Dear All
Unless platform is ready applications will go haywire. Means, your fertilizer use efficiecny is as good as your soil condtions. In this context, on world soil day, me involved , brought out a brochure for all the stakeholders to alert them abvout broader societal roles in making our soil health sound. Some excerpts:
Soil is a natural resource serving the human beings since time immemorial. It takes thousands of years to make one meter depth of soil. Soil is key to eco-system services as it plays vital roles in carbon cycle, storing and filtering of water. The organic matter content, on an average, has gone down to a critical level of 0.3 to 0.5 percent and several micro-nutrient/multinutrient deficiencies are emerging/reported from various parts of the country. Furthermore, declining response ratios due to over use of fertilizers are being often reported, which lead to wasteful expenditure on fertilizer subsidy meaning loss of key national resources. This is affecting human health, apart from posing serious threats to agricultural productivity and sustainability. Another alarming factor is, nearly 140 million hectares of soils have become problematic because of the fact that they are either acidic, saline or sodic or alkaline soils. For India, which has over 17% of world population with limited land resources, the situation warrants immediate attention to take care of the soils. Unless immediate attention is paid, it will pose serious threats to agricultural sustainability and to feed the beeming billions will put our already scarce resources to severe stress.
Role of stakeholders in promoting Sustainable Management of soil
Sustainable soil management is fundamental for food/nutrition as well as water security. The important role of soil in mitigating climate change is highly relevant in the changing scenario of climate. The well managed soil helps in storing/sequestering carbon and reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. The need of the hour is, to protect our soils especially in terms of their quality. Soil should be managed in such a way that organic matter is not further deteriorated, precious top soil is not lost and water is retained. Better managed soils sustainably support agriculture, enhance efficiency of inputs and enhance quality of agricultural produce.
- Role of Extension
The extension system of the country should focus on the importance of soil health while they deliver advisory services to the farmers. The State government should encourage farming practices that contribute to soil health. Farmers who contribute to soil health also need to be incentivized. Such incentives should be built-in into various schemes implemented by the states/GOI.
- Role of Research
The research need to focus on various methods to restore soil health and recommend simple/workable solution so that can be adapted at farmer’s level.
- Role of Urban and Rural Local Bodies
The soils are continuously being polluted due to effluents released from the urban and rural sewerage system due to untreated drainage released into agriculture fields. Pollution-loaded effluents from Industries including small scale industries is a matter of grave concern as soils and river ecosystems are polluted with metals, poisonous substances which cannot be restored for millions of years. The local bodies shall effectively treat the effluents, and release only after harmful effluents are prevented and soil contamination minimized.
3.Role of Community Action
Soil being a national resource, the whole community needs to be involved in its upkeep and restoration. Community Action to be promoted to create awareness about Soil Health Management at various levels- Schools, Panchayats, Shopping complexes, Marketing yards so as to generate bare minimum plastic waste and promote use of bio-degradable items.
- Role of Farmers
Since time immemorial, farmers of India have been very innovative in protecting the soils. They have been practicing innovations like incorporating catch/cover crops, adding compost to the soils, adding green manure and green leaf manure before onset of monsoon. The need of the hour is to restore good rational systems back so that our soils are protected and health of the soil improves. The livelihoods of the farmers will be protected only as long as soil health is good.
Soil Information Services
- To place a comprehensive uniform soil and agricultural information system and Integration/Network/sharing of Soil date/Land use data/and relevant auxiliary data to make the system robust and useful for analytics as well as decision support.
- Enhance Capacities to use the information on GIS platforms and bring in Uniformity and harmonization of methods, measurements and indicators around soil health management (like soil sampling and testing, economics of land degradation, benefits and impacts of soil health in agriculture)
- Documentation and availability of indigenous soil health management practices/knowledge
Strategies
- In all watershed programs, soil health management shall be given top priority.
"Soil Health Cards will be updated once in 2 years and should be digitized ie Soil health status of the country should be on a mouse click. Soil health will be integral part of all natural resources management schemes and implementation.
"Heavy machinery suited to Indian soils and not deteriorating soil health will alone be encouraged as a part of mechanization.
"Encouraging integrated farming systems (IFS) and organic farming.
"Converting urban solid waste as a nutrient after thoroughly testing for residues and Encouraging practices enhancing levels of soil organic matter content at plot or farm level.
- Incentives for youth to establish soil health related enterprises at village level like bio-fertilizers units , compost/vermi-compost units, soil testing labs and recycling of agriculture waste and convert into organic matter
- Farmers undertaking Good Agriculture Practices (GAP), and maintaining good soil health will be given cash awards (DBT), by concern Gram Panchayat(5 farmers per Gram panchayat concern GP). Farmers who are maintaining good soil health by having cover crops, using compost and applying balanced doses of fertilizers will be considered for cash awards. The amount will be given through State Governments.
- Subsidies to be provided to seed companies to provide cover crop seed along with main crop seeds ie companies must promote System diversification & Legume integration.
Marketing of Carbon Credits
Suitable marketing institutes will be developed to integrate farmers to encash and sell carbon credits and ecosystem services developed by farmer.
Finance
Need based finances will be given to encourage farmers to avail institutional loans for improving the Soil Health of Indian Soils.
Read more from our brochure attached
Д-р. BRAJENDRA PARMAR