Soil Health Awareness: Soil Science at Doorsteps of the Farmers

Rainfed semi arid tropics (SAT) are hot spots of poverty and malnutrition, and population explosion is further aggravating the problem. Out of 852 million hungry and malnutritioned poor worldwide, 221 million are in India. Attaining food and nutritional security for these regions is a big challenge particularly in view of climate change which is expected to hit hard again these areas. Poor soil health in addition to water scarcity, largely due to mining of soil nutrients and inappropriate nutrient management options adopted by the farmers, is a major constraint leading to sub optimal crop yields (1-1.5 t ha•') and lower economic returns inspite of existing potential (2.5-7.0 t ha•' ). Poor soil health is also responsible to low water use efficiency due to limiting nutrients and exhausted C. Now, there exists a vicious poverty-food security-land degradation nexus in which a farmer is trapped.....