International Journal of
Advanced Multidisciplinary Application

Volume 3, Issue 3

• Author(s)Balasubramanian Venkatesh
• AffiliationDepartment of Agricultural Economics, GKVK Campus, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
• Page No.85-88
• Volume, Issue & YearVolume 3, Issue 3, March 2026
• Published On2026/03/14
• JournalInternational Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Application (IJAMA)
• ISSN No.3048-9350
• DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19307173

Article Indexing

Abstract

The Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme, launched by the Government of India in February 2015 with the objective of providing every farmer in the country with periodic soil nutrient assessments and site-specific fertiliser recommendations, represents the most ambitious soil information programme in India’s agricultural policy history. Despite nationwide issuance of over 22 crore SHCs across three scheme cycles, adoption of the scheme’s fertiliser recommendations by smallholder farmers has been inconsistent, and the relationship between SHC adoption and measurable improvements in soil health indicators, fertiliser use efficiency, and crop yield has been documented only in fragmented, geographically narrow studies that do not account for district-level variation in soil type, cropping system diversity, extension service quality, and farmer literacy levels.
This study addresses this gap through a district-level analysis integrating IARI soil testing database records with a structured farm household survey of smallholder farmers across ten districts of Tamil Nadu, comparing soil nutrient status, fertiliser application patterns, and crop yield outcomes between SHC adopters and matched non-adopters using propensity score matching to control for selection bias. The analysis assesses the dose-response relationship between SHC recommendation compliance and yield improvement, identifies district-level and farmer-level characteristics that predict adoption and recommendation compliance, and examines whether the scheme’s benefit varies across the five major soil nutrient dimensions that Tamil Nadu’s agroclimatic zones are characterised by — findings that can inform the SHC scheme’s restructuring under the PM-KISAN digital agriculture platform.

Keywords: Soil Health Card, fertiliser efficiency, smallholder farmers, propensity score matching, crop yield, Tamil Nadu, soil nutrient, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, zinc, agricultural extension, PM-KISAN, dose-response

References

1. [1] Bhaskar, R. K., & Patel, M. (2016). Soil Health Card scheme in India: Potential and challenges. Current Science, 110(3), 311-312.
2. [2] CAG India. (2021). Audit Report: Soil Health Card Scheme. Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
3. [3] Datta, A., Patnaik, U. S., & Rao, B. V. R. (2019). Impact of soil health card on fertiliser use and crop yield in India. Agricultural Economics Research Review, 32(1), 47-56.
4. [4] Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. (2023). Soil Health Card Scheme: Annual Progress Report. Government of India.
5. [5] Glennerster, R., & Takavarasha, K. (2013). Running Randomized Evaluations: A Practical Guide. Princeton University Press.
6. [6] Hegde, D. M. (2010). Micronutrient deficiencies in soils and crops in Tamil Nadu. Journal of Indian Society of Soil Science, 58(1), 11-18.
7. [7] ICAR. (2022). Soil Health Status of India: National Soil Survey & Land Use Planning Annual Report. Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
8. [8] Imas, P. (2019). Micronutrient fertilization in India: Challenges and opportunities. Fertiliser News, 64(1), 22-31.
9. [9] Kumar, A., & Sharma, P. (2018). Evaluating the effectiveness of soil health card scheme in Punjab, India. Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, 73(2), 201-215.
10. [10] NABARD. (2022). Evaluation Study: Soil Health Card Scheme. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.
11. [11] Pattanayak, S. K., & Mercer, D. E. (1998). Valuing soil conservation benefits of agroforestry. Agricultural Economics, 19(1-2), 105-117.
12. [12] Rosenbaum, P. R., & Rubin, D. B. (1983). The central role of the propensity score in observational studies for causal effects. Biometrika, 70(1), 41-55.
13. [13] Sharma, S. K., & Thind, H. S. (2017). Soil carbon sequestration and fertility management in Punjab. Indian Journal of Soil Science, 65(2), 107-116.
14. [14] Singh, V. K., Shukla, A. K., & Majumdar, K. (2015). Sulphur deficiency: A growing concern in Indian soils. Indian Farming, 65(3), 14-18.
15. [15] TNAU. (2022). Tamil Nadu Soil Health Report: Agroclimatic Zone-wise Nutrient Status. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
16. [16] Venkatesh, P., Joshi, P. K., & Singh, N. P. (2015). Soil health management: Policy recommendations for India. Policy Paper 32. ICAR-NIAP.
17. [17] Wani, S. P., Garg, K. K., & Singh, A. K. (2017). Smart agriculture for sustainable food security. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 87(10), 1281-1295.
18. [18] World Bank. (2020). Enhancing Agricultural Innovation: India Agriculture Review. World Bank Group.
19. [19] Yadav, R. L., & Dwivedi, B. S. (2001). Soil health management and strategies for sustainable agriculture. Fertiliser News, 46(4), 13-30.

Explore Our Related Journals

Looking for the right journal for your next manuscript? Explore our international peer-reviewed journals covering engineering, management, computer science, artificial intelligence and multidisciplinary research.