Soil Health Card scheme

Soil Health Card scheme

News: The Soil Health Cards (SHCs) Scheme, initiated in 2014-15, involves soil sampling, testing, and issuance of soil health cards to assist all farmers in the country.

Recent developments:
• The GOI has introduced technological enhancements to the scheme. The Soil Health Card portal has been upgraded and integrated with a Geographic Information System (GIS), allowing test results to be visualized on a map.
• The mobile application for the scheme has been improved, enabling smooth implementation and easy access to soil health cards.
• Notable features include restricted sample collection regions, automated latitude and longitude selection, and QR code generation
for linking samples with test results directly on the portal.
• The Soil Health Card scheme has been merged into the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) cafeteria scheme as a component named ‘Soil Health & Fertility’ from 2022-23.
• Guidelines for Village Level Soil Testing Labs (VLSTLs) were issued recently and these labs can be established by individual entrepreneurs, rural youth, community-based groups like Self Help Groups (SHGs), schools, and agricultural universities.
• VLSTLs educate farmers about soil sampling, testing, generating soil health cards, and provide fertilizer and crop recommendations.