Sustainable Farming Practices: Soil Health Cards as a Tool- A book Chapter

Abstract— The Indian economy and society depend heavily on agriculture. Approximately two thirds of the nation's people make their living either directly or indirectly from agriculture. The innovations of the Green Revolution in the 1960s made it possible to achieve food production self-sufficiency and transformed a nation experiencing a food deficit into one experiencing a food surplus. This resulted in a rebirth of agriculture centred on the adoption of intensive farming supported by the use of manures, fertilisers, pesticides, and assured irrigation, as well as high-yielding seed varieties. Chemical fertilisers were more well-liked by the high-yielding cultivars, and they eventually became a staple of Indian agriculture. Water conservation and effective usage, as well as soil health maintenance, are critical to the future food security of the planet. The largest source of nutrients for humans still comes from soils. Soil health is a direct indicator of human health. The focus of agricultural research has shifted recently to emphasize both food and nutritional security. The primary cause of the imbalance is thought to be the overuse of N fertilisers and the relatively low use of P and K fertilisers. In addition, India's fertilizer use has been rising over time. Nurturing the soil has become essential to improve its health and productivity. The Indian government introduced the soil health card programme in this regard. This is intended to encourage the implementation of fertiliser recommendations based on soil tests, which will help to sustainably maintain soil productivity while simultaneously increasing crop production.