The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has issued 24.74 crore Soil Health Cards (SHC) since the inception of the scheme in 2014-15. 

Funds amounting to Rs 1,706.18 crore have been released to various states/UTs for implementation of the scheme, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ramnath Thakur said in a written reply in Lok Sabha on February 4.

Soil Health Cards

• Soil health is fundamental to the food system in the country. It forms the bedrock of agriculture and serves as the vital medium for the growth of food-producing plants. When soils are healthy, they yield higher productivity of nutritious crops that provide nourishment for both humans and animals. 

• It is important to recognize that the quality and quantity of our food are directly connected to the quality of our soils. Therefore, prioritising soil health is essential for ensuring the availability of high-quality and abundant food for all and reducing dependency on other countries for agricultural produce.

• Soil Health Cards (SHCs) scheme was introduced in 2014-15. It is a programme for soil sampling, testing and generation of SHCs which was launched to assist state governments to issue soil health cards to all farmers in the country.

• The aim of the scheme is to assist states/Union Territories to provide Soil Health Cards for all farm holdings to promote balanced and integrated nutrient management as per the recommendations of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (lCAR) to prevent the deterioration of soil quality.

• This initiative is a part of the broader government effort to improve agricultural sustainability, optimise resource use, and enhance farmers’  income across the country.

• Under the scheme, Soil Health Cards are issued to farmers that provide information on nutrient status of soil and recommendations on judicious dosage and type of fertilisers for improving soil health and its fertility.

• Once the Soil Health Card is generated, the advisory/guidelines are given to farmers through Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA), Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Krishi Sakhi, etc. 

• Soil samples are processed through standard procedures and analysed for parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, and micro-nutrients (zinc, copper, iron, manganese & boron). 

• Soil Health Card scheme has been merged in Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) as its one component under name ‘Soil Health & Fertility’ from the year 2022-23.

• The government made some technological interventions in the New Soil Health Card Scheme. The Soil Health Card portal has been revamped and integrated with a Geographic Information System (GIS) system so that all the test results are captured and seen on a map.

• To make the implementation/monitoring of the scheme smooth and to facilitate farmers an easy access to his soil health card, the mobile application has been made robust with many additional features.

• Under the scheme, there is also provision to set up static Soil Testing Labs (STLs), Mobile Soil Testing Labs, Mini Soil Testing Labs and Village Soil Testing Labs besides strengthening of existing laboratories to undertake soil testing.

• Till date, 8,272 Soil Testing Labs (1,068 Static Soil Testing Labs, 163 Mobile Soil Testing Labs, 6,376 Mini Soil Testing Labs and 665 Village Level Soil Testing Labs) have been established across the country.

• So far, the Soil and Land Use Survey of India has completed soil mapping at 1:10,000 scale for approximately 290 lakh hectares, covering 40 aspirational districts. To promote judicious use of fertiliser by farmers, the Soil and Land Use Survey of India has also generated 1,987 village-level soil fertility maps for 21 states and Union Territories.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)