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Poor soil management will erode food security.

Soil- In a technical sense, the soil is a combination of minerals, organic substances, and living things. However, soil is a general term that refers to any loose material. Additionally, there are several soil varieties that are found all over the world. These are often divided into the following groups:

1. Clay Soil
2. Sandy soil
3. Loamy Soil
4. Silt Soil

The soil typically contains 45% minerals, 50% voids or empty spaces, and 5% organic material. In addition, soil serves a variety of vital purposes, including

1. Providing a growth medium for the plants
2. Acts a modifier of the earth’s atmosphere
3. One of the most crucial components of the biosphere
4. Provides habitat for organisms

What is the Significance of Healthy Soil?

• Food and Nutritional Security: The UN claims that a tablespoon of soil contains more living species than there are people on Earth, which highlights the need of soil management.
  • To sustain nutrient-rich plant life on Earth, soil needs to be preserved against deterioration because it contains minerals, organic materials, and living things.
  • They promote wholesome plant growth and raise the food value of the plant.
• Carbon Sink: The second-largest carbon sink after the oceans is the soil, which stores carbon and keeps a landscape resistant to droughts and floods.
• Nature’s Filter: Dust, chemicals, and other contaminants are removed from surface water by soils, making underground water some of the cleanest on earth.
• Livelihood and Settlement:The soil supports buildings and highways, boosting city economies.
  • For instance, the rich, deep fertile soils of Kerala’s coastal plains and the Ganga plain, especially its delta, support a high population density through successful agriculture.

What are the Challenges Associated with Soil Health?

• Overuse of Agrochemicals: The excessive use of agrochemicals causes soil acidification, which in turn lowers the amount of organic matter (humus content) in the soil, stunts plant growth, and even results in the emission of greenhouse gases.
  • Alarmingly low amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC) have been found throughout India according to an examination of the Soil Health Card Scheme (an important indicator of soil health).
• Deforestation: Due to rapid deforestation, and urbanisation, forests are being converted to farms, and farms into residential areas, that is degrading soil health to a large extent.
  • Soil degradation has been indirectly affecting 2 billion people worldwide who are reported to suffer from a lack of micronutrients, a problem labelled as ‘hidden hunger’ because they are difficult to detect.
• Waterlogging: Excessive irrigation causes waterlogging that is often accompanied by soil salinity as waterlogged soils prevent leaching of the salts imported by the irrigation water.
  • Waterlogging impedes the ability of soil to provide an optimum medium for plant growth and alters its physical and chemical properties to a large extent.
• Climate Change Impact: Though, climate change is a slow process involving relatively small changes in temperature and precipitation over a long period of time, nevertheless these slow changes in climate influence the various soil processes particularly those related to soil fertility.

What are the Initiatives to Improve Soil Health?

• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana
• Neem Coating of Urea
• The Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Scheme
• National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)
• World Soil Day – 5 December
• Soil Health Card Scheme
• Digital Agriculture

How Soil Health can be Further Improved?

• Agroforestry: Through their barrier effect, trees and shrubs can be included into farming operations to decrease runoff, enhance infiltration, and reduce soil loss.
• Through the breakdown of pruning and root wastes, they also aid in maintaining the organic content in the soil.
• Regular Soil Audits: For the management of soils, both at the federal and state levels, a specialist organisation is required. They should be in charge of keeping an eye on soil quality and conducting routine soil audits with the assistance of neighbourhood panchayats.
• Crop Rotation and Reforestation: The layer of residue protects topsoil from being carried away by wind and water, therefore rotating in high-residue crops like maize, hay, and small grain can assist to reduce erosion.
  • Enough soil erosion control is provided by the restoration of a damaged ecosystem and the preservation of the current ones. According to a recent study, a tree that is correctly planted and cared for reduces erosion by 75%.
• Towards Smart Agriculture: India is known for its diversity of farming practices. It is important to get diverse points of view engaged in a national-level dialogue to find suitable solutions for soil management and sustainable farming.
  • In order to control soil health and use the proper herbicides and pesticides, India needs to transition to smart and precision farming employing sensors and other scientific tools.
  • A positive move in this regard is the Food and Agriculture Organization’s partnership with the National Rainfed Area Authority and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW) to create data analytics-based forecasting tools that would support disadvantaged farmers in selecting crops.
• Carbon Farming: It is necessary to use agricultural management techniques known as “carbon farming” to assist the land store more carbon and emit fewer greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, hence preserving soil health and atmospheric stability.
• Multi Sectoral Approach to Soil Management: In order to identify, manage, and restore degraded soils and implement preventative measures, there is a need to improve communication between academia, policymakers, and society.
  • By cultivating and maintaining home or kitchen gardens, buying mostly regional and seasonally available foods, and planting trees to protect topsoil, consumers and people can help.

UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question (PYQ) Prelims

1. Consider the following statements: (2017)

The nation-wide ‘Soil Health Card Scheme’ aims at

1. expanding the cultivable area under irrigation.
2. enabling the banks to assess the quantum of loans to be granted to farmers on the basis of soil quality.
3. checking the overuse of fertilisers in farmlands.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: (b)

Mains

1. How far is the Integrated Farming System (IFS) helpful in sustaining agricultural production? (2019)