Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme is a scheme under Government of India promoted by the Department of Agriculture & Co-operation under the  Ministry of Agriculture. It will be implemented through the Department of Agriculture of all the State and Union Territory Governments.

SHC is a printed report that a farmer gets for each of his holdings. It will define the status of soil with respect to 12 parameters namely

• Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Pottasium (Macro-nutrients) ;
• Sulphur (Secondary nutrient) ; Zinc, Iron, Copper, Manganese, Boron (Micro – nutrients) ; and
• pH Acidity/ Alkalinity/ Neutrality), Electrical Conductivity, Organic Carbon (Physical parameters).

Based on this, the SHC will also indicate fertilizer recommendations and soil amendment required for the farm in the long run.

Background 

Soil testing programme started in India in the year 1955-56 with the setting up of 16 Soil Testing Laboratories (STLs) under “Determination of Soil Fertility and Fertilizer Use” programme.

In 2012-13, the soil analyzing capacity in the country was 128.31 lakh soil samples per annum. The soil testing facility is provided by State Governments to the farmers free of cost or with some nominal fee. Government of India has been promoting integrated nutrient management (INM) i.e. balanced and judicious use of chemical fertilizers, along with bio fertilizers and locally available organic manures based on soil testing to maintain soil health and crop productivity.

Soil Testing Programmes are also being implemented through National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).

Tamil Nadu has started issuing soil health cards from the year 2006 onwards. There are 30 Soil Testing Laboratories (STLs) and 18 Mobile Soil Testing Laboratories functioning in the State.

However, no uniform norms were followed in the country for soil analysis and distribution of such information before the issue of Soil Health Cards. Further, these initiatives were sporadic & random and therefore did not cover all the farmers within a particular time cycle. 

Key Features of the Soil Health Card Scheme

•  The government is planning to cover as many as all farmers under the scheme.
• In the form of soil card, the farmers will get a report and this report will contain all the details about the soil of their particular farm.
• A farmer will get the soil card once in every 3 years.

How soil health cards are Prepared ?!

Soil Samples will be collected by a trained person from a depth of 15-20 cm by cutting the soil in a “V” shape. It will be collected from four corners and the center of the field and mixed thoroughly and a part of this will be picked up as a sample. Areas with shade will be avoided. The sample chosen will be bagged and coded. It will then be transferred to Soil Test Laboratory (STL)for analysis.

The soil sample will be tested as per the approved standards for all the agreed 12 parameters at the STLs owned by the Department of Agriculture and by their own staff or at the STLs owned by the Department of Agriculture but by the staff of the outsourced agency or at the STLs owned by the outsourced agency and by their staff or at ICAR Institutions including KVKs and SAUs or at the laboratories of the Science Colleges/ Universities by the students under supervision of a Professor/ Scientist.

Benefits of the Soil Health Card Scheme

The authorities will monitor the soil on a regular basis. Once in every 3 years, they will provide a report to farmers. So, farmers need not worry if the nature of the soil changes due to certain factors. Also, they will always have updated data about their soil.

The work of the government does not stop at listing down measures required to improve the quality of the soil. In fact, they will also employ experts to help farmers in carrying out the corrective measures.

Farmers can study the soil management practices. Accordingly, they can plan the future of their crops and land.

Generally, in government schemes, various personal are involved in delivery of service for a particular farmer. But in the Soil Health Card Scheme, the government is paying attention that the same person carries out soil analysis for a farmer. This will further enhance the effectiveness of the scheme.

The soil card will give the farmers a proper idea of which nutrients their soil is lacking. And hence, which crops they should invest in. they will also tell which fertilizers they need. So, ultimately, the crop yield will improve.

The main aim behind the scheme was to find out the type of particular soil. And then provide ways in which we can improve it. Even if a soil has some limitations, we can do something to get the most out of it. And that is what the government is trying to do with the help of this scheme.

Source: soilhealth.dac.gov.in ; Compiled by Dharani