Restoration of Soil Health for Achieving Sustainable Growth in Agriculture (Sustainable AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT‪)‬

About 2.2 million hectares of land in Pakistan is under cultivation. Approximately, 75 percent of this area is afflicted with various types of soil problems: Most important of these include water logging and salinity; nutrient depletion, soil compaction and soil erosion. These menaces are resulting in inefficient use of various inputs and reduction in cropping intensity, land use intensity, yield of crops, income, employment, etc. Empirical evidence suggests that the intensity of these problems is on the increase and has been posing serious threats to the sustainable growth of agriculture. This paper reviews the causes and effects of various soil health related problems and also makes an attempt at evaluating different amendments to reclaim the problematic soils. I. INTRODUCTION