Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Launches ‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’ as a National Movement to Revitalize Indian Farmlands

NEW DELHI — In a major push toward sustainable agriculture, Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has directed officials to transform the upcoming “Khet Bachao Abhiyan” (Save the Fields Campaign) into a massive, nationwide movement.

Chairing a high-level review meeting in Delhi to finalize preparations for the month-long campaign starting June 1, the Minister rejected traditional top-down administrative models. Instead, he ordered a collaborative framework connecting local Panchayats directly with State and Central machinery.

“The direction of the campaign is quite clear: save the farms, manage the costs, improve the soil, make farmers aware, and develop a new culture of agricultural management at the village level.”

— Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Agriculture Minister

The 5 Core Pillars of ‘Khet Bachao Abhiyan’

The national campaign aims to directly reduce input costs for farmers while preserving soil fertility through five targeted strategies:

1. Combating Reckless Fertilizer Use: The prime objective is minimizing unchecked chemical inputs. Farmers will be educated on balanced usage dictated by soil tests and encouraged to adopt green manures, organic alternatives, and bio-products.

   

2. Weather-Smart Advisory Systems: Moving past generic messages, the campaign will deliver hyper-local, practical advice regarding weather uncertainties, crop diversification, and farming techniques under water-scarcity conditions.

3. Panchayat-Level Grassroots Mobilization: The initiative embeds its operations directly into village panchayats, streamlining the local distribution of agricultural machinery and accelerating the deployment of welfare schemes.

4. Public and Political Collaboration: To ensure the campaign gains social momentum, Chief Ministers, MPs, MLAs, and local public representatives are being mobilized to transition the program from an administrative routine into a public movement.

5. A Multipurpose Welfare Approach: Beyond soil management, on-ground teams will aggressively onboard left-out farmers into essential central schemes, including the Kisan Credit Card (KCC), PM-KISAN, and specific national pulses, oilseeds, and cotton missions.

Massive On-Ground Deployment of Scientific Teams

To provide technical and scientific support directly on the fields, a massive network of over 1,600 specialized teams has been formed, with Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) acting as central hubs.

The ground forces are structurally divided to target high-risk zones:

These teams will hold live field demonstrations of Integrated Nutrient Management (INM), giving farmers immediate, visible evidence of how balanced nutrition can slash costs while restoring depleting soil health.