Khet Bachao Abhiyan: ICAR Drive for Soil-Test-Based Fertiliser Use
Why in the news
ICAR reported progress of its save-the-farm campaign, which used training, field demonstrations and multi-platform outreach to reach more than 2.7 crore people in May 2026.
Key facts
- Lead agency: ICAR, under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Agriculture Ministry.
- Problem addressed: heavy use of chemical fertilisers, especially urea, harming soil health, unbalancing nutrients and polluting groundwater.
- Subsidy bill: about Rs 2 lakh crore a year, much of it lost to inefficient use.
- Aims: soil-test-based nutrient management, less reliance on chemical fertilisers, better fertility and environmentally responsible farming.
Practices promoted
| Practice | Detail |
|---|---|
| Green manuring | Ploughing in leguminous crops such as dhaincha and sunhemp for nitrogen and organic matter |
| Bio-fertilisers | Rhizobium, Azotobacter, phosphate-solubilising bacteria |
| Organic sources | Compost, vermicompost, farmyard manure |
| Soil-test advice | Recommendations in place of blanket doses |
Linked policies
- Soil Health Card scheme (2015): soil testing and crop-wise nutrient advice.
- PM-PRANAM (2023): Chemicals and Fertilizers Ministry shares subsidy savings with states that cut chemical fertiliser use.
- Dalhan Aatmanirbharta Mission (October 2025): pulse self-sufficiency; pulses fix nitrogen.
Background
- ICAR: autonomous body under DARE; founded 1929 as the Imperial Council of Agricultural Research; headquarters New Delhi; about 113 institutes, 74 agricultural universities and 731 KVKs.
- Integrated Nutrient Management: mixing chemical fertilisers, manures, bio-fertilisers and residues according to soil tests.
- Urea overuse: it is the cheapest and most subsidised nutrient, skewing the N:P:K ratio against the ideal 4:2:1.
- Krishi Vigyan Kendra: district farm science centre that demonstrates technology and trains farmers.
Exam angle
- It is an awareness and extension campaign, not a subsidy scheme; the incentive comes via PM-PRANAM.
- Ideal N:P:K ratio: 4:2:1.
- Soil health and fertiliser policy are frequent ARD topics.