Soil Health Card Scheme (Soil Health and Fertility)

Who can apply for SHC

• All farmers. Soil samples are collected field by field through the state agriculture department.
• Not an application-based cash benefit: cards are generated after the state samples and tests soil in your area.

SHC benefits

• A Soil Health Card reporting 12 parameters: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, zinc, iron, copper, manganese, boron, pH, electrical conductivity and organic carbon.
• Crop-specific recommendations on fertilisers, bio-fertilisers, organic inputs and soil treatments.
• Cards are available in 22 languages and 5 dialects, using local units.
• Later cards in the next cycle show how your soil has changed over time.

How to apply for SHC

1. 1Soil samples are collected by trained staff, agriculture department staff or agriculture students, usually after the Rabi or Kharif harvest when no crop is standing.
2. 2Samples are taken on a grid (2.5 hectares in irrigated areas, 10 hectares in rain-fed areas) and tested in approved soil testing labs.
3. 3Results are uploaded to the national Soil Health Card portal, which generates the card.
4. 4Ask your local agriculture office or Krishi Vigyan Kendra when sampling is planned for your village.

Where it applies

Every state and union territory. See what else applies near you