Khet Bachaao Abhiyaan-Rabi 2026 Campaign Launch
The Government of India has launched the Khet Bachaao Abhiyaan-Rabi 2026, a nationwide campaign running from 22 October to 30 November 2026 under the theme "Soil Health and Sustainable Agriculture." The campaign aims to promote balanced fertiliser use, improve soil health, and encourage sustainable agricultural practices across 34 States and Union Territories, covering over 700 districts and 50,000 villages while targeting approximately 50 lakh farmers.
Campaign Objectives and Focus Areas
The campaign focuses on seven key objectives: promoting balanced nutrient management through General Fertiliser Recommendations and the 4R Principle (Right source, Right rate, Right time, Right place); encouraging natural farming adoption; implementing Integrated Nutrient Management using organic and biological inputs; managing crop residue to discourage burning in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh; strengthening oilseed and pulse production through crop diversification; implementing climate-resilient agriculture in drought-affected areas of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan; and creating awareness about government agricultural schemes while promoting Integrated Pest Management and pesticide stewardship.
Implementation Structure and Institutional Roles
The campaign employs a convergence-based approach involving 4,150 teams from KVKs and ATMA, supported by over 12,000 scientists and ATMA functionaries. State/UT Departments of Agriculture are responsible for campaign planning and implementation, while ATMA and district agriculture administration coordinate activities at grassroots levels. ICAR institutes, ATARIs, KVKs, and agricultural universities provide technical guidance and location-specific recommendations. The initiative also involves other state departments, Farmer Producer Organisations, Self-Help Groups, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, and media partners for comprehensive outreach.
Outreach and Capacity Building Targets
The campaign envisages substantial field activities including 5,650 awareness programs targeting 28.25 lakh farmers, 11,750 training programs for 4.70 lakh farmers covering INM, CRM, natural farming, and improved oilseed/pulse production practices. Additionally, 50,000 field demonstrations (40,000 by KVKs and 10,000 by ICAR institutes) will showcase green ammonia, crop residue management, and integrated pest management to approximately 10 lakh farmers. Field days, harvest events, and exposure visits targeting 125 farmers per activity aim to reach another 10 lakh farmers through the "Seeing is Believing" approach.
Digital Outreach and Scheme Connectivity
The campaign projects significant digital outreach with social media targeting 1.5 crore farmers and overall digital expansion to 2.5 crore through WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and other platforms. It also facilitates farmer connectivity with government schemes including PM-KISAN, Soil Health Cards, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana crop insurance, and Kisan Credit Card saturation drives for institutional credit access.
Previous Campaign Performance
The Kharif 2026 edition (1-30 June 2026) achieved significant results with 1,657 multidisciplinary teams conducting over 1.34 lakh awareness events reaching 92.44 lakh farmers, 6,685 training sessions on green manuring and bio-fertilisers benefiting 4.94 lakh farmers, 3,167 field demonstrations, and 4,779 interactive programs. The campaign directly reached approximately 1.07 crore farmers and stakeholders with social media outreach covering about 4.5 crore citizens.
Technical Components and Sustainable Practices
The campaign emphasizes technical interventions such as using dhaincha (Sesbania sp.) which can contribute 50-60 kg of nitrogen per hectare (equivalent to 110-130 kg urea) and summer green gram contributing 25-30 kg nitrogen per hectare (equivalent to 55-65 kg urea) to reduce fertiliser requirements while improving soil organic matter. These practices are part of the broader sustainable agriculture approach supporting SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).