India’s agricultural foundation is under growing pressure, with the very soil that feeds the nation losing its strength and vitality. According to the FAO’s 2024 report, nearly 32 per cent of India’s total land is now degraded, and 25 per cent faces desertification.
At the same time, Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) which is essential for nutrient cycling, water retention, and soil life has dropped from around 2–3 per cent to just 0.4–0.7 per cent in large areas over the last seven decades. This sharp decline in soil health is silently undermining crop yields, farmer incomes, and our ability to adapt to climate shocks. If left unaddressed, it could disrupt the country’s food security and weaken rural resilience for years to come.
Soil degradation is no longer limited to a few regions. Nearly 30 per cent of India’s land about 115–120 million hectares is now classified as degraded. In 2019–20, approximately 44 per cent of India’s soils were found deficient in organic carbon, indicating that over half of the cultivated land lacks sufficient organic matter.
Decades of intensive farming have focused heavily on chemical inputs and deep tillage. While these methods brought short-term gains, they have severely harmed long-term soil health. Continuous use of chemical fertilizers, excessive irrigation, and neglect of natural soil-building methods have stripped the land of its organic richness and microbial life.
