About Soil Health Card Scheme
- Origin: Launched in 2015 by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
- Objective: Assist States to issue SHC to all farmers in the country, Strengthen Soil testing labs, enhance nutrient use efficiency.
- SHC: Provides farmers with soil nutrient status and recommended nutrient doses to improve soil health and fertility.
- It is issued every 2 years and indicates soil status across 12 parameters.
- N (Nitrogen), P (Phosphorus), K (Potassium) [Macro-nutrients]; S (Sulphur) [Secondary- nutrient]; Zn (Zinc), Fe (Iron), Cu (Copper), Mn (Manganese), Bo (Boron) [Micro – nutrients]; and pH, EC (Electrical Conductivity) and OC (Organic Carbon).
Other initiatives taken for Soil Health Management
- Reclamation of Problem Soils Scheme under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana: Reclaims alkali, saline, and acid soils through soil amendments, drainage improvement, and salt-tolerant crop varieties.
- National Mission on Natural Farming: Promotes nature-based farming systems to improve soil organic carbon and reduce input costs
- Geospatial Soil Mapping: Implemented by Soil and Land Use Survey of India to create high-resolution soil profile maps to assist in village-level land use planning.
- Others: Nutrient Based Subsidy, 100% neem coated Urea, National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, National Mission for a Green India, etc.
Need for Soil Health management
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