India’s agricultural progress has secured food production, but climate change, weakening soil fertility and water contamination demand a broader measure of success. The question is not simply how much we grow, but how sustainably. It also means recognising that environmental damage eventually becomes an economic burden for farmers, whose livelihoods depend on reliable harvests and manageable production costs.

The scale of the problem is now documented. A nationwide ICAR-led assessment, drawing on more than 2.5 lakh soil samples from over 600 districts, found soil organic carbon declining across large parts of the country’s arable land, with imbalanced fertiliser use (heavily skewed towards urea and phosphorus) and rising temperatures identified as key drivers. Low organic carbon also goes hand in hand with greater micronutrient deficiency, which means falling soil carbon quietly erodes both yield and the nutritional quality of what we grow.

Soil, crop and water health are interconnected. Treating each separately obscures how damage to one undermines the others. The connection is visible on farms where depleted soils demand more irrigation, while degraded water sources make restoring soil fertility even harder.

Intensive cultivation has supported food security, but excessive chemical inputs and inefficient irrigation can degrade soil and strain groundwater. As soil loses moisture-retention capacity and biological balance, farmers need more inputs to maintain yields. Rising input costs, falling margins and the need for ever-higher doses of fertiliser to achieve the same yield are the economic face of this biological decline.

Fertiliser and pesticide runoff can pollute water bodies, while poor-quality irrigation water can harm soils and crops. These pressures reinforce one another.

Nutrient-rich runoff is also a leading cause of eutrophication, the algal blooms, oxygen depletion and fish kills seen in village ponds, tanks, lakes and reservoirs. At the same time, India’s growing volumes of treated and untreated wastewater are increasingly used for irrigation. Managed well, treated water is a valuable resource that eases pressure on groundwater; managed poorly, it carries salts, nutrients and contaminants straight back to the soil and the food chain. Water quality, not just water quantity, must therefore become a core metric of agricultural planning.

Sustainable agriculture therefore requires soil management and water-quality protection to work together. Conserving water is insufficient if farming practices continue to pollute it. An integrated strategy can help farmers make practical decisions about inputs, drainage and water reuse, instead of responding to each problem in isolation.

Biological soil amendments, beneficial microorganisms and balanced nutrient management can support fertility and reduce unnecessary inputs. Under appropriate conditions, microbial and algae-based remediation may also address certain water pollutants.

Such measures are not universal substitutes for conventional practices. Their performance depends on soil, water and crop conditions, and they should complement responsible fertiliser use, efficient irrigation and monitoring. This is why every biological solution should be backed by structured trials, transparent protocols and data that farmers, researchers and regulators can examine, and why quality control, product registration and regulatory compliance must keep pace with innovation.

Farmers need affordable solutions, training and testing that demonstrate improvements in yields, input efficiency and soil health. Research institutions, innovators and policymakers must work with farming communities to make adoption practical.

Alongside crop yields, agricultural success should track soil organic matter, nutrient balance, irrigation water quality and water-use efficiency. To these we should add soil microbial activity, soil pH and salinity, micronutrient status, and the nutrient and pollutant load leaving farms in runoff and drainage. Regular soil and water testing, linked to the Soil Health Card system and supported by accessible local laboratories, would turn these indicators into everyday decisions.

India’s agricultural resilience depends on protecting the systems that make production possible. Healthy soils sustain crops; clean water supports farms and communities. Managing both together is essential for lasting productivity and food security.

Commodore (Retd.) Dr Sunil Nanda, Managing Director, JS Water Energy Life Co. Pvt. Ltd.

Published on October 17, 2026