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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

Improving Farmer Comprehension of Soil Health Cards - 520 KB

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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