Khet Bachaao Abhiyaan 2026: (Glimpses, Achievements and Outreach)

Agriculture has always occupied a central place in India’s socio-economic development, contributing signif cantly to food and nutritional security, employment generation, rural livelihoods, and national economic growth. The remarkable achievements of Indian agriculture over the past several decades have transformed the country from a food-def cit nation into one of the world’s leading agricultural producers. However, sustaining these achievements under rapidly changing environmental, climatic, and socio-economic conditions has emerged as one of the greatest challenges before the agricultural sector.

The increasing frequency of climate variability, degradation of natural resources, shrinking landholdings, declining prof tability, and rising costs of cultivation have collectively placed unprecedented pressure on agricultural production systems. Among these challenges, the deterioration of soil health has become one of the most serious threats to the long-term sustainability of Indian agriculture. Healthy soils constitute the foundation of productive, resilient, and environmentally sustainable farming systems. They not only supply essential nutrients to crops but also regulate water availability, support benef cial soil microorganisms, improve carbon sequestration, and enhance resilience against climatic stresses. Yet, continuous nutrient mining, declining soil organic carbon, imbalanced fertilizer application, and inadequate replenishment of secondary and micronutrients have progressively weakened the productive capacity of agricultural soils across many parts of the country. 

The extensive dependence on nitrogenous fertilizers and Diammonium Phosphate (DAP), often without adequate soil testing or balanced nutrient management, has further aggravated soil degradation. Ineff cient fertilizer use has increased cultivation costs while reducing nutrient use eff ciency and adversely affecting environmental quality. Simultaneously, the increasing occurrence of droughts, erratic rainfall, heat stress, and other climate-induced challenges has intensif ed the need for integrated approaches that combine scientif c nutrient management with climate-resilient agricultural practices. These realities necessitate a paradigm shift from input-intensive agriculture towards sustainable soil health management based on scientif c principles and informed decision-making.