What Is Soil Health And Why Is Its Conservation Important?

Every year, World Soil Day on December 5th marks the importance of soils and reminds us that healthy soil is critical to human & animal health and for achieving sustainable development goals.

Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy and will probably remain so for a long time. Healthy soil is the foundation of productive, sustainable agriculture. Managing for soil health allows farm owners to work with the land – not against – to reduce erosion, maximise water infiltration, improve nutrient cycling, save money on inputs, and ultimately improve the resilience of their working land.

Soils provide ecosystem services critical for life: soil acts as a water filter and a growing medium; provides habitat for billions of organisms, contributing to biodiversity; and supplies most of the antibiotics used to fight diseases.

Soil health is also fundamental for healthy food production. It provides essential nutrients, water, oxygen, and support to the roots, all elements that favour the growth and development of plants for food production. Another important aspect is that when soil is healthy, it contributes to mitigate climate change by keeping or increasing soil organic carbon.

Given that the average soil organic carbon (SOC) content is around 0.54%, the majority of Indian soils are low in major and micronutrients. Large-scale soil testing in farmers’ fields suggests that more than 70% of soils suffer either from soil acidity or soil alkalinity. With about 29% of the total geographical area under the process of land degradation, deficiency of several plant nutrients is showing malnutrition in Indian populations.

Over the last decade, there have been ambitious Government programs such as the National Soil Health Card mission and a rapidly changing agricultural research ecosystem to promote smart sensing, robotics, remote sensing, to name a few. The realisation that farmers are to be associated with soil research and development, as is done in the Soil Health Card mission and public-private partnership such as Bhoochetna, sets in a new trend to enable the country and its citizens to be self-reliant.

It is extremely important to preserve soils and to start a global cultural movement which returns to soils the primary importance they deserve.

All of us associated with agriculture should contribute in restoring soil health.

Our company name “Urvara” means fertile soil, and the Urvara Krsi team is committed to working with farmers on restoring farm health for sustainable agriculture.

Urvara Krsi

Urvara Krsi promotes sustainable and environment-conscious cultivation of niche agricultural crops and agroforestry. We engage in the production & supply of high-quality planting stock and technology to farmers, and are a leading agricultural raw material provider to agro-based industries.

Incorporated in 2019, Urvara Krsi currently operates in four states of India: Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. We have three (3) main Business verticals, viz. Commercial Agroforestry, Cultivation of Agricultural crops in contract farming models, and Agricultural Consultancy.

Through our B2B consultancy services, we cater to companies looking to enhance their farmer network, strengthen their R&D, and experiment with new crops and geographies by enabling clients to collaborate closely with local communities to identify new crops, launch pilot projects, and set up dedicated, cost-effective cultivation programs.

Urvara Krsi acts as the opportunity bridge between small-holder farmers and industrial buyers exploring new geographies with backward linkages through farmers’ networks.

To partner with Urvara Krsi, or to learn more about what we do, please Contact Us.