India’s Soil Health Mission
Source: PIB
GS III: Agriculture
Overview
- News in Brief
- Soil- Foundation of Agricultural Strength
- Major Government Initiatives
Why in the News?
The PIB highlights that India is promoting scientific soil management through soil testing, balanced fertiliser use, natural farming, and digital agriculture.
News in Brief
- India showcases progress in scientific soil management through the Soil Health Card Scheme, National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), and National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA).
- Highlights digital technologies such as geospatial soil mapping, AgriStack, and AI-based advisory systems for precision agriculture.
- It also emphasizes soil conservation’s role in climate resilience, carbon sequestration, and sustainable agricultural productivity.
Soil- Foundation of Agricultural Strength
India’s Diverse Soil Types
- Alluvial Soils
- Found in the Indo-Gangetic and Brahmaputra plains and river deltas (Mahanadi, Krishna, Godavari).
- States: Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh.
- Highly fertile and ideal for intensive agriculture.
- Black Soils (Regur)
- Found mainly in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
- Clayey, retain moisture well, rich in lime and calcium.
- Best suited for cotton cultivation.
- Red Soils
- Found in parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, north-east Andhra Pradesh, eastern Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Rajasthan.
- Red colour due to iron content.
- Generally porous and deficient in major nutrients.
- Laterite Soils
- Found in eastern Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala,
- Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Assam and parts of Maharashtra.
- Formed under high rainfall and intense leaching.
- Comparatively low in nutrients.
- Desert Soils
- Found in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Leh-Ladakh.
- Sandy texture, low moisture retention and high soluble salts.
- Forest and Hill Soils
- Found in the Himalayan and North-Eastern regions.
- Characteristics vary with altitude, climate and vegetation.
- Saline and Alkaline Soils
- Found in arid and semi-arid regions, coastal and delta areas.
- States/regions: Parts of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Rajasthan, coastal Odisha, Sundarbans (West Bengal) and Kutch (Gujarat).
- High salt accumulation reduces crop productivity.
- Marshy Soils
- Found in parts of Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
- Formed under prolonged waterlogging.
- Rich in organic matter.
Major Government Initiatives
- Soil plays a critical role in climate change mitigation and adaptation by acting as a significant natural carbon sink.
- Soils absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it as soil organic carbon.
- This process is facilitated by vegetation growth, roots, and soil microorganisms, which strengthens soil fertility and resilience to climate variability.
- Promotes scientific nutrient management through soil testing.
- Provides crop-specific fertiliser recommendations.
- Encourages balanced fertiliser use and improves soil productivity.
- Supports farmers through demonstrations and grassroots soil advisory services.
National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)
- A mission under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
- Promotes climate-resilient agriculture and efficient water use.
- Improves soil health through sustainable farming practices.
- Supports integrated farming systems and rainfed agriculture.
- Enhances soil organic carbon and supporting practices aligned with carbon farming.
National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF)
- Promotes nature-based farming with minimal chemical inputs.
- Encourages improvement of soil fertility and biodiversity.
- Strengthens Bio-input Resource Centres and community-based training.
- Focuses on reducing farmers’ input costs while encouraging safe, environmentally responsible food production
National Mission for a Green India
- One of the eight missions under National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
- NAPCC cover areas such as solar energy, water, green India, agriculture, ecosystems and knowledge systems, providing a comprehensive framework for climate action.
- Enhances forest and tree cover to strengthen carbon sinks.
- Supports India’s climate commitments through ecosystem restoration.
- Improves soil and biomass carbon storage.
Carbon Credit Trading Scheme
- Enables farmers to earn tradable carbon credits by adopting sustainable and eco-friendly agricultural practices.
- Encourages greenhouse gas emission reduction.
- Creates an additional source of farm income.
- Promotes climate-smart agriculture.
Balanced Fertiliser Management
- Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Scheme promotes balanced fertiliser use.
- Neem-coated urea slows nitrogen release, improves nutrient-use efficiency, and reduces diversion for non-agricultural purposes.
- Aadhaar-enabled PoS devices ensure transparent fertiliser subsidy delivery through DBT.
- The Integrated Fertiliser Management System further strengthens monitoring and logistics, ensuring better control over fertiliser availability and use.
Khet Bachao Abhiyan
- Awareness campaign led by ICAR and the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
- The campaign promoted scientific nutrient management practices among farmers.
- Encourages balanced fertiliser use and sustainable agriculture.
- Conducts awareness camps, demonstrations, and farmer training programmes.
Digital Soil Ecosystem
- Uses geospatial soil mapping for scientific land-use planning.
- AgriStack integrates soil, land, and farmer data.
- Krishi Decision Support System (KDSS) provides AI-based location-specific advisories.
- Supports precision farming, soil diagnostics, and agri-robotics.
Conclusion
Healthy soil is the foundation of India’s food security, farmer prosperity, and climate resilience.
Strengthening scientific soil management, sustainable farming, digital technologies, and community participation will ensure long-term agricultural productivity while conserving this vital natural resource.
Key Takeaways
UPSC Prelims and Mains Practice Question
Consider the following statements:
- The Soil Health Card Scheme provides crop-specific fertiliser recommendations based on soil testing.
- The National Mission on Natural Farming was launched in 2024.
- The Carbon Credit Trading Scheme enables farmers to earn tradable carbon credits through verified emission reduction practices.
- Khet Bachao Abhiyan promotes soil test-based nutrient management, balanced fertiliser use, and sustainable agricultural practices through farmer awareness and training programmes.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 1, 2 and 4 only
C. 2, 3 and 4 only
D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: D
Mains Practice Question
Q. “Discuss the role of soil health management in achieving sustainable agriculture and climate resilience in India.(10 Marks)
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