50 lakh (5 million) farmers, 700 districts: India's 'save the field' campaign takes soil health door to door

Healthy soil is the quiet foundation of every harvest — and India's is tired: too much of some fertilisers, too little organic matter, rising costs. The government's Khet Bachaao Abhiyaan ('save the field' campaign) for the 2026 rabi season aims to reach around 50 lakh (5 million) farmers across 700 districts and 50,000 villages between 22 October and 30 November. Some 4,150 teams — farm science centres, local extension workers and more than 12,000 scientists — will run 50,000 field demonstrations and 11,750 training sessions on balanced fertiliser use, natural farming and water conservation, with extra focus on the 100 districts that use the most fertiliser. With over 46% of India's workforce in agriculture, what happens in the soil decides what happens on the plate.

SDG 2 · Zero hunger — Mechanism: behaviour campaign