A living soil ecosystem nurtures and nourishes plants by providing a healthy medium to take roots through a steady supply of nutrients. Use of chemical fertilisers disturbs the natural soil ecosystem and its indiscriminate use has resulted in the degradation of soil. A total neglect of ecological/organic fertilisation by policy makers, extension officers and farmers during the peak Green Revolution period has also added to the soil health crisis.
This report pools together scientific literature as well as farmers’ views on this issues as many a times, while studying issues related to soil health or while making policies related to it, the farmer, who is the most important stakeholder, is seldom consulted. The report has made an effort to rectify this grave inadequacy by including the farmer's perspectives in the academic processes like the social surveys, public hearings and workshops and in this final report. Every section of the report has a component from the existing scientific literature available and another one on the farmers’ opinion on the same area.
The report, in the first and the second chapters attempts to define a living and healthy soil and lists down the vital indicators for healthy soil. This is followed by a chapter on the need for ecological fertilisation of the soil. The fourth chapter looks at the current situation of intensive synthetic fertiliser use and its impact on soil quality in the Indian context.
The fifth chapter critically analyses the central government policies and schemes on soil health management in the light of this understanding. The sixth chapter discusses the a way forward and includes a compilation of the recommendations from public hearings in the five states where the social audits were conducted and also the recommendations from the National Workshop held in New Delhi on 13th December, 2010.
The report is divided into the following chapters:
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