Page 46 - Putting Farmers First

SUSTAINABLE FARMING

AND SOIL HEALTH

Sustainable development is the consistent
focus of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
governance. Be it in industries or in farming,
he has always envisioned progress that is also
healthy for the environment and our future.

If the farmer’s future has to be secure,
governments must focus on sustainable
farming techniques. Consequently, organic
farming has received a never-before-
seen boost due to the policies of the
Modi government. A flagship initiative –
Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana - has been
making an important impact in this domain.

The root of farmers’ welfare is in the health
of soil. The government has run a Soil
Health Card scheme that has impacted
crores of farmers positively by helping them
understand the soil and its composition. This
helps them decide what to grow, how much
fertiliser to use, etc. Fertiliser availability
for farmers used to be a big issue because
of illegal diversion of urea to industries.
Farmers were made to wait in lines forever,
and frequently it even used to lead to law
and order issues because of lack of timely
availability. All that is history now, with the
introduction of 100% neem coated urea, a
seemingly small but revolutionary reform.

39 | Putting Farmers First