Fertilizers and social upliftment in India: Environmental Management / studies

There is no doubt that fertilizers have played a major role in India’s Green Revolution and providing it the much-needed food security.

Fertilizer is a very vital input for agricultural growth, and because most of India’s population lives in villages and India’s economy is dependent on agriculture, almost all government policies have encourage increasing the availability and consumption of fertilizers in India. Over the past few decades, fertilizer production and consumption have increased significantly and today India is the second largest consumer of fertilizer in the world.

However, fertilizers have their downsides too; it has a negative impact on human’s health and on the environment (water).Fertilizers can cause algae to accumulate in lakes and ponds, killing fish. Fertilizers can contaminate water making it unsafe for consumption. It can cause respiratory illness and asthma in human beings.

Despite the downsides, fertilizers will continue to play an important role in sustaining food security in India. With limited land resources, and an increasing population, the only way to sustain food security is to increase crop yields. And that is where fertilizers will continue to play an important role in future.

Fertilizers have been used for hundreds of years to cultivate crops, but the availability of synthesized chemical fertilizers and its improper use can be hazardous. Chemical fertilizers, in general, can be harmful because of two reasons: Using poor quality fertilizer (containing toxic substances above permissible limit) and indiscriminate use (overdose). Over the last decade and more, what is worrying is the indiscriminate use of fertilizers, usually applied in excess of what the crop requires. When this practice is carried on for years, not only does it impact the environment, it also leads to deterioration in the quality of soil resulting in a decline in productivity. Use of fertilizers definitely boosts crop production but the negative effects of fertilizers are mainly because of excessive application of chemical fertilizer and unbalanced application of nutrients.

Most of the hazards of fertilizers (on human health and environment) depend on the dosage, type and method of application. Not only will farmers need to use better quality fertilizers, they also need to adopt the latest scientific methods, use high-yielding variety seeds, and give importance to protecting the environment. Abundant literature is available on the right use of fertilizer, efficient nutrient and water management, and the same need to be made available to farmers; they need to be educated about proper fertilization application so that nutrient losses (as well as release of chemicals) to the ground water can be stopped.

References:
http://www.ifpri.org/publication/role-fertilizer-transforming-agriculture-asia-case-study-indian-fertilizer-sector
Reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers and its financial implications for farmers in India: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800904000734