Issues Related to the Soil Health Card Scheme
- Many farmers are unable to understand the information, making it impossible for them to implement the suggested procedures.
- Some significant indications, such as crop history, water availability (soil moisture), slope, depth, color, bulk density, and microbiological activity, are not included.
- Lack of equipment for soil testing.
- Only soil color is listed among physical and biological characteristics in the soil health card, which is primarily focused on chemical nutrient indicators.
- Although necessary, SHC lacks microbial activity and moisture retention activity.
- Agriculture extension agents and farmers lack coordination.
- The quantity of soil samples per unit area is not dependent on the variability of the soil.
Soil Health Card Scheme
A program of the Government of India known as the Soil Health Card Scheme (SHCS) is promoted by the Department of Agriculture & Co-operation within the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. All-State and Union Territory Governments’ Departments of Agriculture are in charge of carrying it out. The soil health card (SHC) program was launched by the government of agriculture on December 5th, 2015.
All farmers in the nation will receive SHC at intervals of three years, allowing them to apply prescribed fertilizer doses based on the results of soil tests and achieve enhanced and sustained soil health and fertility, reduced costs, and increased profits. An SHC is designed to provide each farmer with the soil nutrient status of his or her holding and provide advice on the amount of fertilizer and other soil amendments that are required to be applied in order to sustain soil health over the long term.
A field-specific detailed report on the soil fertility status and other significant soil characteristics that influence crop productivity is called a “soil health card.” It is a report related to 12 nutrients: pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Organic Carbon (OC), Potassium (K), Sulphur (S), Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Zinc (Zn), Boron (B), and Copper (Cu) of farm holdings.