The Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme addresses soil degradation by promoting balanced fertiliser use through soil testing.

Reasons for Deteriorating Soil Health in India

• Introduction: A balanced soil-nutrient profile is crucial for improving crop and soil productivity. However, soil health deterioration remains a major concern in India.
• Imbalance in Fertiliser Usage: The current fertiliser-subsidy system heavily emphasises urea, leading to excessive nitrogen use. 
  • Inadequate phosphorus and potassium supplementation disrupts soil balance.
• NPK-Use Ratio: The Fertiliser Statistics Report notes the NPK-use ratio was 7.7:3.1:1 in 2021-22, skewed towards nitrogen. 
  • The ideal NPK ratio is 4:2:1, ensuring balanced nutrient availability. 
• Excessive Usage: Excessive nitrogen application depletes micronutrients, reduces soil productivity, and causes groundwater contamination.

Soil Health Card

• About: Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme: It was launched to promote balanced fertiliser use and improve soil health. 
  • Provides personalised recommendations on soil health and fertiliser application. Helps address land degradation through soil testing.
• Implementation and Reach: Over 247 million SHCs distributed across the country. 8,272 soil-testing labs (STLs) established, including 665 village-level STLs (VSTLs) across 17 states. 
  • Decentralisation of STLs ensures farmers have access to timely and accurate soil-analysis results. 
  • Entrepreneur-led and self-help group (SHG) STLs enhance accessibility.

Challenges in Implementation

• Infrastructure Issues:  STLs require infrastructure, skilled workers, and capital investment. Many laboratories are understaffed and lack adequate infrastructure, leading to inefficiencies.
• Delays:  Farmers face delays in receiving soil test reports. Many farmers struggle to implement SHC recommendations effectively.

Way Forward

• Technological Advancement: 1,020 schools implementing the School Soil-Health Programme with 1,000 STLs and 100,000+ students enrolled. 
  • Geospatial technologies assist in soil mapping and linking soil samples to test results via the SHC mobile application. 
  • The Soil and Land Use Survey of India has mapped 29 million hectares across 40 aspirational districts. 
  • Aligning these initiatives with advanced technologies will enhance precision in soil survey and land-use planning.
• Artificial Intelligence: Portable AI-Based Soil Testing Kits can be used on-site and require minimal training. It improves efficiency and accessibility for farmers.
• KRISHI-RASTAA:  It is an  IoT-based automated soil testing and agronomy advisory platform. Conducts 12 key soil parameter tests in 30 minutes. Jointly developed by ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research and agritech startup KrishiTantra.
• Role of Agritech Startups: Agritech startups can leverage AI to improve soil testing and fertilizer recommendations.
• Awareness: Increase farmer awareness regarding SHC benefits.
• Implementation: Ensure implementation of SHC recommendations for better soil health.
• Real Time advisory: Provide real-time agronomic advisory services to support informed decision-making.

Conclusion

A data-driven, technology-enabled approach to soil health management is essential. Strengthening the SHC scheme and integrating AI-powered solutions can help achieve sustainable and productive farming in India.