Green Gold
How Chhattisgarh Farmers Are Revolutionizing Agriculture with Integrated Nutrient Management
The Soil Crisis and a Sustainable Solution
Nestled in India's rice bowl, Chhattisgarh's agricultural heartland faces a silent emergency. Decades of chemical-intensive farming have left soils exhausted—acidic, micronutrient-deficient, and carbon-poor.
With >80% of the state's 15 million farmers dependent on rainfed agriculture, declining soil health threatens both livelihoods and food security. But a quiet revolution is unfolding. Integrated Nutrient Management (INM)—a science-backed fusion of organic wisdom and synthetic precision—is breathing life back into these degraded soils. This approach isn't just boosting yields; it's rebuilding ecosystems from the ground up, making farming resilient to climate shocks and economically viable. 1 9
Farmers in Chhattisgarh adopting INM practices to restore soil health.
The Science of INM: Beyond Fertilizer Bag Dependency
What is INM?
Integrated Nutrient Management strategically combines:
- Organic sources: Farmyard manure (FYM), vermicompost, crop residues, and green manure
- Inorganic fertilizers: Precision-applied NPK and micronutrients
- Biological activators: Biofertilizers like Rhizobium and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB)
This triad works synergistically: organics improve soil structure and water retention, inorganics provide immediate nutrient availability, and biofertilizers unlock locked soil phosphorus and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Studies in Chhattisgarh's Inceptisols show INM systems increase soil carbon by 18–22% and microbial activity by >200% compared to chemical-only farming. 2 5 9
Why Chhattisgarh's Soils Demand INM
The state's dominant red and yellow soils face three critical challenges:
- Acidification: Over 45% of farmland has pH <5.5, locking up phosphorus and calcium 1
- Carbon depletion: Soil organic carbon levels average <0.5%, far below the 1.5% threshold for healthy soil 9
- Micronutrient deficits: 62% of soils show acute zinc deficiency, 34% lack iron 1
Traditional fertilizer-only approaches exacerbate these issues. INM acts as a restorative circuit, feeding crops while healing soils.
Spotlight Experiment: INM's Impact on Surguja's Soils
A landmark 2022–2025 study in Surguja district exemplifies INM's transformative power. Researchers compared six nutrient regimes on Inceptisols under a rice-pulse system. 2
Methodology: Precision Meets Tradition
- Site selection: 12 farmer fields representing typical upland and medium-land topographies
- Treatments tested:
- T₁: 100% recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF: 120kg N, 60kg P₂O₅, 40kg K₂O/ha)
- T₂: 75% RDF + 5t/ha FYM
- T₃: 50% RDF + 2.5t/ha vermicompost
- T₄: 75% RDF + PSB + Azotobacter
- T₅: 50% RDF + 5t/ha poultry manure
- T₆: Control (no inputs)
- Analysis: Soil sampling at 0–15cm depth pre-planting and post-harvest; microbial counts via plate culture; grain yield recorded at physiological maturity 2
Results: Microbial Boom, Yield Leap
Table 1: INM's Impact on Soil Biology and Rice Yields in Surguja
| Treatment | Bacterial Load (CFU/g soil ×10⁷) | Fungal Load (CFU/g soil ×10⁴) | Grain Yield (t/ha) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100% RDF (T₁) | 142.30 | 12.45 | 3.8 |
| 75% RDF + 5t FYM (T₂) | 201.00 | 19.20 | 4.9 |
| 50% RDF + VC (T₃) | 185.60 | 17.85 | 4.5 |
| 75% RDF + Biofert (T₄) | 178.90 | 16.30 | 4.3 |
| Control (T₆) | 85.40 | 6.20 | 2.1 |
Analysis
The 100% RDF + 5t/ha FYM treatment outperformed others, boosting bacterial populations by 41% and yields by 29% over chemical-only plots. Critically, fungal load—a proxy for soil resilience—nearly doubled. This microbial surge accelerates organic matter decomposition, releasing locked nutrients and improving soil structure. Farmers reported 30% lower irrigation needs due to better water retention in INM plots during dry spells. 2 9
The INM Toolbox: What Farmers Are Deploying
Table 2: Essential Components of Chhattisgarh's INM Toolkit
| Component | Function | Application Method | Local Innovations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermicompost | Adds stable organic carbon; enhances moisture retention | 2.5–5t/ha basal application | Mixed with rice husk biochar for acidic soils |
| Rhizobium + PSB | Fixes atmospheric N; solubilizes soil P | Seed treatment + soil application | Custom blends for rice-pulse systems |
| Nano DAP | High-efficiency phosphorus delivery | Foliar spray (500ppm) | Combined with vermiwash spray |
| Green manure (Sesbania) | Suppresses weeds; adds 40kg N/ha | Incorporation pre-monsoon | Intercropped with early rice |
| Zinc-enriched FYM | Corrects micronutrient deficiencies | 10t/ha pre-planting | Fortified with ZnSO₄ during composting |
Why INM Works: The Science Beneath the Soil
Policy Support and Future Trajectory
Chhattisgarh's government now promotes INM through:
- Soil Health Cards: 4.2 million distributed with INM-specific recommendations 3
- Subsidies: 50% cost-sharing on vermibeds and compost units
- Tech integration: NRCS's Site Risk for Water Quality (SRWQ) tool helps planners map nutrient runoff risks, guiding INM prescriptions 5
Next-Gen INM: 2025–2030 priorities include:
Precision biofertigation
Sensor-driven liquid organic applications
Nano-biofertilizers
Encapsulated microbes for targeted delivery
Carbon credit linkages
Monetizing soil carbon sequestration
Soil Health Cards helping farmers adopt INM practices with customized recommendations.
Conclusion: From Survival to Resilience
For Chhattisgarh's smallholders like Sunita Verma of Raipur—who tripled mungbean yields using vermicompost + nano DAP—INM isn't just agronomy; it's agricultural empowerment. As climate volatility intensifies, INM's greatest gift may be risk distribution: diversifying nutrient sources buffers farmers against market shocks and extreme weather. The state's journey from degraded soils to regenerative farming offers a template for India's cereal belts. By marrying tradition with innovation, Chhattisgarh is writing a playbook for sustainable food security—one fertile field at a time. 9
"INM is our jeevandaan (life-gift) to both soil and society."