Understanding the relationship between fertilizer usage and soil degradation in India

Fertilizer use and soil deterioration are inextricably intertwined in India, where agriculture is a crucial sector and a substantial contributor to the country's economy. While the application of fertilizers can boost crop yields and improve soil fertility, excessive or incorrect usage can lead to soil deterioration and other negative environmental effects. India's economy is heavily reliant on agriculture. According to the Census of 2011, 54.6% of all workers are employed in agriculture and related sectors, which are expected to contribute 18.8% to the nation's gross value added (GVA) in the years 2021–22. (at current prices).

The buildup of salts in the soil is one of the primary ways that fertilizer usage can contribute to soil deterioration. This can happen when farmers apply too much fertilizer or too regularly. Salt accumulation may make soil less productive and diminish agricultural yields over time. The loss of soil organic matter is another way that fertilizer usage can contribute to soil deterioration. Farmers that use chemical fertilizers may depend less on organic farming practices like crop rotation, which can lead to a decrease in soil organic matter. As a result, soil fertility may suffer and erosion may worsen.

Moreover, excessive fertilizer usage can contribute to water contamination, which can have a negative influence on soil health. Fertilizer runoff can pollute water sources, causing eutrophication (high nutrient enrichment) in lakes and other bodies of water, harming aquatic life, and reducing water availability for agricultural use.

Farmers in India may solve these concerns by utilizing more sustainable agricultural techniques such as organic fertilizers, crop rotation, and conservation tillage. They may also employ precision agricultural techniques to administer fertilizers more accurately and in the ideal amounts, lowering the danger of soil damage while increasing crop yields. The overall geographical area of the nation is 328.7 million hectares, according to the Land Use Statistics 2018–19, of which 139.3 million hectares are recorded as net seeded and 197.3 million hectares are grossly cultivated with a cropping intensity of 141.6%. It turns out that 42.4% of the overall geographical area was covered by the seeded net area. There are 71.6 million hectares of net irrigated land.

The study question addresses the environmental issue of soil deterioration in relation to the research question, “ To what extent does the use of chemical fertilizers contribute to soil degradation in India, and how can sustainable agriculture practices be promoted to mitigate this issue? ”Overuse of chemical fertilizers in agriculture has contributed to soil deterioration in India, thereby impacting agricultural output, ecosystem health, and human well-being. As a result, the purpose of this research topic is to determine the extent to which the use of chemical fertilisers contributes to soil deterioration in India and to evaluate alternative sustainable farming techniques that might ameliorate this problem.

The research paper focuses predominantly on the effects that chemical fertilizers have on soil, and the manner in which they impact agricultural practices in India. Soil and agriculturee can be studied under unit 5 of the ESS syllabus.

1. Identify appropriate sources: For this research topic, relevant sources may include academic journals, government papers, NGO publications, and news items. Among the likely sources are:

• The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare: This is an Indian government department in charge of encouraging sustainable agriculture practises and monitoring fertiliser use in the country.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change is another government department in India in charge of environmental protection and natural resource management.
• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research: This is a research institute in India that focuses on agricultural research and development.
• The Centre for Science and Environment: This is an Organisation in India that works on environmental concerns such as sustainable agriculture and soil deterioration.
• Journals such as the Journal of Environmental Management, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, and Soil and Tillage Research are examples of academic periodicals.

2. Using relevant keywords such as "fertilisers," "soil degradation," and "sustainable agriculture," search for and collect data from the indicated sources. Data on fertiliser consumption trends in India, soil erosion rates in various sections of the nation, research on the influence of chemical fertilisers on soil health, and examples of sustainable agricultural techniques being adopted in India and other countries should be included.

3. Evaluate and synthesise data: After collecting the data, analyse and synthesis it to develop conclusions on the relationship between fertiliser usage and soil degradation in India, as well as viable solutions for improving sustainable agriculture practises. Creating graphs or tables to show the data, recognizing patterns and trends in the data, and comparing data from multiple sources to identify similarities and differences are all examples of this.

4. Write the IA: Using the data analysis and synthesis, write the IA, which should include an introduction, methodology, findings, discussion, and conclusion. The methodology should detail the data gathering and analysis procedure, while the introduction should offer background information on the study subject and why it is significant. The findings should be presented in the results.

My research is greatly reliant on secondary data as I am exploring the impact of soil erosion on agriculture in India as a whole rather than a specific region. This implies that I will compare the effects of chemical fertilizer usage in different states, taking into account the different factors that lead to soil erosion, such as climatic conditions (rainfall), topography, agricultural practices, and vegetation. For this, I will gather data from national bureau records on the state-wise cultivable area affected by soil erosion in India (“Survey on Soil Erosion"), and furthermore, I will use this data to understand fertilizer use on sown land. Furthermore, I will collect data on crop production and examine if food grain production over the years has altered, I have accumulated data from 2012-2020 to have a concrete base of comparison and sufficient data to analyze the trend formed.

The accuracy of data collected from different websites may be questioned, which can hinder the research.

R² = 0.75

Mean of the two variables -

X mean =

(29.90 + 30.29 + 30.48 + 28.97 + 28.47 + 28.62 + 28.30 + 27.00) / 8 = 28.89

Y mean =

\(\frac{(259.93 + 260.03 + 252.02 + 252.22 + 275.68 + 278.55 + 286.11 + 292.78) }{ 8 }= 270.35\)

Standard deviation -

s x =

\(\sqrt{\frac{[(29.90 - 28.89)^2 + (30.29 - 28.89)^2 + ... + (27.00 - 28.89)^2] }{ (8 - 1)}} = 1.14\)

s y =

\(\sqrt{\frac{[(259.93 - 270.35)^2 + (260.03 - 270.35)^2 + ... + (292.78 - 270.35)^2]} { (8 - 1)}} = 15.50\)

Calcutating the numerator of the formula -

[(29.90 - 28.89) * (259.93 - 270.35)] + [(30.29 - 28.89) * (260.03 - 270.35)] + ... + [(27.00 - 28.89) * (292.78 - 270.35)] = -198.47

Calculating the denominator of the formula -

((8 - 1) × 1.14 × 15.50) = 18.64

Therefore, the Pearson's correlation coefficient for the given data is -

\(r =\frac{ -198.47}{ 18.64} = -10.63\)

Figure 1 is a bar chart which represents the total volume of chemical fertilizer usage from 2012 - 2020, the following table in figure 2 is the data on total crop production within the nation over the same determined time period, this information is relevant in understanding how the use of chemical fertilizers impact crop production. Figure 3 is a combined analysis which facilitates the understanding of the relationship between the independent variable (use of chemical fertilizers) and dependent variable (crop production). The graph in figure 3 indicates chemical fertiliser consumption in agriculture has declined somewhat from 29.9 million tonnes in 2012-13 to 27 million tonnes in 2019-20, and agricultural output climbed from 259.93 million tonnes to 292.78 million tonnes within the same time period. This implies that the reduced use of chemical fertilisers has had a positive impact on crop output, and that agricultural yields may be increased sustainably through better management methods and the use of organic fertilisers. It is also important to note that the overuse of chemical fertilisers can have significant environmental consequences such as soil deterioration, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. The graph indicates how a minor increase in the volume of chemical fertilizers causes a decrease in the crop production, this change is evident in 2013 - 2014 to 2014 - 2015, the use of chemical fertilizer increased by 0.19 from 30.29 to 30.48 resulthing in a decline in the production of crops by 8.01 million tonnes from 260.03 to 252.02. The correlation between the use of chemical fertilizer and crop production can be further supported by calculating the value of r 2 which indicates a moderate correlation between the two variables. To summarize the use of chemical fertilizers and agricultural output are inversely proportional as the increase in one results in the decrease of the other and vice versa.

According to my research and analysis, the use of chemical fertilizers have not drastically impacted crop production, this means that although they may be detrimental to some extent especially along the food chain as these harmful toxins travel from one actor to another, it is significantly helpful in maximizing crop yield by making the soil more fertile (“The Importance Of Using Chemical Fertilizers | FGS”).

In India, excessive chemical fertiliser usage is a major cause of soil erosion and deterioration. Chemical fertiliser usage has negative effects on soil health and production that have serious environmental and agricultural implications. Farmers must employ sustainable farming techniques to solve this issue, such as crop rotation, the use of organic fertilisers, and conservation tillage. With legislative changes and financial assistance for environmentally friendly farming methods, the government may also help advance sustainable agriculture. India can reduce the negative effects of chemical fertilisers on soil health and save the ecosystem for future generations by implementing these strategies. Moreover, farmers in India may embrace more environmentally friendly agricultural techniques to solve these problems, such crop rotation, the use of organic fertilisers, and conservation tillage. Also, they can increase agricultural yields and minimise the danger of soil degradation by applying fertilisers more effectively and in the right amounts.

RBI Statistics, https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/Statistics.aspx. Accessed 1 March 2023.

“Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare.” Ministry of Agriculture, 31 March 2021, https://agricoop.nic.in/Documents/annual-report- 2020-21.pdf. Accessed 25 March 2023.

“ESS IA Planning.” AMAZING WORLD OF SCIENCE WITH MR. GREEN, https://www.mrgscience.com/ess-ia-planning.html. Accessed 1 March 2023. “Home.” YouTube, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1039863/chemical- fertilizers-consumption-volume-by-type/?locale=en. Accessed 12 February 2023.

“The Importance Of Using Chemical Fertilizers | FGS.” Fruit Growers Supply, 10 April 2019, https://fruitgrowers.com/the-importance-of-fertilizers/. Accessed 01 March 2023.

“Soil Degradation in India: Challenges and Potential Solutions.” MDPI, https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/7/4/3528. Accessed 1 March 2023. “Survey on Soil Erosion.” Press Information Bureau, 29 March 2022, https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1810912. Accessed 1 March 2023.

Zhu, Qingke, et al. “Soil Erosion Influencing Factors in the Semiarid Area of Northern Shaanxi Province, China.” IntechOpen, https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/72647. Accessed 1 February 2023.

Works Cited

RBI Statistics, https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/Statistics.aspx. Accessed 1 March 2023.

“Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare.” Ministry of Agriculture, 31 March 2021, https://agricoop.nic.in/Documents/annual-report- 2020-21.pdf. Accessed 25 March 2023.

“ESS IA Planning.” AMAZING WORLD OF SCIENCE WITH MR. GREEN, https://www.mrgscience.com/ess-ia-planning.html. Accessed 1 March 2023. “Home.” YouTube, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1039863/chemical- fertilizers-consumption-volume-by-type/?locale=en. Accessed 12 February 2023.

“The Importance Of Using Chemical Fertilizers | FGS.” Fruit Growers Supply, 10 April 2019, https://fruitgrowers.com/the-importance-of-fertilizers/. Accessed 01 March 2023.

“Soil Degradation in India: Challenges and Potential Solutions.” MDPI, https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/7/4/3528. Accessed 1 March 2023.

“Survey on Soil Erosion.” Press Information Bureau, 29 March 2022, https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1810912. Accessed 1 March 2023.

Zhu, Qingke, et al. “Soil Erosion Influencing Factors in the Semiarid Area of Northern Shaanxi Province, China.” IntechOpen, https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/72647. Accessed 1 February 2023.