Loss of soil fertility

What is the issue?

• The pressures of constantly increasing agricultural production have in turn resulted in a persistent decline in soil fertility.
• This could possibly be a major challenge that Indian agriculture is currently facing.

What are the concerns with soil health?

• Soil degradation and loss of fertility is affecting the productive capacity of the soil.
• The current status of nutrient-use efficiency remains quite low for most nutrients.
• The demand for food grain is expected to increase, but with the current soil health status, meeting the targets would be a huge challenge.

What are the causes?

• Inappropriate agricultural practices include,

1. Overuse of chemical fertilisers and pesticides on soil.
2. Excessive tillage.
3. Moving away from age-old organic soil revival practices.
4. Unscientific rotation of crops.
5. Poor irrigation and water management practices.

• Factors such as deforestation, ill management of industrial wastes, overgrazing by cattle, and urban expansion, are also the notable causes.
• Organic matter plays a key role in maintaining soil fertility by holding nutrients to the soil. Decline in soil organic matter causes limited soil life and poor soil structure.
• Soil organic carbon plays a key role in maintaining soil fertility, increasing water-holding capacity and even suppressing crop diseases. Inappropriate practices are resulting in low Soil Organic Carbon.
• Deterioration in chemical, physical and biological health of the soils are to blame for low nutrient use efficiency.
• Natural factors such as floods, volcanoes and earthquakes also contribute to shortfalls in soil health.

What is to be done?

• Farmers and policymakers are largely responsible for ensuring safe agricultural methods.
• However, the agrochemical industry too must react by investing and producing organic biological products that help rejuvenate soil health.
• Making agriculture more sustainable by having a right balance between use of agrochemicals and age-old practices of soil regeneration.
• It is the need of the hour to educate farmers on sustainable practices.

Source: BusinessLine