Model Answer

Indian agriculture has witnessed excessive and imbalanced use of chemical fertilizers, particularly urea, leading to declining soil fertility, micronutrient deficiencies, groundwater contamination, and ecological degradation. In this context, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research launched the Khet Bachao Abhiyan to promote soil test-based nutrient management and sustainable farming practices across the country.

Significance of Khet Bachao Abhiyan

1. Promotes Balanced Fertilizer Use

The campaign encourages farmers to apply fertilizers according to soil requirements rather than indiscriminate usage. This helps in maintaining proper NPK balance and improving nutrient efficiency.

2. Improves Soil Health and Fertility

Through awareness regarding organic manure, green manuring, and bio-fertilizers, the initiative helps restore soil organic carbon and microbial activity, which are essential for long-term agricultural sustainability.

3. Encourages Scientific Agriculture

The programme emphasizes soil testing and evidence-based nutrient management, thereby integrating scientific knowledge into farming practices. It supports precision agriculture and efficient resource utilization.

4. Reduces Environmental Degradation

Excessive fertilizer usage contributes to groundwater pollution, eutrophication, and greenhouse gas emissions such as nitrous oxide. Balanced nutrient management reduces these environmental risks and supports climate-resilient agriculture.

5. Enhances Farmers’ Awareness and Capacity

Under the campaign:

More than 12,979 awareness camps and seminars were organized. Around 7.17 lakh farmers were directly engaged. Over 3,145 training programmes and 7,928 field demonstrations were conducted.

This large-scale outreach improved farmers’ understanding of sustainable nutrient practices.

6. Supports Sustainable Agricultural Productivity

Healthy soils ensure stable crop yields, better water retention, and resilience against climatic stress, thereby contributing to food security and sustainable rural livelihoods.

Challenges in Promoting Sustainable Nutrient Management

1. Excessive Dependence on Urea

India’s fertilizer subsidy structure heavily favors urea, leading to overconsumption and imbalance in nutrient application.

2. Low Awareness Among Farmers

Many small and marginal farmers lack knowledge regarding soil testing, micronutrients, and long-term consequences of chemical overuse.

3. Inadequate Soil Testing Infrastructure

Limited availability of soil testing laboratories and delays in generating soil health reports reduce the effectiveness of soil-based recommendations.

4. Economic Constraints

Organic manure, bio-fertilizers, and advanced nutrient management practices may involve higher initial costs and labor requirements, discouraging adoption by resource-poor farmers.

5. Fragmented Landholdings

Small landholdings make scientific nutrient management and mechanized sustainable practices difficult to implement uniformly.

6. Weak Extension Services

Agricultural extension systems often face shortages of trained personnel and inadequate last-mile connectivity in rural areas.

Way Forward Rationalize fertilizer subsidies to promote balanced nutrient application. Strengthen Soil Health Card implementation and digital soil mapping. Increase investment in bio-fertilizers and organic farming infrastructure. Expand agricultural extension services and farmer training programmes. Promote public-private partnerships and community-based awareness campaigns. Conclusion

The Khet Bachao Abhiyan is an important step toward sustainable agriculture by promoting scientific fertilizer use and restoring soil health. However, achieving long-term success requires institutional support, behavioral change among farmers, and integrated policy reforms to ensure environmentally sustainable and productive agriculture in India.