The interrelationship between soil health and water resources in Indian agriculture

Indian agriculture has achieved success in ensuring food security, yet climate change, soil depletion, and water pollution require a new assessment of the industry's efficiency. Environmental damage turns into an economic burden for farmers, increasing production costs. The scale of the problem is confirmed by the nationwide ICAR assessment, which covered over 2.5 lakh soil samples from more than 600 districts. The study revealed a reduction of organic carbon in arable lands due to rising temperatures and imbalanced fertilizer application skewed towards phosphorus and urea. Low levels of organic carbon lead to micronutrient deficiencies, which reduces yield and the nutritional value of production.

The condition of the soil, crop, and water resources is closely linked. Intensive farming and excess chemicals worsen soil structure, reduce its water-holding capacity, and lead to the degradation of groundwater. Rising costs for fertilizers and pesticides become the economic consequence of this biological decline. Nutrients runoff from fields cause eutrophication of water bodies, and contaminated water for irrigation harms crops and soil. At the same time, wastewater used for irrigation, when improperly controlled, returns salts and pollutants to the soil.

Sustainable agriculture requires an integrated approach to soil management and water resource conservation. Biological methods, beneficial microorganisms, and balanced plant nutrition are able to maintain soil fertility and reduce the need for excessive agrochemicals, while microbiological and algal rehabilitation can help purify water. Such measures require preliminary testing and monitoring.

The authors of the initiative emphasize the need for regular soil and water testing through the Soil Health Card system and accessible local laboratories. It is proposed to evaluate the success of agriculture not only by harvest volumes, but also by the level of organic matter in the soil, its acidity, salinity, micronutrient status, microbial activity, as well as by the quality of irrigation water and runoff indicators.