Fixing India's soil crisis: Farmer awareness, tech can arrest degradation

Excessive nitrogen application at the cost of micronutrients and manure not only reduces soil productivity over time but also contributes to nutrient runoffs and groundwater contamination

A balanced soil-nutrient profile is crucial for improving crop and soil productivity. Yet, deterioration in soil health remains a significant concern in India. The current fertiliser-subsidy system, which heavily emphasises urea, has resulted in an imbalance in the soil-nutrient profile, with excessive nitrogen usage and inadequate phosphorus and potassium supplementation.  The Fertiliser Statistics Report notes the NPK-use ratio was 7.7:3.1:1 in 2021-22, which is highly skewed towards nitrogen and is far from the ideal ratio of 4:2:1. Excessive nitrogen application at the cost of micronutrients and manure not only reduces soil productivity over time but also contributes to nutrient runoffs