FAO Agricola Medal for PM Modi: Award Basis and Schemes
Why in the news
PM Modi was honoured with the Agricola Medal by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization at its Rome headquarters. This happened while he was in Italy as part of a five-nation European tour.
Key facts
- Award: FAO Agricola Medal; ‘Agricola’ is Latin for farmer.
- Established: 1977, within FAO’s international numismatic award programme.
- Given by: the FAO Director-General (QU Dongyu of China at present).
- Purpose: honours top political leaders whose policies advance SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).
- Indian recipients: Dr. Manmohan Singh (2008) for rural agricultural reforms and PM Modi (2026) for agrifood transformation.
Basis of the honour
| Focus | What India did | Reach |
|---|---|---|
| Food security | Free grain through PMGKAY | 800 million people |
| Farmer income support | PM-KISAN direct transfers using DPI | 110+ million smallholders |
| Climate resilience | Bio-fortified, climate-resilient varieties | About 3,000 varieties |
| Agritech | Drones, AI weather advisories, satellite remote sensing | Several states |
| Water saving | ‘Per Drop More Crop’ under PMKSY | Water-stressed farm belts |
Background
- FAO: UN specialised agency founded 16 October 1945, based in Rome; 195 members (194 countries plus the EU); World Food Day is on 16 October.
- PMGKAY: launched March 2020 during COVID-19; free grains for about 80 crore NFSA beneficiaries; extended in December 2023 until December 2028.
- PM-KISAN: launched February 2019; ₹6,000 a year in three instalments of ₹2,000 to smallholder and marginal farmers, now about 11 crore beneficiaries.
- Per Drop More Crop: part of PMKSY (2015), promoting drip and sprinkler irrigation and sensor-based water management.
- SDG 2: one of 17 UN goals adopted in 2015 for 2030; aims to end hunger and promote sustainable farming.
- DPI: open, interoperable digital layers such as Aadhaar, UPI, Account Aggregator, ULI, Bhashini and ONDC that enable leak-free welfare delivery.
Exam angle
- Awarding body: FAO, Rome; medal started in 1977.
- Indian winners: Manmohan Singh (2008) and Narendra Modi (2026).
- Linked goal: SDG 2 Zero Hunger.