- Soil degradation in India reflects a vicious cycle where low farm incomes, climate shocks, and imbalanced fertiliser use steadily undermine soil health and productivity.
About Soil Degradation in India
- Meaning: It is the gradual decline in soil health, fertility, and productivity due to harmful physical, chemical, and biological changes, reducing its ability to support healthy plant growth.
- Land Degradation: Over 30 % of India’s land is degraded due to erosion, salinity, and nutrient loss.
- Carbon Decline: Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) has fallen from ~1% to ~0.3% over 70 years, weakening soil fertility and structure.
- Micronutrient Lack: Deficiencies of zinc, boron, and iron are widespread, reducing crop quality and nutritional value.
- Regional Stress: States like Punjab, Haryana, and Maharashtra show severe SOC decline, with some regions having 90% deficient soils.
- Severe Erosion: India loses about 5.3 billion tonnes of topsoil annually due to water & wind erosion.
Causes of Soil Degradation in India
- Fertiliser Imbalance: Urea receives over 80% subsidy, causing excessive nitrogen use and nutrient imbalance.
- Unsustainable Farming: Monocropping (rice–wheat) and residue burning reduce soil carbon and degrade structure.
- Soil Erosion: India loses 5.3 billion tonnes of topsoil annually, depleting key nutrients.
- Over-Irrigation: Affects 6–7 million hectares via waterlogging and salinisation, reducing productivity.
- Land Misuse: Forest loss & overgrazing accelerate erosion & disrupt soil fertility cycles.
Government Initiatives for Soil Health
- Soil Health Card Scheme: Provides farmers with soil nutrient status and crop-wise fertiliser recommendations.
- PM-PRANAM Scheme: Aimed at reducing the use of chemical fertilisers and encouraging balanced nutrient application.
- Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY): Promotes organic farming and eco-friendly soil management practices.
- National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA): Encourages integrated farming, water-use efficiency, and soil health improvement.
- Watershed Development Programmes: Focus on soil moisture conservation, erosion control, and land restoration in rainfed areas.
Socio-Environmental Impacts of Soil Degradation
- Declining Productivity: Soil degradation affects nearly 30% of India’s land, reducing crop yields and farm efficiency.
- Nutritional Deficiency: Around 50% of Indian soils are deficient in micronutrients like zinc, lowering food quality.
- Food Security Risks: Loss of 5.3 billion tonnes of topsoil annually threatens long-term agricultural sustainability.
- Water Pollution: Excess fertiliser uses leads to nitrate contamination, with groundwater exceeding safe WHO limits (50 mg/L) in many regions.
- Climate Impact: Soil organic carbon depletion contributes to emissions and degraded soils release CO₂ and reduce carbon sequestration capacity.
Strategies for Soil Restoration
- Subsidy Rationalisation: Bring urea under the Nutrient-Based Subsidy regime and shift to direct income transfers per acre to correct nutrient imbalance.
- Precision Nutrient Use: Scale up Soil Health Cards + AI-based advisories for crop-specific, location-specific fertiliser application.
- Carbon Restoration: Promote crop residue incorporation, biochar, and green manuring to rebuild Soil Organic Carbon (SOC).
- Crop Diversification: Incentivise shift from rice–wheat to pulses/oilseeds through MSP reforms and irrigation-linked cropping policies.
Soil health underpins food security and climate resilience; restoring it through balanced nutrients and reforms is vital, as Rattan Lal warned, “If soils are not restored, crops will fail even if rains do not … and humanity will suffer”.
Reference: Live Mint
PMF IAS Pathfinder for Mains – Question 597
Q. Discuss the extent and nature of soil degradation in India. What are its socio-economic and environmental consequences? Suggest a multi-dimensional strategy for soil restoration. (250 Words) (15 Marks)
Approach
- Introduction: Write a brief introduction about the soil degradation in India
- Body: Write the extent and nature of soil degradation in India, its socio-economic and environmental consequences, and suggest a multi-dimensional strategy for soil restoration.
- Conclusion: Emphasis on integrated and sustainable approach to protect soil structure and fertility.
