, and behavioral barriers preventing farmers from switching crops.
- Categorize specific emerging technologies (AI, IoT, Gene Editing, Remote Sensing) and their direct application in easing the transition.
- Suggest a way forward or government initiatives (like NFSM or MIDH) that bridge tech and diversification.
- Common pitfalls
- Spending too much time on the 'benefits' of diversification rather than the 'challenges' specifically asked for.
- Vague mention of 'technology' without naming specific 'emerging' ones like CRISPR, Precision Farming, or Blockchain.
- Ignoring the 'Minimum Support Price (MSP)' trap as a primary challenge to diversification.
- Failing to link a specific technology to a specific challenge (e.g., using Big Data to solve market price volatility).
- Dimensions required
- Economic (MSP, procurement, market risk)Environmental (Soil health, water table, climate change)Technological (Agri-stack, Biotech, Digital Infrastructure)Institutional (Extension services, seed availability)Sociological (Food habits, traditional farming mindsets)
- Marks allocation hint
Allocate roughly 100 words to the challenges, ensuring a mix of policy and ground-level issues. Devote another 100-110 words to the technology section, mapping specific tech solutions to the aforementioned challenges. Use the remaining 40 words for a crisp introduction and a forward-looking conclusion.
Unlock the full analysis for this question
You've seen the question and its examiner-intent decoding. Subscribers also get:
- 🔗 Similar Previous Year Questions — cross-year, cross-paper matches so you study the topic, not the question
- 📚 Source Map — verified citations from Laxmikanth, NCERT, PRS, Yojana, Economic Survey, Spectrum
- 🌱 How this topic is evolving — current-affairs bridge anchored to live TARS news clustering
- 🧭 Examiner's Pattern — how the topic has been framed across every year UPSC has tested it
- ✍️ Answer Skeleton — a structured outline (intro → body → conclusion) you can flesh out
- 🎯 AI evaluation — write your answer, get rubric-based scoring from gs-eval
Or browse 132+ free preview questions across all years and papers — the first 3 questions of every paper are unlocked.
Ready to practice?
Subscribers can attempt this question in 250 words and get an instant, rubric-based evaluation showing where they stand.
Subscribe to evaluate your answer →