Soil Health in India: Building the Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture
Soil is more than just a medium to grow crops. It is the living foundation of agriculture, storing nutrients, water, and biodiversity. In India, where farming sustains nearly half the population, soil health directly determines productivity, farmer incomes, and long-term sustainability. Yet, while India has achieved remarkable progress in ensuring food security, the condition of its soils tells a more concerning story.
The Current State of Soil Health in India
India has one of the largest soil observation programs in the world but is faced with huge challenges. It is estimated that nearly 30% of the country’s land cover is degraded, having erosion, salinity, and low amounts of organic matter. Over-reliance on nitrogen fertilizers has precipitated widespread deficiencies of principal micronutrient elements like zinc and boron, while in most sites, levels of soil organic carbon declined sharply to less than 0.5%, considerably below the 1–1.5% optimum level necessary to achieve effective water retention and active soil microbial life.
The government’s Soil Health Card (SHC) program launched in 2015 has been able to issue over 25 crore cards till July 2025 and has covered nearly every farming family. The cards provide farmers with customized nutrient advice applicable to their plots and crops. To support this program further, India has developed a massive testing infrastructure consisting of more than8,272 soil labs, of which 665 are at the village level in 17 states and Union Territories. Additionally, soil fertility mapping has been undertaken on a remarkable 290 lakh hectares in aspirational districts and over 2,000 fertility maps at the village level have been generated to support local interventions.
Healthy soils are essential to both resilience and yield in their storage of carbon, their buffering of climate shocks, and long-term agronomic sustainability.
Challenges and Opportunities Ahead
The road to recovery in soil health is bumpy. The excessive application of urea, monocrop farming, and burning residues are accelerating the degradation of our soils. Climate change has added new burdens. In 2025, for example, Punjab Agricultural University conducted extensive soil analyses after flooding to measure fertility losses caused by silt and sand deposits. These types of ecological perturbations are expected to become a regular occurrence.
For the vast numbers of smallholders in the farming base of India, sustainability is an expensive luxury. Their limited credits, technology, and market availability of quality biological products often force them to resort to cheaper and destructive input systems.
Yet, there are opportunities. The growing consumer demand for residue-free and sustainable produce is inspiring farmers to embrace improved practices. Ag tech start-ups are leveraging digital tools to provide tailored soil-specific recommendations, and the market for biofertilizers, microbial inputs, and organic amendments is experiencing swift expansion. With the right blend of policies, innovation, and private-sector involvement, soil health could emerge as the foundation of India’s future agricultural competitiveness.
Ag Tech, New Practices, and Research
Soil management in India is being transformed by technology. Drone and IoT-based soil sensors are enhancing the precision of tracking moisture and level of nutrients. Start-up companies are experimenting with AI-based advisory systems using soil test reports and giving tangible recommendations to smallholders using mobile apps.
Farm practices are undergoing change. Intercrops and integrated nutrient management are gaining popularity with assistance through demonstrations and training schemes. New soil amendments such as biochar and organic conditioners are being tried and tested to rejuvenate the organic matter.
Scientists like ICAR and ICRISAT are leaders in developing and enhancing microbial consortia and other modern soil carbon sequestration methods. These are important not only to improve soil fertility but will enable farmers to participate in the burgeoning carbon credit markets while aligning agriculture in India with climate goals.
Policy and Government Initiatives
Policy is the leading adoption driver. The Soil Health Card program has been integrated into Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana seamlessly since the 2022-23 period to ensure continuity and funding support. The National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture constantly champions efficient usage of water and conservation of soil.
The PM-PRANAM plan initiated in 2023 has already registered initial success. As of 2023-24, 14 states saved fertilizer usage by 1.51 million tons and became eligible to receive cash benefits through the PM-PRANAM scheme. Notably, all States and Union Territories have been covered by PM-PRANAM since August 2024 to indicate an all-India drive towards balanced fertilization.
Enhancing these efforts are the reforms introduced under the Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) program, which has adjusted subsidy rates for the 2025 Kharif season to promote the use of balanced P&K fertilizers. Furthermore, the One Nation, One Fertilizer initiative has established a uniform branding for fertilizers, labelling them as “Bharat Urea,” “Bharat DAP,” and so forth, thereby minimizing confusion and enhancing transparency in distribution.
If scaled and woven into the fabric of digital agriculture platforms, these initiatives could elevate soil health from a niche concern to a national priority embraced by all.
Solutions and Products Farmers Need
India’s soil systems will be developed through an intermingling of technologies and inputs calibrated to farmers’ worlds:
- Soil analysis and nutrition equipment include affordable kits, smartphone-based apps on soil well-being, and balanced fertilizing precision applicators.
- Biologicals encompass biofertilizers, biostimulants, and microbial inoculants, all aimed at rejuvenating soil biodiversity while enhancing nutrient absorption.
- Organic matter amendments: Compost, vermicompost, crop residues, green manures, and biochar to replenish soil organic carbon.
- Water-smart solutions: Moisture retention polymers, soil conditioners, and IoT-based irrigation aids for resilience to erratic rainfall.
- Advisory platforms are AI-driven mobile tools that seamlessly integrate soil, weather, and crop data, offering localized recommendations.
Scaling these interventions will require collaboration across policymakers, private industry, and extension agencies with vigorous quality control to gain farmers’ trust.
The Way Forward
Soil health is bigger than agronomic issues; it is the foundation of India’s food security, climate resilience, and farm prosperity. Restoring our soils to full integrity will require an overarching strategy: government policies that incentivize sustainable practices, private innovations that make solutions affordable, and farmer education programs that drive empowerment and adoption.
As the nation prepares to realize its 2047 vision of becoming a developed economy, soil regeneration must be at the forefront of agricultural policy. Investing in soil today is no longer about mere resource conservation. It is about ensuring the long-term sustainability of Indian agriculture.
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