Soil Conservation, Meaning, Methods, Government Initiatives

Soil is a finite natural resource that forms the foundation of food security, ecosystems, and climate resilience. In India, nearly 37% of land faces varying degrees of soil erosion, directly threatening agricultural productivity and livelihoods. Every year, about 5.3 billion tonnes of soil are lost due to water and wind erosion, reducing fertility, crop yields, and water-holding capacity. Soil degradation also increases vulnerability to floods, droughts, and climate change impacts, making soil conservation a national environmental and economic priority.

Soil Conservation

Soil conservation refers to the systematic management of soil to prevent erosion, nutrient depletion, salinisation and structural degradation while maintaining long term productivity. It includes physical, biological, agronomic and technological practices that protect topsoil and enhance soil health. In India, soil organic carbon has declined from 1% to 0.3% over 70 years which highlights urgent conservation needs. Effective soil conservation improves water retention, nutrient cycling, biodiversity, and climate resilience, directly supporting sustainable agriculture and environmental stability.

Soil Conservation Methods

Soil conservation methods integrate traditional knowledge, scientific practices, and modern technology to reduce erosion, improve fertility, and restore degraded lands. The key methods of Soil Conservation are listed below:

Terracing

Terracing converts steep slopes into step-like fields, reducing runoff velocity, preventing soil erosion, increasing water retention, and enabling cultivation in hilly regions such as the Himalayas and Western Ghats.

Contour Ploughing

Ploughing along contour lines reduces surface runoff, enhances infiltration, and lowers soil erosion by 10-50%, especially effective in gently sloping rainfed agricultural landscapes.

Strip Cropping

Alternating strips of erosion-prone crops with soil-binding crops breaks wind and water flow, reduces erosion, improves soil structure, and stabilises yields in semi-arid and sloping areas.

Gully Plugging

Small check structures like brushwood dams and loose boulder barriers stabilise gullies, slow water flow, trap sediments, and prevent further land degradation during intense rainfall events.

Afforestation

Planting trees increases root binding, improves soil organic matter, reduces surface runoff, enhances infiltration, and significantly lowers erosion rates in degraded catchments and upland watersheds.

Windbreaks and Shelterbelts

Rows of trees and shrubs reduce wind speed, protect topsoil from erosion, improve microclimate, and are highly effective in arid and semi-arid regions like Rajasthan.

Cover Cropping

Growing legumes or grasses between main crops keeps soil covered, prevents erosion, enhances nitrogen fixation, improves microbial activity, and increases soil organic carbon content naturally.

Crop Rotation

Systematic rotation of crops prevents nutrient depletion, breaks pest cycles, enhances soil structure, and improves fertility by alternating deep-rooted and shallow-rooted crops.

Agroforestry

Integrating trees with crops and livestock improves soil stability, increases organic matter, enhances biodiversity, and provides long-term economic and ecological benefits to farming systems.

Biochar Application

Biochar enhances soil carbon storage, improves nutrient retention, increases water-holding capacity, and supports microbial activity, making soils more resilient to drought and nutrient loss.

Biofertilisers

Use of microbial inoculants like Rhizobium and Azotobacter enhances nutrient availability, reduces chemical fertiliser dependency, and improves soil biological health without structural degradation.

No-Till Farming

Minimal soil disturbance preserves soil structure, reduces erosion, improves moisture retention, increases organic matter accumulation, and lowers fuel and labour costs in agriculture.

Keyline Design

Landscape-level contour planning redistributes water evenly across fields, reduces runoff concentration, enhances soil moisture storage, and improves productivity in rainfed farming systems.

Salinity Management

Application of gypsum, organic matter, and improved drainage reclaims salt-affected soils, restoring productivity across nearly 8 million hectares of degraded agricultural land.

Organic Amendments

Addition of compost, farmyard manure, and green manure improves soil aggregation, enhances nutrient cycling, increases water retention, and restores long-term soil fertility.

Soil pH Correction

Liming acidic soils or applying sulphur in alkaline soils optimises nutrient availability, enhances root growth, and improves microbial activity essential for healthy soil functioning.

Precision Agriculture

Use of GPS, sensors, and drones enables site-specific nutrient and water application, reducing wastage, preventing soil degradation, and improving overall soil use efficiency.

Regenerative Agriculture

Practices like multi-species cover crops, reduced tillage, and livestock integration rebuild soil carbon, improve resilience, and restore degraded agricultural ecosystems sustainably.

Flood Control Measures

Check dams, embankments, and retention ponds reduce sediment loss, regulate water flow, prevent erosion during floods, and protect fertile topsoil in river basins.

Ravine Reclamation

Engineering structures combined with vegetation stabilise ravines like Chambal, preventing further erosion and converting degraded lands into productive agroforestry systems.

Other Measures

Other significant and widely used methods for the conservation of soil are:

• Mulching to reduce evaporation and surface erosion
• Integrated Nutrient Management for balanced soil fertility
• Check dams for sediment control
• Conservation agriculture practices
• Watershed-based land use planning
• Remote sensing for soil degradation monitoring
• Addition of minerals and soil organisms
• Reduced use of pesticides

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Soil Conservation Government Initiatives

The government has launched integrated schemes to address soil erosion, fertility loss, and sustainable land use nationwide.

• Soil Health Card Scheme (2015): This scheme provides farmers with soil test-based recommendations on nutrients and fertiliser use, improving soil fertility, reducing input costs, and preventing nutrient imbalance.
• National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA): NMSA promotes climate-resilient agricultural practices such as integrated nutrient management, soil moisture conservation, and agroforestry to enhance long-term soil productivity.
• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY): PKVY encourages organic farming through cluster-based approaches, increasing soil organic carbon, microbial activity, and reducing chemical degradation of soils.
• Neem-Coated Urea (2015): Neem coating slows nitrogen release, improves nitrogen-use efficiency, reduces soil pollution, and prevents excessive fertiliser application, supporting sustainable soil management.
• Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme (NBS): NBS promotes balanced fertiliser use by subsidising nutrients rather than products, helping correct soil nutrient deficiencies and prevent overuse of nitrogenous fertilisers.
• NABARD RIDF Scheme: The Rural Infrastructure Development Fund finances watershed projects, irrigation structures, and land development works that support soil erosion control and moisture retention.
• Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY): RKVY supports state-level soil conservation projects, including land reclamation, soil testing labs, and adoption of improved soil management technologies.
• National Policy for Management of Crop Residues (NPMCR): This policy promotes in-situ crop residue management to improve soil organic matter, reduce stubble burning, and enhance soil structure and nutrient cycling.
• Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP): IWMP adopts a ridge-to-valley approach for soil and water conservation through contour bunding, check dams, afforestation, and sustainable land-use planning.
• National Soil Policy (Draft): The draft policy aims to address soil degradation, desertification, and loss of fertility by promoting sustainable soil use, monitoring, and conservation frameworks.
• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA): It supports soil conservation through afforestation and water conservation measures.
• Role of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs): PRIs play a key role in planning, implementing, and monitoring local soil conservation activities, ensuring community participation and sustainable land management.

Soil Conservation Challenges

Soil conservation faces structural, economic, and governance challenges requiring coordinated solutions.

• High Soil Erosion Rates: In India, 3% land faces catastrophic erosion exceeding 100 tonnes per hectare annually and nearly 37% of land is degraded at minor level.
• Low Organic Carbon: Decline to 0.3% reduces fertility and water retention capacity.
• Water Mismanagement: Around 70% irrigation water wasted, causing salinity and waterlogging.
• Fragmented Landholdings: Average size of 1-1.21 hectare limits adoption of conservation technologies.
• Chemical Overuse: Excess fertilisers degrade soil biology and structure over time.
• Unsustainable Farming Practices: Excessive tillage, monocropping, and chemical fertilisers degrade soil structure, lower organic carbon levels, and reduce long-term soil resilience.
• Climate Change Impacts: Increased frequency of floods, droughts, and extreme rainfall accelerates soil erosion, nutrient loss, and desertification, especially in rainfed and coastal regions.
• Weak Implementation and Awareness: Limited farmer awareness, fragmented landholdings, and poor implementation of conservation schemes reduce adoption of scientific soil management practices.
• Urbanisation and Infrastructure Pressure: Rapid urban expansion, mining, roads, and industrial projects lead to irreversible topsoil loss and disrupt natural drainage and soil ecosystems.

Way Forward:

1. Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture: Encouraging crop rotation, cover cropping, agroforestry, and conservation tillage improves soil structure, organic carbon, and long-term productivity.
2. Integrated Watershed Management: Catchment-based planning with check dams, contour bunding, and afforestation reduces runoff, enhances groundwater recharge, and controls erosion.
3. Climate-Resilient Soil Practices: Adoption of drought-tolerant crops, mulching, biochar, and precision irrigation minimises climate risks and protects soil moisture and nutrients.
4. Policy Support and Incentives: Linking soil conservation with MSP, carbon credits, and financial incentives motivates farmers to adopt eco-friendly soil management practices.
5. Awareness, Research, and Technology: Expanding soil health card coverage, digital soil mapping, and farmer training ensures data-driven decisions and widespread adoption of conservation measures.