Impact of Soil Health Card Scheme on Farmers’ Income – A Case Study of Kharif Crops in Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

The paper has analysed the impact of Soil Health Card Scheme on farmers’ income by studying the economics of cultivation of three major kharif crops paddy, soybean and maize in Madhya Pradesh. For study, data were collected from 30 soil tested farmers/beneficiaries before and after application of recommended doses of fertilizers (RDF). The study has found that yield of paddy, soybean and maize increased by 19.42 per cent, 13.79 per cent and 9.6 per cent, respectively after adoption of RDF. The net income per acre increased from 11231 to 17385 (54.8%) in paddy, from 6696 to 11228 (67.7%) in soybean and from 3380 to 8105 (139.8%) in maize after soil testing by the farmers. The BC ratio increased from 1.5 to 1.7 in paddy, from 1.6 to 2.0 in soybean and from 1.4 to 1.9 in maize on adoption of RDF by the farmers. Thus, soil health card scheme was found highly beneficial to the farmers in term of increasing their income. However, there is a need to generate awareness about the benefits of this scheme among the farmers on one hand and strengthening of soil testing services/laboratories on the other hand for a wider adoption of RDF.