India has launched the 'Khet Bachao Abhiyan' (Save the Farm Campaign) — a month-long nationwide drive to protect soil health, reduce the excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and promote scientific farming practices among Indian farmers.
The campaign was launched on June 1, 2026 by Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, from Ramsiya village in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh. It will run across the country until June 30, 2026.
The campaign's core message is "Mitti Bachao, Kheti Bachao, Kisan Bachao" — Save the Soil, Save Farming, Save Farmers. It is built on the idea that soil quality is the foundation of productive agriculture, strong farmers and long-term national prosperity.
Why this campaign
Indian agriculture is facing three converging pressures: declining soil fertility from years of imbalanced fertiliser use, rising cultivation costs, and a growing climate crisis. Continuous and disproportionate use of chemical fertilisers — particularly urea — has led to nutrient deficiencies and deteriorating soil quality across large parts of the country.
The campaign also aims to raise awareness against the circulation of fake fertilisers, seeds and pesticides, which is reportedly a growing problem for farmers in several states.
Main activities
The campaign covers a wide set of interventions:
- Soil testing and wider use of Soil Health Cards so that fertiliser application is based on the actual nutrient needs of the soil, not on guesswork.
- Balanced nutrient management using integrated approaches that combine chemical, organic and biological inputs.
- Promotion of natural farming, green manure and water conservation.
- Use of improved seeds and seed treatment for higher and more resilient yields.
- Modern sowing techniques, including the use of laser land levellers for water-efficient field preparation.
- Crop selection based on local agro-climatic conditions.
- Field-level demonstrations for soybean, paddy and pulses.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture's plan, field-level training programmes and demonstrations will be conducted five days a week through June.
Who is implementing it
The campaign is being run on the ground by agriculture scientists, ICAR institutions, agriculture universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), state agriculture department officials and elected public representatives. A detailed village-by-village roadmap has reportedly been prepared, identifying which officer, scientist or institution will visit which village and on which date.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), including specialised institutions such as the ICAR-National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms (NBAIM) in Mau, Uttar Pradesh, is actively involved, with a particular focus on biofertilisers and sustainable soil health management.
Link to government schemes
The campaign is also being used as an outreach platform to connect farmers with major central government schemes, including:
- Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)
- Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) — crop insurance
- Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme
- Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM)
Officials are using village-level interactions to help farmers access scheme benefits, enrol where needed, and resolve documentation issues.
Why it matters
Soil degradation has emerged as one of the most serious long-term threats to Indian agriculture. India is among the world's largest consumers of chemical fertilisers, and decades of urea-heavy application have reportedly disturbed the natural nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) balance in many regions.
For UPSC and MPSC aspirants, the Khet Bachao Abhiyan is relevant to GS Paper 3 (agriculture, food security, soil health, sustainable development) and may be linked in answers to topics like the Soil Health Card scheme (2015), Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), the National Mission on Natural Farming, and India's broader climate-resilient agriculture goals.
