Soil Health Crisis and India’s Path to Recovery

This editorial is based on “Healing soils in India” which was published in The Financial Express on 21/07/2025. The article brings into picture the alarming degradation of India’s soils, marked by plummeting nutrient levels and fertilizer efficiency. It stresses the urgent need for a shift towards precision, science-based soil management to sustain agriculture.

For Prelims: Soil Health Card, NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) ratio, Global Forest Watch, Brahmaputra Valley in Assam, Soil Organic Carbon, Conservation Agriculture, Agroforestry.  

For Mains: Key Factors Contributing to Soil Degradation in India and their Impacts, Regional Vulnerability of Soils in India. 

The foundation of India's agriculture is crumbling beneath our feet, as the very soils that enabled the nation's transformation face unprecedented degradation. Soil Health Card data reveals a stark reality: less than 5% of Indian soils have sufficient nitrogen. The fertilizer efficiency has crashed from 1:10 in the 1970s to a mere 1:2.7 today, while excessive nitrogen application pollutes groundwater and releases greenhouse gases 273 times more potent than carbon dioxide. India's agricultural future depends on an urgent shift from quantity-driven fertilization to science-based, precision soil management that can restore the health of our most vital resource. 

What are the Key Factors Contributing to Soil Degradation in India?  

• Overuse and Misuse of Fertilizers: The rampant and imbalanced use of fertilizers is one of the leading contributors to soil degradation in India.  
  • The over-reliance on nitrogen-based fertilizers, while neglecting essential nutrients like potassium, has led to a severe imbalance in soil health. 
  • India's fertilizer usage is heavily skewed, with an NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) ratio of 7.7:3.1:1, significantly deviating from the recommended 4:2:1 ratio. 
    • This imbalance is causing nutrient deficiencies, soil fatigue, and ultimately, lower crop yields. 
• Water Erosion and Irrigation Practices: Excessive irrigation, particularly in regions like Punjab and Tamil Nadu, has worsened soil erosion and salinization.  
  • Poor drainage and overwatering result in secondary salinization, making the soil increasingly unfit for agriculture.  
  • The Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas reveals that water erosion alone affects 11.01% of India’s land, while regions like Tamil Nadu suffer from water erosion and localized salinity, highlighting the urgency of improving irrigation methods. 
• Deforestation and Land Conversion: The ongoing deforestation for agricultural expansion and urbanization is exacerbating soil degradation by removing the natural vegetative cover, which protects the soil from erosion.  
  • 95% of tree cover loss in India between 2013 and 2023 occurred within natural forests, according to Global Forest Watch (GFW).  
    • This significant loss in natural forest areas is accelerating erosion 
  • The biggest hotspot for soil erosion in the country is the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam. 
• Climate Change and Extreme Weather: Climate change has intensified the impact of soil degradation by increasing the frequency of extreme weather events such as floods and droughts.  
  • Altered rainfall patterns and higher temperatures lead to soil erosion and a decrease in organic matter.  
  • The Desertification Atlas shows that 83.69 million hectares of dryland are undergoing desertification, worsened by both climate change and human activities, stressing the need for adaptive soil management practices. 
• Intensive Farming and Monocropping:  Intensive farming practices, including monocropping, contribute to nutrient depletion and organic matter loss.  
  • Monocropping in states like Punjab, which predominantly grows wheat and rice, depletes specific nutrients from the soil, rendering it less fertile.  
  • Soil Organic Carbon in many intensively farmed areas has fallen to 0.3%, from historical levels of around 1%, reducing fertility. 
    • Physical indicators like reduced porosity and stability are routinely reported in sugarcane and rice monocultures. 
    • This leads to lower crop yields and increased dependency on chemical inputs. 
• Industrial Pollution and Mining: Industrial zones and mining belts in India are experiencing significant accumulation of toxic heavy metals such as lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) in soils. 
  • Recent studies from industrial clusters, including Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Ahmedabad (Gujarat), found Pb and Mn levels in soils and vegetables far exceeding permissible limits, presenting direct human health risks through food consumption. 
    • Heavy metal contamination reduces soil productivity, destroys beneficial microbial communities, and compromises nutrient cycling. 
• Overgrazing and Land Overuse: India sustains over 535 million livestock, far exceeding the land’s sustainable carrying capacity and exerting extreme pressure on grazing lands, particularly in semi-arid and arid regions like Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra 
  • This loss of cover exposes the soil to wind and water erosion, further deteriorating its structure. 

How does Soil Vulnerability Vary Across Different Regions in India? 

Soil Type	Predominant Areas	Associated Issues
Alluvial Soil	Gangetic plains, Indo-Gangetic belt, coastal plains of Tamil Nadu and Odisha	- Nutrient depletion due to intensive cultivation  - Risk of waterlogging in low-lying areas  - Susceptible to erosion if left uncultivated
Black Soil (Regur)	Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu	- High clay content leads to poor drainage  - Soil cracking in dry conditions  - Susceptible to salinization with excessive irrigation
Red Soil	Southern and Eastern parts (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh)	- Low in nitrogen and organic carbon  - Prone to erosion due to low vegetative cover  - Low water retention capacity
Laterite Soil	Western Ghats, Assam, Kerala, Odisha, coastal areas of West Bengal	- Nutrient-deficient and highly acidic  - Low moisture retention  - Prone to erosion during heavy rainfall
Desert Soil	Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, parts of Punjab and Maharashtra	- High salinity, low fertility  - Prone to wind erosion  - Water scarcity and poor nutrient retention
Mountain Soil	Himalayan region, Northeastern states (Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Sikkim)	- Steep slopes leading to soil erosion  - Low fertility in alpine areas  - Landslides and water runoff in hilly terrains

What are the Key Implications of Soil Degradation?  

• Economic Impacts:  
  • Declining Agricultural Productivity: Soil degradation directly reduces agricultural productivity, leading to lower crop yields.  
    • The deterioration of soil quality affects vital nutrients, making it harder for crops to thrive without excessive chemical inputs.  
  • Increased Fertilizer Dependence and Costs: As soil health declines, the dependency on chemical fertilizers rises, driving up the costs for farmers while worsening soil quality in the long run.  
    • The shift from organic matter to synthetic fertilizers is unsustainable and creates a vicious cycle of declining soil health and increased input costs.  
• Social Impacts:  
  • Threat to Food Security: Soil degradation poses a significant risk to food security, as it reduces the ability of the land to support sustainable crop production.  
    • With more than 30% of India’s land facing soil degradation, the country risks being unable to meet the demands of a growing population. 
    • This degradation has led to reduced availability of nutritious crops, contributing to food insecurity, especially in rural and underserved areas. 
  • Rural Livelihoods at Risk: Soil degradation erodes the livelihoods of millions of farmers who depend on healthy soil for their income.  
    • With falling yields, farmers are increasingly trapped in debt cycles, exacerbated by the rising cost of inputs like fertilizers and water.  
    • Many farmers are forced to abandon their lands or shift to alternative livelihoods, leading to rural depopulation and social instability. 

• Cultural Impacts: 
  • Loss of Traditional Farming Practices:Soil degradation undermines traditional agricultural practices that were once sustainable and community-oriented.  
    • As the soil quality declines, these practices become less viable, and farmers are compelled to adopt intensive, chemical-driven methods that disrupt local agricultural knowledge and traditions.  
• Ecological Impacts:  
  • Loss of Biodiversity: Soil degradation directly impacts biodiversity by disrupting ecosystems that rely on healthy soils.  
    • As soil fertility declines, the capacity for diverse plant and animal species to thrive diminishes, leading to a loss of local biodiversity.  
    • In states like Assam, where water and wind erosion have affected vast swathes of agricultural land, the disruption of soil systems has led to the destruction of habitats, putting species at risk.  
  • Increased Water Pollution: Soil degradation accelerates water pollution by carrying sediments, pesticides, and fertilizers into nearby water bodies. 
    • This not only harms aquatic life but also contaminates drinking water sources, making water purification more expensive.  
  • Climate Change Amplification: Soil degradation exacerbates climate change by diminishing the soil's capacity to sequester carbon, transforming it from a carbon sink into a carbon emitter. 
    • As soils lose organic carbon due to erosion and poor management practices, the release of greenhouse gases increases, further intensifying global warming. 
    • This cycle not only worsens soil health but also threatens the resilience of ecosystems against climate impacts. 

 

What Measures can India Adopt for Enhanced Soil Management?  

• Sustainable Fertilizer Management: To address imbalanced fertilizer use, India must adopt a science-based, precision fertilization approach that ensures the right nutrients are applied in the right amounts, tailored to the specific needs of different regions.  
  • This involves promoting Variable Rate Application (VRA) using soil health monitoring technologies and remote sensing tools. 
  • Incentivizing the use of organic fertilizers and integrating crop-specific nutrient management plans will reduce dependency on chemical fertilizers and restore soil health in a balanced manner. 
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Organic Farming: Transitioning to organic farming methods and integrating Integrated Pest Management (IPM) can significantly reduce the use of harmful chemicals and improve soil health.  
  • By promoting the use of bio-pesticides, organic manures, and crop rotation, India can restore natural soil fertility while reducing the environmental and health risks posed by synthetic pesticides. 
  • IPM can also prevent pest resistance, thereby fostering a more sustainable agricultural ecosystem. 
• Promotion of Conservation Agriculture Practices: India must expand the adoption of Conservation Agriculture (CA) practices, which include minimal tillage, crop rotation, and the use of cover crops. 
  • These practices help conserve soil moisture, improve organic matter content, and prevent soil erosion.  
  • By reducing soil disturbance and enhancing biological activity, CA can improve long-term soil fertility and resilience, even under climate stress. Training programs and subsidies can support farmers in adopting CA practices at scale. 
• Advancing Precision Agriculture Technologies: Adopting Precision Agriculture (PA) technologies (like Agri-IOT) can optimize resource use, including water, fertilizers, and pesticides, thereby improving soil health.  
  • Through the use of soil sensors, satellite imagery, and data analytics, PA can help farmers make informed decisions on soil health and nutrient management. 
  • By implementing localized and data-driven interventions, PA can prevent overuse of inputs and ensure sustainable land use practices across diverse agro-climatic zones. 
• Afforestation and Agroforestry Initiatives: To combat soil erosion and nutrient depletion, India must prioritize large-scale afforestation and agroforestry programs that incorporate trees into agricultural landscapes.  
  • These practices help stabilize soil, prevent erosion, increase organic matter, and enhance biodiversity.  
  • Agroforestry also creates diversified income sources for farmers, reducing their reliance on monocropping and strengthening ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration. 
• Soil Carbon Sequestration Programs: Encouraging the adoption of soil carbon sequestration techniques, such as mulching, reduced tillage, and the use of biochar, can help restore soil organic carbon levels. 
  • Carbon farming can be incentivized through carbon credit programs, allowing farmers to generate additional income while improving soil structure and fertility. 
  • A national policy for carbon farming can link environmental goals with economic benefits, driving large-scale participation in soil restoration efforts. 
• Water-Efficient Irrigation Systems: To mitigate soil salinization and erosion caused by excessive irrigation, India must promote water-efficient irrigation systems, such as drip and sprinkler irrigation.  
  • These systems reduce water wastage, prevent waterlogging, and ensure the targeted application of water, thus safeguarding soil health.  
  • Additionally, rainwater harvesting at the farm level can recharge groundwater supplies, ensuring sustainable water availability and maintaining soil moisture levels during dry spells. 
• Strengthening Soil Health Monitoring and Data Infrastructure: Developing a robust soil health monitoring network combined with real-time data collection using remote sensing technology will enable targeted interventions.  
  • By integrating soil health data from Soil Health Cards with satellite-based soil mapping, India can create dynamic, region-specific action plans. 
  • This infrastructure will empower farmers with the knowledge needed to implement localized soil management strategies, thereby improving productivity and sustainability. 
• Education and Capacity Building Programs: Increasing awareness and building capacity among farmers, agricultural extension workers, and policymakers is essential for improving soil management practices.  
  • India should establish comprehensive training programs at the grassroots level that focus on sustainable soil management, conservation techniques, and climate-resilient farming practices.  
  • Empowering local communities with knowledge about soil health and its direct connection to food security can drive long-term changes in agricultural practices. 

Conclusion:

Soil degradation in India threatens not only agricultural productivity but also the nation’s broader environmental and socio-economic stability. Achieving Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030 is crucial to reversing this trend and aligning with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) like Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), and Life on Land (SDG 15). A comprehensive, multi-stakeholder approach is essential to restore soil health, mitigate climate change, and ensure food security for future generations.

Drishti Mains Question:

Soil degradation is one of the most pressing environmental challenges facing India today. Discuss its causes, impacts on agriculture and food security, and suggest sustainable measures to mitigate its effects.

 

UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question (PYQ)

Prelims: 

Q. Consider the following statements: (2017)

The nation-wide ‘Soil Health Card Scheme’ aims at

1. expanding the cultivable area under irrigation.  
2. enabling the banks to assess the quantum of loans to be granted to farmers on the basis of soil quality.  
3. checking the overuse of fertilisers in farmlands.  

Which of the above statements is/are correct? 

(a) 1 and 2 only  

(b) 3 only  

(c) 2 and 3 only  

(d) 1, 2 and 3  

Ans: (b) 

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Mains: 

Q. How far is the Integrated Farming System (IFS) helpful in sustaining agricultural production? (2019)