A new initiative is underway in Karnataka to increase soil fertility and protection—focusing on sugarcane, but extendable to a wider range of crops. It involves reusing sugarcane waste and residues instead of burning them. Incinerating the waste destroys fertility, kills microorganisms essential for soil health, increases air pollution, and harms the environment. At least 3,000 hectares of farmland across five Karnataka districts have been selected for the initiative that includes training farmers in composting techniques to transform residues into organic manure.
Using agricultural waste-based organic compost not only supports microbial activity in the soil, but also improves its water efficiency, fertility, and reduces weed control expenses and dependence on chemical fertilisers. Mineralisation of organic matter in the soil helps increase the availability of phosphorus, a vital nutrient for plant growth and reproduction. Phosphorus is crucial for photosynthesis, energy transfer, and DNA synthesis in plants, and promotes robust root development, improves crop yields, and helps tolerate environmental stress like drought and salinity.
Earlier this month, International Union for Conservation of Nature, the global conservation agency, adopted a landmark motion to pave the way for the world’s first model legal framework for soil protection. The IUCN will constitute a working group to develop the concepts and parameters for an international convention that would create the model law; it would then be hopefully integrated it into the national frameworks of IUCN’s 88 member nations including India. This soil security law is expected to act as a catalyst for nations to integrate soil protection measures with their agricultural, climate, and restoration frameworks.
This is the right time for the Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change, the state agriculture departments, and field experts to come together and exploit the opportunity offered by the twin initiatives unfolding in India and abroad—both of which aim to improve soil health, agriculture, and the quality and quantity of crop output. Pursuing safe practices for improving soil health by using organic waste and crop residues will undeniably yield bonuses. For one, it will lead to a significant reduction in stubble burning, which has drastically increased air pollution—across North India in general and around Delhi in particular. In the longer run, it will give a hefty boost to food security and benefit farmers through reduced production costs. It indeed would be an important win for all.