Report

Improving Farmer Comprehension of Soil Health Cards

This report shares key findings from redesigning Soil Health Cards.

9 November 2020

In 2019, IDinsight worked with the Government of India’s Ministry of Agriculture to improve farmer comprehension of fertiliser best-practices by redesigning the country’s Soil Health Card.

Focus Group Discussion with farmers in Chhattisgarh

Key highlights

An impact evaluation showed that the redesigned Soil Health Card (SHC) improved farmers’ comprehension of fertiliser recommendations 65 times, from 0.5% to 33%.
For every 1,000 spent on printing cards, 1 farmer is able to understand the recommendations on the old card, while 71 farmers are able to understand the recommendations on the new card1.
The new Soil Health Card contains major changes to the macronutrient and micronutrient tables, with recommended quantities and crop names.
Potential reasons the old card wasn’t effective include: farmers were previously confused about the land unit conversion, were not literate, and/or had a lack of awareness of the Soil Health Card scheme.
Peer learning and improved awareness of the scheme can increase farmers’ comprehension, indicating that the long-term effects of the redesigned card may be greater than those currently estimated.
Automated voice calls and text mess