Agriculture and Soil Health
Kavita Rambal
Department of Botany, Maharishi Dayanand College of Arts, Science & amp; Commerce. Parel, Mumbai 400012 (India) email : kavita.rambal@rediffmail.com
ABSTRACT
Agriculture is the backbone of our country’s economy. Maximum number of people are dependent on it directly or indirectly. Food is a necessity without which survival is impossible. In other words, every human being is dependent on agriculture. The value of agriculture was realised well during the pandemic and its subsequent lockdown. The agricultural commodities and produce were the only sector which did not come to a halt and was continued because of food being necessary for one’s survival. With green, golden and white revolutions, for our everincreasing population, latest varieties, techniques and research led to increased yield thus sufficient food. Conventional farming utilised all the modern techniques along with the use of chemical fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides insecticides. Indiscriminate industrial waste and its disposal resulted in water and soil pollution. The indiscriminate use of these resulted in soil pollution because of coming in contact with one or the other pollutant. Thus, in a way the health of the soil got affected. Health of the soil is not a single entity. Many micro and macro soil ecosystems got affected as well. Not only this, but also the heavy and toxic metals got accumulated as well and that resulted in bioaccumulation and bio magnification, ultimately a cause of worry or health hazard. In the present paper some ways and means which can be adapted to improve the soil health vis-à-vis crop and human health being the final dependent, in an eco-friendly manner has been discussed.