A Carbon Crisis Beneath Our Feet: Why Soils in AP and Telangana Are Losing Life? : Dr. M. Suresh Babu

Across the fertile plains and semiarid stretches of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, a quiet crisis is unfolding—one that threatens the very foundation of agriculture. It isn’t about rainfall deficits, rising input costs, or falling market prices—though all of these matter. It is about something even more fundamental, yet too often overlooked: the rapid decline of soil organic carbon. Soil organic carbon (SOC), the very essence of a living soil, is depleting at an alarming rate in the region. This loss has profound implications—not only for farmers and food security but also for climate stability and environmental sustainability.

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The Life Within Soil

Soil organic matter—the complex mix of decaying plant material, microorganisms, roots, and humus—is what makes soil more than just dirt. At its core is organic carbon, derived from plants through photosynthesis and cycled back into the ground through roots, residues, and organic inputs. In healthy soils, this carbon fuels microbial life, holds nutrients in place, retains water, and gives structure to the earth we cultivate. But this life-sustaining cycle is breaking down. Across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, decades of intensive agriculture, excessive tillage, overuse of chemical inputs, residue burning, and inadequate return of biomass to the soil have thrown this delicate balance into disarray. The soil, once a carbon sink, is fast becoming a carbon source—releasing more CO2 than it captures.

A Deeper Problem Than We Realize