Economic and Environmental Benefits of Integrated Nutrient Management in Indian Agriculture

Abstract

Intensive agricultural operations involving external usage of chemical fertilizers is a concern in terms of escalating input as well as environmental issues in the post-Green Revolution period. Progressively affluent population and food demand have further laid stress on the agricultural soils for higher productivity. The total nutrient (N+P2O5+K2O) consumption during 2018-19 was 27.23 million tonnes (Mt) and it is likely to increase to around 48.0 Mt by 2050. Persistent decline in soil health and the quality of environment are the major constraints coming in the way of achieving sustainability in Indian agriculture. It is, therefore, pivotal to consider inclusion of organic manures, biofertilizers, crop residues, etc., in cultivation to bridge the gap between nutrients added and removed, thereby assuring the optimum nutrient balance in soil systems. Improving crop production without harming the environmental resources and mitigating climate change must be the priority in today’s agriculture. Integrated nutrient management (INM) approach is an effective way to deal with low productivity and nutrient-poor soils. Current paper highlights the economic benefits of adopting INM in different agroecological systems and its advantages on environment assessed in terms of improving nutrient use efficiency, soil carbon build-up, climate adaptation, and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation. Recent literature on the effect of INM practice involving various treatment combinations of organic and inorganic nutrient sources under different cropping systems shows the benefits in crop yields, net returns, and B:C ratio. Strong evidence is presented in this paper to demonstrate that INM is a climate-resilient, effective and innovative practice for agriculture that brings sustainability in the ecosystem.