A third of India’s soil was degraded, and this could cast a shadow on the sustainability of agriculture in near future.
Land degradation is posing a major threat to India’s food and environmental security, resulting from the loss in the biological or productive capacity of soil. These views were expressed by agriculture and soil experts at a seminar organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, a United Nations agency, to mark International Soils Day here on Friday.
FAO representative in India Shyam Khadka said: “Land degradation, mainly caused by natural processes like wind or rain, is often exacerbated by human activity like deforestation and urbanisation. It is closely intertwined with climate change and biodiversity loss.”
According to estimates of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (2010), of the total geographical area of 328.73 mha, about 120.40 mha is affected by various levels of land degradation.
Experts said that as water and wind erosions were widespread across India, some 5.3 billion tonnes of soil got eroded every year. Of this, 29 per cent was permanently lost to the sea, 10 per cent was deposited in reservoirs, reducing their storage capacity, and the rest 61 per cent got shifted from one place to another. Excessive use of chemical fertilisers, especially in the north-western parts of the country, was one of the major reasons for soil degradation.
In addition, imbalanced nutrient application, injudicious use of pesticides, intensive cropping system, decline in soil biodiversity and depletion of organic matter in soil were some areas of concern requiring urgent attention, experts said.
R.B. Singh, Chancellor of Central Agriculture University, cautioned that by 2050, the world would have 9.6 billion people and most of the “bulge” would come from India, China and South Asia. “Can we feed such a large population that will need 60 per cent more food? The answer lies in the quality of our soils,” he said.
FAO assistant director-general Kundhavi Kadiresan called for greater awareness of soils as it had a direct bearing on food security. “We need an integrated management approach that links policies and programmes to farmers,” she said. Agricultural practices should be managed in such a way that they preserved the soil and not degrade it, she said.
Ajay Jakhar, chairman of the Bharat Krishak Samaj, blamed scientists for having failed the farmer. “They have not been able to convince policymakers of the gravity of today’s soil health and its consequences.”