The Soil Health Card Scheme was released by the authorities of India on February 19, 2015, to issue ‘Soil cards’ to farmers. The Soil Health Card carries crop-clever suggestions of vitamins and fertilisers required for the person farms. The SHC’s goal was to assist farmers improve productivity by the really apt use of inputs. It is being carried out to all of the State and Union Territories through the Department of Agriculture, and it promotes sustainable agriculture.
What is a Soil Health Card Scheme (SHC)?
Soil Health Card Scheme is a central authority initiative promoted by the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
- Under the scheme, village-level soil testing labs can be mounted through the Women Self Help Groups, with children having knowledge of agriculture, FPOs, and so forth.
- The Soil Health Card Scheme will give each farmer a soil nutrient alert and help them to decide the dosage of fertilisers and alertness of soil amendments that are required to beautify the soil health ultimately.
- Currently, this scheme is being applied in all States and Union Territories.
- Additionally, Soil Health Card Scheme offers an analysis of soil composition by the country govt, once each 3 years. It will assist to take remedial measures to grow the overall soil nutrients.
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What is the Soil Health Card (SHC)?
The SHC is a health card that is given to the farmer after the test of his preserving(s). The assessment is made on the basis of 12 parameters that may be clubbed under categories so one can study to derive the circumstances of the soil. They are:
- Macronutrients
- Secondary- vitamins
- Micronutrients
- Physical parameters
The card may even teach the farmers at the nutrient reputation in their farm holdings and subsequently advise them on a way to improve the soil health, as an instance through premier fertiliser dosages, for the long term.
Objective of Soil Health Card Scheme?
Due to a loss of education, most farmers in India are unsure about the outcome of their cultivation. A Soil Health Card helps them understand the nutrient status of soil and the amount of fertilisers important to get the quality yield. This card is given to farmers once every year. The SHC scheme seems ahead in making soil testing facilities available at farmers’ doorsteps.
Features of the Soil Health Card Scheme
The features of the soil health card scheme are given below:
- In preference, soil samples are distributed 2 times a year, both whilst there’s no status crop in the discipline or after the harvest of the Rabi and Kharif vegetation, respectively.
- The soil health card can be issued to a farmer as soon as every three years.
- All regions of the state could be covered by this system.
- The employees of the state government’s branch of agriculture or that of a shrivelled business enterprise can be hired to accumulate samples.
- The farmers will obtain a report with all the information about the soil of their precise farm in the form of a soil health card.
Benefits of the Soil Health Card Scheme
Here, we tell you the benefits of this health card scheme for farmers
- Finding options for supplies has additionally benefited farmers.
- It has aided in the introduction of particular packages like government-backed micronutrients.
- After receiving SHC, farmers reduced their utilisation of N, P, and K, especially nitrogen, and expanded their use of micronutrients, which helped them improve fertility.
- Farmers can boost productivity by using SHC to enhance the condition of their soil.
- As many farmers as feasible might be covered by the program, according to the authorities.
How does the Soil Health Card Scheme 2022 work?
The SHC scheme involves a series of steps to determine the soil health and prepare the cardboard. Soil samples are generally drawn two times a year after the harvest of Kharif and Rabi plants or when there aren’t any status crops on the land. Here’s how the scheme works:
- The samples are collected through the state governments by the Department of Agriculture staff using GPS tools and sales maps. They are drawn by reducing the soil to a depth of 15-20 cm in a V-shape.
- The amassed pattern is coded, bagged, and released to the soil testing laboratory to know its health popularity. The trying-out laboratories are static or in the form of vehicles, so that trying out may be accomplished in remote places as well.
- The laboratory specialists decide the supply and deficiency of vitamins in the soil.
- A soil health card report is generated based on the findings. If there are deficiencies in the soil, the specialists provide pointers for corrective measures.
- Farmers can access and print the document from the soil health card portal.
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Eligibility for Soil Health Card Scheme
The Eligibility standards for Soil Health Card Scheme is not described. All the farmers can check in for this scheme. Here are vital documents
- Aadhar card
- Address proof
- Passbook copy
- Registration form
How to sign up for the Soil Health Card Scheme Online?
To follow for a Soil Health Card online, you may follow the steps below:
- Visit the official website of the Soil Health Card Scheme at soilhealth.Dac.Gov.In.
- Click on the ‘Login’ button and choose your country from the drop-down menu. Then, click on the ‘Continue’ or ‘Register New User’ choice.
- Fill in the required details along with user login account records, language, user company info, etc. Now, click on the submit option.
- Once you have registered, log in to the website with the use of your username and password.
How to Download Soil Health Cards?
Farmers can achieve the soil health card through travelling to the authorities’ website. They want to apply for their phone number or registration number for their Soil Health Card. The Har Khet Swasth Khet portal can also be used to download the card.
You can also use those portals to register soil samples given by the branch. Following registration, you may receive an SMS to your registered mobile number. Additionally, you could decide which laboratory obtained the soil pattern out of your farm for the exam.
Conclusion
The major goal at the back of the SHC scheme is to find out the type of selected soil and offer ways to enhance it. Even if the soil has some barriers, corrective measures can be taken to enhance them. The authorities allow the farmers to determine the proper fertilizers and improve their crop yield by this scheme.
