Degrading soil health, falling nutrient use efficiency (NUE) and yield plateaus in major food bowl regions of India threatens the food security for the growing population in India in the backdrop of shrinking per capita land availability from 0.48 ha in 1951 to 0.14 ha in 2001. Maintaining soil health is a vital requirement to ensure sustainable food production and to meet future food demands in the country. Soil health cards play a critical role in assessing soil health conditions and providing soil and crop management recommendations to farmers in order to sustain the crop productivity. Based on free in-depth analysis, soil health cards list vital components of a particular patch of land. They provide detailed information on various minerals present in the soil, suitable crops, fertilisers to be used, and also whether the soil is acidic or alkaline. The cards, which are based on the principles of the ration card, provide permanent identification and status of the land to farmers, if linked with Global Positioning System (GPS). Healthy soils provide a range of ecological services including water infiltration, habitat provision besides sustaining crop production and quality of food produce. Soil health cards guide farmers to use right type of fertiliser nutrients, right quantity to right crop by knowing the key production constraints of soil in his field. Thus, in a way soil health card based crop management can improve soil carbon status and reduces Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. This review highlights how prudent utilization of soil health cards in the country can sustain agricultural production with rational fertiliser application and contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation.
