The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare detailed various measures to prevent soil degradation and promote judicious use of fertilizers, manures, and herbicides in a written reply to Lok Sabha. Under the Soil Health & Fertility Scheme implemented since 2014-15, the government has generated and issued 26.09 crore Soil Health Cards that provide nutrient status of soil and crop-wise fertilizer recommendations to enhance productivity and reduce cultivation costs. The program has included 130,627 farmer trainings, 7.17 lakh demonstrations, and 7,425 farmer melas/campaigns on soil health card recommendations across the country.
The National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), approved by the Union Cabinet on 25 November 2024, promotes chemical-free, nature-based farming practices using on-farm inputs, with 23.13 lakh farmers registered and 11.44 lakh hectares covered. The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, operational since 1985, is promoted through 48 Central Integrated Pest Management Centres across 28 States and 2 UTs, training farmers through Farmer Field Schools, 2-day HRD programmes, and pesticide awareness programmes.
During the current Kharif Season 2026, a special awareness Campaign and Khet Bachao Abhiyan on balanced fertilizer use conducted by DA&FW and ICAR achieved 2,94,554 programs covering 1,36,73,465 farmers, also educating them on Natural/Organic Farming, bio-inputs, and alternative fertilizers. The Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) implemented since 2015-16 has brought 18.93 lakh hectares under organic farming, benefiting 33.63 lakh farmers with end-to-end support covering production, processing, certification, and marketing.
The Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER) has brought 2.36 lakh hectares under organic farming in North Eastern States since 2015-16, benefiting 2.74 lakh farmers. The government promotes Soil Organic Carbon Enhancer Fermented Organic Manure (FOM)/Liquid Fermented Organic Manure (LFOM), with annual consumption of 3.36 LMT during 2024-25 and current Kharif Season (1.4.2026 to 16.7.2026) consumption of 11.86 LMT.
ICAR through Directorate of Weed Research, Jabalpur promotes sustainable Integrated Weed Management through research, demonstrations, capacity building, and extension programmes, while also analyzing herbicide residues in soil and food chain to suggest crop management practices.