India needs to urgently restore the health of its soils to improve crop health and human nutrition through a combination of approaches, including policies for rationalising fertiliser pricing, a new paper said. It also called for the development of precise, customised and site-specific fertilisation solutions, complemented by appropriate agronomic practices.
The paper, which forms part of an ICRIER policy brief, has been written by agriculture economists Ashok Gulati, Sachchida Nand, Ritika Juneja and Bishwabara Sahu. It called for a paradigm shift anchored in the three Ps — policy, products and practices.
It said a policy shift towards rational fertiliser pricing and targeted support to farmers can catalyse the development and adoption of precise, customised and site-specific fertilisation solutions, underpinned by rigorous research and development, soil diagnostics and crop-specific nutrient requirements.
These products, when complemented by appropriate agronomic practices, can restore soil biological, chemical and physical health.
“Only when soils are adequately nourished can they consistently produce food that sustains health rather than merely alleviates hunger. Ensuring healthy soils is therefore not just an agricultural priority, but a public health imperative critical to India’s long-term development,” the paper said.
