What is Khet Bachao Abhiyan, How does it benefit farmers and agriculture?

Khet Bachao Abiyan is a nationwide capacity- building and awareness campaign which is jointly launched by Indian Council of Agricultural Research(ICAR) and the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare to promote sustainable agriculture by promoting the organic soil test based nutrient and reducing the dependency of chemical fertilizers like urea to prevent soil degradation and groundwater pollution across the country.

What is Khet Bachao Abhiyan? 

Khet Bachao Abhiyan should be made a comprehensive national campaign connecting farms, farmers and villages. The focus of the campaign will be on balanced and judicious use of fertilisers, timely advice to farmers in the view of weather-related challenges, active participation at the panchayat level and delivering the benefits of the schemes directly to the villages. 

Key Features of Khet Bachao Abhiyan

The campaign relies on a multi-pronged strategy that directly addresses the pain points of modern Indian farmers to achieve its ambitious goals. Here are the key pillars of the initiative:

• Soil-Test-Based nutrient management. farmers are trained to test their soil and apply only the specific nutrients that their land actually lacks.

• The campaign focuses on promoting alternatives like Nano Urea and bio-fertilizers, which are highly efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

• Local Panchayats are empowered to act as information hubs, ensuring that even the most remote farmers have access to agricultural experts.

• Farmers receive real-time, localised weather updates and crop advisories to protect their yields from unpredictable weather patterns.

• The campaign streamlines existing agricultural schemes ensuring subsidies, high-quality seeds, and tech tools reach villages directly without middlemen.

How Khet Bachao Abhiyan Benefits Farmers and Agriculture

The Khet Bachao Abhiyan is a win-win for both the environment and the farmer's pocket by bridging gap between traditional Indian wisdom and modern agricultural science which will give the several long-term benefits:

Chemical fertilizers form a massive chunk of a farmer's operational expenses by switching to soil-test-based applications and nano-fertilizers, farmers can save that money and it will directly boost their net profit margins.

Over-dependence on urea has depleted soil quality due to excessive use of chemicals, making it hard and infertile. This campaign reintroduces organic practices and balanced nutrition, restoring soil's natural microbiome and long-term productivity.

Preventing Environmental Degradation: Excessive chemical runoff pollutants local water bodies and groundwater causing severe health problems due to increasing levels of heavy metals such as mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), and cadmium. Khet Bachao Abhiyan (cd) protects village water ecosystems by curbing chemical overuse at the source.

The campaign will provide the farmers timely digital advisories, helping them make informed decisions about sowing, irrigation, and harvesting.

Other Government Scheme 

The Government of India has introduced several schemes to reduce the dependency on chemical fertilizers and  improving soil fertility, and transitioning toward natural farming methods.

PM-PRANAM Scheme

The PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness Generation, Nourishment, and Amelioration of Mother Earth (PM-PRANAM) is an innovative incentive-driven scheme. Instead of creating a separate budget, it rewards states and Union Territories that successfully reduce their consumption of chemical fertilizers (like Urea and DAP).

The central government passes 50% of those savings back to the state as a grant. Farmer Benefit: States use these grants to set up infrastructure for alternative, organic, and bio-fertilizer production at the village level, passing the resources directly to the farmers.

Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme

The Soil health card scheme was launched with the motto "Swasth Dhara, Khet Hara" (Healthy Earth, Green Field). It is the backbone of scientific farming in India under this scheme, farmers receive a customized report card for their landholdings based on soil parameters

The card tracks 12 vital parameters, including macro-nutrients (N, P, K), secondary nutrients (S), micronutrients (Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, B), and physical health markers (pH, EC, Organic Carbon. Millions of farmers use these recommendations to reduce fertilizer costs by 4% to 10% while enjoying higher crop yields.

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)

Organic agricultural ecosystems, the government launched PKVY to promote chemical-freeness. This scheme encourages traditional wisdom mixed with modern resource conservation.

PKVY mobilizes farmers into clusters of 20 hectares to adopt certified organic farming practices and cluster based approaches.

Under this scheme farmers receive direct financial assistance of up to ₹31,500 per hectare over three years through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to buy high-quality organic inputs, bio-pesticides, and premium organic seeds.

The Khet Bachao Abhiyan, launched by ICAR and the Ministry of Agriculture, promotes sustainable farming through soil-test-based nutrient management and reduced chemical fertilizer use. It aims to boost farmer profits, restore soil health, and prevent environmental degradation by integrating traditional wisdom with modern agricultural science.