Thirsty crops, tired soil: Vicious loop threatens India’s food and water security

Beyond the banks of the Tangri river in Haryana’s Ambala district, paddy fields stretch far, lush and green. But they hide a troubling truth. The soil here, once soft and porous, has hardened into what locals call daakar mitti – hard clay that is unable to absorb water or replenish groundwater.

“It no longer absorbs water, and the groundwater refuses to rise,” explained farmer Gurdas Singh, from Mohra village of Haryana’s Ambala district. But almost two decades ago, this region used to have retili mitti, he said – sandy, water-soaking soil that sustained their livelihoods.

The farms in this region were once rich with diverse vegetable crops – cauliflower, radish, carrots, brinjals, ladyfingers, among them. Now, they know only paddy and wheat.

This monocropping, scientists say, is further depleting the soil of its vitality.

“I own 16 acres of land, where we primarily grow kanak [wheat] and jeeri [paddy],” Singh said. “These crops have been cultivated on this land since 1988, a tradition started by my father that we continue to this day.”

For most farmers like Gurdas, especially after the Green Revolution in the 1960s, a key reason to favour the combination of rice and wheat was the stability and predictability of the income it provides. This is largely due to…

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