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    The Soil of a Nation

    Despite India’s progress in food production, widespread malnutrition persists due to poor soil health and micronutrient deficiencies. The editorial emphasizes the urgent need for science-based soil nutrient management to improve crop nutrition, reduce nutrient imbalances, and address public health challenges linked to undernutrition.

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    Context

    • Despite India’s progress in food production and poverty reduction, malnutrition remains widespread. The editorial argues that poor soil health, especially micronutrient deficiencies—directly contributes to poor crop nutrition and, consequently, human undernutrition. The need of the hour is a shift towards scientific soil nutrient management as a public health and agricultural imperative.

    Background

    • India transitioned from “ship-to-mouth” dependence (PL-480 food aid in the 1960s) to becoming the world’s largest rice exporter in 2024-25 (20.2 MT out of 61 MT global market). 
    • PM Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) provides free food grains to over 800 million citizens. 
    • Food security today requires more than calories — nutritional security is now a public health imperative. 
    • NFHS-5 (2019–21) highlights continued malnutrition: 35.5% stunted 
    • 32.1% underweight
    • 19.3% wasted (children under five).

    Challenges Highlighted 

    • Soil Micronutrient Deficiency: Poor soil health = poor crop nutrient content = human malnutrition. 
    • Zinc deficiency in soils → low zinc in cereals → childhood stunting.
    • Alarming Soil Health Data (2024) (Soil Health Card Scheme): <5% soils have sufficient Nitrogen (N).
    • 40% sufficient in Phosphate (P) 
    • 32% in Potash (K)
    • Only 20% have adequate Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) 
    • Widespread Nutrient Imbalances: 
    • Punjab: N overused by 61%, P underused by 8%, K underused by 89%
    • Telangana: N overused by 54%, P underused by 13%, K underused by 82% 
    • Pollution and Resource Wastage: Only 35–40% of granular urea is utilised, rest lost to atmosphere (N₂O – 273x more potent than CO₂) or leaches into groundwater. Urea diversion to non-agricultural use and smuggling to neighbours.

    Way Forward

    • Paradigm Shift in Soil and Nutrition Management: India must transition from indiscriminate fertiliser use to tailored and science-based soil nutrition management.
    • Focus on Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) Restoration: Improve SOC levels, a critical indicator of soil health that governs its physical, chemical, and biological properties.
    • Correct Fertiliser Imbalance: Address the overuse of nitrogen (N) and underuse of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), which is evident across states like Punjab and Telangana.
    • Improve Nutrient Use Efficiency: Move away from the excessive application of granular urea, which leads to nitrogen loss to the atmosphere and groundwater. This would reduce nitrous oxide emissions, a greenhouse gas 273 times more potent than CO₂, and prevent groundwater nitrate contamination. 
    • Promote Collaborative Solutions: Support initiatives like the ICRIER–OCP Nutricrops collaboration, which aims to develop region-specific, data-driven soil nutrition solutions.
    • Reframe Soil Health as a Public Health Imperative: Recognise that healthy soils produce nutritious food, making soil management not just an agricultural issue but a public health necessity.
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