{"id":58006,"date":"2025-10-30T20:03:49","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T14:33:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=58006"},"modified":"2025-10-31T19:04:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T13:34:08","slug":"cse-assessment-finds-indian-soils-severely-deficient-in-key-nutrients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/30-10-2025\/cse-assessment-finds-indian-soils-severely-deficient-in-key-nutrients","title":{"rendered":"CSE Assessment Finds Indian Soils Severely Deficient in Key Nutrients"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Agriculture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) analysis of government data finds <strong>64% of Indian soil samples low in nitrogen and nearly half low in organic carbon.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Major Findings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s soils are severely deficient in essential nutrients such as<strong> nitrogen and organic carbon.&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>These deficiencies have<strong> serious implications for both crop productivity and climate change mitigation.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A critical function of healthy soil is its capacity to store organic carbon, which makes it essential for climate change mitigation.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I<strong>ndian soils can sequester an estimated 6-7 teragram of carbon annually.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Limited scope of soil monitoring: <\/strong>Launched in 2015 under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, the SHC scheme tests 12 chemical parameters in soil and issues nutrient-based recommendations to farmers.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Experts at the conclave cautioned that the <strong>current monitoring framework is incomplete.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fertiliser inefficiency and policy gaps: <\/strong>The CSE analysis suggested that current fertiliser use<strong> fails to improve nitrogen or organic carbon levels in soil.&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This indicates inefficiency in application practices and calls for corrective policy measures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While<strong> organic farming schemes exist,<\/strong> their reach remains limited, the assessment underlined.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Soil Health and Its Significance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Soil health <\/strong>is defined as the continued capacity of <strong>soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans.&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The soil<\/strong> on 96-120 million hectares out of India\u2019s 328 million hectares of land, particularly in forests, croplands and pastures, is already classified as <strong>\u2018degraded\u2019<\/strong> (NAAS 2010)(Space Application Centre, ISRO 2021).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nutrient availability:<\/strong> Healthy soils are rich in essential nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are essential for plant growth and development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/04-11-2024\/indias-updated-national-biodiversity-strategy-and-action-plan-nbsap\">Biodiversity:<\/a><\/strong> Healthy soils can host a vast diversity of organisms. They all play vital roles in nutrient cycling, decomposition, and soil formation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Soil structure: <\/strong>A \u201cwell-structured soil\u201d embodies a vast amount of interconnecting pore spaces that allows the drainage of water, free movement of air and unrestricted growth of roots.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Water retention:<\/strong> When soils have poor structure, they cannot hold water within the pore spaces, the water hits the compacted layers, and it cannot infiltrate.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This leads to more runoff, and therefore, more erosion, flooding, more pollution, and less water held in the soil.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Carbon sequestration:<\/strong> Healthy soils play a vital role in capturing and storing CO2.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Soils with higher organic carbon content can support a richer population of microorganisms and contain more nutrients favoring the development of high-quality crops.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f5f5f5\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1015\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CSE-Assessment-Finds-Indian-soils-Severely-Deficient-in-Key-Nutrients-1015x1024.webp\" alt=\"CSE-Assessment-Finds-Indian-soils-Severely-Deficient-in-Key-Nutrients\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-58034\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f5f5f5; width:510px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CSE-Assessment-Finds-Indian-soils-Severely-Deficient-in-Key-Nutrients-1015x1024.webp 1015w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CSE-Assessment-Finds-Indian-soils-Severely-Deficient-in-Key-Nutrients-297x300.webp 297w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CSE-Assessment-Finds-Indian-soils-Severely-Deficient-in-Key-Nutrients-150x150.webp 150w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CSE-Assessment-Finds-Indian-soils-Severely-Deficient-in-Key-Nutrients-768x775.webp 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CSE-Assessment-Finds-Indian-soils-Severely-Deficient-in-Key-Nutrients-1522x1536.webp 1522w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CSE-Assessment-Finds-Indian-soils-Severely-Deficient-in-Key-Nutrients.webp 2029w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1015px) 100vw, 1015px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Government Initiatives<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>Soil Health Card Scheme (2015):<\/strong> Provides farmers with soil nutrient status and fertilizer recommendations.<br>&#8211; <strong>Neem Coated Urea (NCU): <\/strong>This scheme is initiated to regulate use of urea, enhance availability of nitrogen to the crop and reduce cost of fertilizer application.<br>&#8211; <strong>Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY): <\/strong>Promotes organic farming.<br>&#8211; <strong>National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA):<\/strong> Encourages soil and water conservation, and integrated nutrient management.<br>&#8211; <strong>Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY): <\/strong>Supports state-level interventions for soil health.<br>&#8211; <strong>National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF): <\/strong>Capacity building for composting and biofertilizer use.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Biochar <\/strong>\u2013 produced through pyrolysis of biomass \u2013is an emerging soil amendment that can enhance fertility, retain moisture and serve as a carbon sink by increasing the soil organic content.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>But India <strong>does not have any standardised production protocols for biochar.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There is a need to <strong>strengthen soil testing infrastructure and farmer awareness.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Regulate industrial effluent discharge<\/strong> and improve irrigation management.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Foster climate-resilient agricultural practices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Encourage crop rotation and intercropping for nutrient restoration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.downtoearth.org.in\/food\/cse-assessment-finds-indian-soils-severely-deficient-in-key-nutrients\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>DTE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Context<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) analysis of government data finds 64% of Indian soil samples low in nitrogen and nearly half low in organic carbon.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Major Findings<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">India\u2019s soils are severely deficient in essential nutrients such as nitrogen and organic carbon.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">These deficiencies have serious implications for both crop productivity and climate change mitigation.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Indian soils can sequester an estimated 6-7 teragram of carbon annually.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Limited scope of soil monitoring: Launched in 2015 under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, the SHC scheme tests 12 chemical parameters in soil and issues nutrient-based recommendations to farmers.\u00a0<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/30-10-2025\/cse-assessment-finds-indian-soils-severely-deficient-in-key-nutrients\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58006"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58006\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58146,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58006\/revisions\/58146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}