Future farm productivity depends on using inputs with more care rather than just applying more. Corn nitrogen use fell to 0.85 lbs per bushel in 2024, showing efficiency gains. By February 2026, India prepared 25.79 crore soil health cards to help farmers make better decisions about their crops and nutrients.
The farms that thrive in the years ahead will not necessarily be the ones that apply the most, but they will be the ones that apply with the most care
For generations, the surest way to grow more was to apply more: more fertiliser, more water, more chemicals. That approach fed a growing world, but farmers today are asking a sharper question. It is no longer about how much goes onto the field, but how well every kg and every litre is used. The most encouraging answer is that the next big leap in productivity is already within reach.
Efficiency has been quietly working for years
Many farms have been getting more from less without much fanfare. Corn nitrogen use fell to 0.85 lbs per bushel produced in 2024, a 20 per improvement in nitrogen efficiency since 2002. That is a real gain, built field by field and season by season. It shows that productivity and restraint can grow side by side.
Why 2026 makes the case even stronger
Indian farmers have good reasons for using fertilisers in an efficient manner. The urea price stands at ₹242 per 45 kg bag without taxes and neem coating cost, whereas the burden of increasing prices is borne to a large extent by the Government. By February 2026, 25.79 crore soil health cards have been prepared by India, which help farmers take decisions on nutrients according to their crops.
Precision tools are already paying off
The evidence from the field is reassuring. A study from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers found that precision agriculture has already reduced water use by 5 per cent, fuel by 7 per cent, fertiliser by 8 per cent and herbicide by 9 per cent. The same research estimates that without today's precision technology, about 8 per cent more fertiliser would be needed to produce the same amount of food.
Researchers around the world are seeing similar results. A systematic review of 51 peer-reviewed studies concluded that precision agriculture significantly improves nutrient use efficiency and crop yields. One field trial even reported that fertiliser use efficiency improved by 18 per cent within a single season. Growers do not have to wait years to see the difference.
There is still plenty of room to grow
The opportunity for India is in adopting precision fertilisation technology. By February 2026, the Government had produced 25.79 crore Soil Health Cards that would assist farmers in making decisions about crop-specific nutrition requirements. According to ICAR, Precision nutrient management helps in increasing production by 6-15 per cent, increasing the net income by 7-25 per cent, and reducing the amount of nitrogen by 5-25kg/ha. This indicates how much farmers could benefit from using precision fertilisation methods.
Water use may also be improved through better irrigation systems. The ICAR studies show that with the adoption of drip irrigation and fertigation, farmers have managed to save 11-71 per cent of the water used for cultivation of crops.
A smarter path forward
The adoption challenge is real, but it is solvable. Researchers point to cost barriers, limited technical expertise and infrastructure gaps as the main hurdles, and each of these can be addressed through training, shared equipment, advisory services and better rural connectivity.
What makes this moment hopeful is that the incentives now line up. Higher input prices, supportive policy and proven technology all point the same way. The farms that thrive in the years ahead will not necessarily be the ones that apply the most. They will be the ones that apply with the most care, putting the right input in the right place at the right time. That is a future in which agriculture grows more, spends wisely and looks after the land that sustains it.