(March 19-April 19 Campaign)
Dr. Parveen Kumar*
Soil is the most important and indispensible living natural resource. No form of life is possible without this resource. As a living resource, it is one of the most bio-diverse habitats on Earth hosting more than 50% of the planet’s species. A single teaspoon of healthy soil can contain between 10,000 and 50,000 different species of micro-organisims. A single gram of soil can contain billions of bacterial cells and miles of fungal hyphae. It is estimated that only 1% of soil microorganism have been identified or successfully culture in laboratory settings. Soil micro- organisms can break down certain contaminants. Soil is not a dead thing as perceived by most of us. Infact it is a living entity constituting a critical component of the natural system and is an important contributor to the human wealth through its contribution to food, water and energy security and as a mitigator to biodiversity loss and climate change. Soil is the foundation of every terrestrial food chain on Earth. As soil is the ultimate natural supplier of the food we eat, we cannot survive without it. Healthy soil is thus a sine qua non, it is an essential condition and absolutely necessary for everything to exist and that exists on this planet. Unfortunately the crude and unscientific farming of last so many decades with indiscriminate use of synthetic fertilizers and plant protection chemicals have left the soil unhealthy, thirsty and in a poor state of affairs. The soil has lost its fertility, vigour and microbial diversity. The climate change and various anthropogenic activities have also degraded our soil, put excessive pressure on our water resources. Various issues the soils face include:
Soil Erosion: The floods, cutting of trees and faulty agronomic practices leads to soil erosion thereby depriving the land of its topmost fertile soil. Soil erosion refers to removal of the top layer of soil by various means which include both anthropogenic as well as natural events. The natural agents responsible for soil erosion include wind, water and waves. Among these agents, water is considered as the main cause of soil erosion. Soil erosion results in loss of fertility of top soil, nutrients content decline as they are washed away by erosion, underground water level also gets reduced, vegetation and habitat loss, frequent occurrence of drought and floods and many other adverse effects.
Soil Salinization: Another issue is the Soil Salinization. Soil salinization is a major process of land degradation that decreases soil fertility and is a significant component of desertification processes in the world’s dry land. The accumulation of soluble salts in soil occurs when evaporation exceeds precipitation and salts are not leached but remain in the upper soil layers in low-lying areas. It is estimated that by 2050, around 50% of the soil will be affected due to salinity without any fruitful mitigation techniques to overcome the situation. Besides reducing net cultivable area, soil salinization hits hard the productivity and quality of agricultural produce, quality of water, the choice of cultivable crops, the biodiversity and ultimately the livelihood security of the people. Arid and semi-arid regions, where evaporation rates are high and fresh waters are scanty to flush out the excess salts from soil, favor the formation of such soils.
Water logging: Similarly water logging occurs when there is no proper drainage system in the fields. They become waterlogged and this result in the saturation of crops wherein the normal circulation of air is not possible and the amount of oxygen in the soil declines.
Shifting/Jhum cultivation: Shifting cultivation is a type of cultivation practiced mainly in North-Eastern states of India is actually a type of slash and burn method of cultivation wherein the forest land is cleared for cultivation of crops. This causes deforestation, environmental pollution, loss of habitat for wild animals etc. The burning of forest also results in soil erosion and gradual degradation of soil.
Besides faulty agricultural practices like excessive tillage, monocropping, indiscriminate use of chemicals also adversely affect the soil health. The microbial count as well as diversity has been drastically reduced. The collapse of soil microbial diversity leads to degradation of conventional agro-ecosystems. In the country, nearly 147 million ha of land is subjected to soil degradation including 94 million ha from water erosion, 23 million ha from salinity/alkalinity/acidification, 14 million ha from water-logging/flooding, 9 million ha from wind erosion and 7 million ha from a combination of factors due to different forces. The Government of India has also fixed a target of restoring 26 million ha of degraded lands, including salt-affected soils, by the year 2030 to ensure food security for the people. Estimates suggest that every year nearly 10% additional area is getting salinized and by 2050, around 50% of the arable land would be salt-affected. Situation is alarming and we have to act urgently to ensure that things do not go to a point of no return. Estimates suggest that to feed the burgeoning population, the country would require about 311 million tons of food grains (cereals and pulses) by 2030 and this requirement would further increase to 350 million tons by 2050 when India’s population would be around 1.8 billion. Restoring and maintaining soil health is thus very important. As food security is a major concern, any lapse on our part can have catastrophic consequences. Agricultural practices like replacing chemical fertilizers with various microbial preparations Beejamrita, Jeevamrita, Agniastra, Brahmastra, Dashparni under Natural Farming, organic additives like bone meal, neem cake, compost and vermicompost, Crop diversification, Crop rotation, Cover crops, Zero/minimum tillage, Green manuring, Line sowing, sowing across the slope, Integrated Farming System, Integrated Nutrient Management, Mulching, rain water harvesting, farm mechanization must be adopted to enrich soil with microbial population.
‘Bhumi Suposhan’ Campaign: A nationwide programme on Bhumi Suposhan i.e soil enrichment is being organized by Akshay Krishi Parivar from 19 March. The Abhiyan will be inaugurated by Hon’ble Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare; GoI Mr. Shiv Raj Singh Chauhan from Jalgaon, Maharashtra.. The month long Abhiyan from March 19 to April 19, 2026 will promote sustainability in agriculture through awareness and training programmes for all the relevant stakeholders on soil health management, soil–water relationships and promotion of various resource conservation and soil enriching technologies. All across the country KVKs once again will be at the fore front of this month line campaign aimed at reviving soil health through its enrichment. Each KVK will cover 30-40 villages in the month long campaign. Krishi Vigyan Kendras’ of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and technology of Jammu under the leadership of Prof. B. N. Tripathi, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor and guidance of Prof. Amrish Vaid, Director Extension will also contribute in this noble mission by conducting various awareness, sensitization and capacity building programmes regarding practices and technologies that promote soil health in different villages of their respective districts.
The author writes on agriculture and social issues; can be reached at [email protected]
