Agricultural Sustainability in Haryana: Evidence from Yield Growth, Fertilizer Use, and Input Efficiency

This study analyzes agricultural sustainability in Haryana from 1966–67 to 2022-23 using secondary data, focusing on productivity, input use, and structural characteristics. The findings reveal a strong sustainability paradox in which wheat and rice yields increased nearly 3.27 times, while chemical fertilizer consumption rose more than 100-fold, indicating a substantial decline in Fertilizer Use Efficiency and the presence of diminishing marginal returns. Agricultural growth In Haryana has been associated with severe NPK imbalance, soil degradation, and groundwater depletion. Land fragmentation remains acute, with marginal and small farmers dominating holdings and an average operational size of 0.76 hac, leading to subsistence-driven intensification and high dependence on chemical inputs. The results indicate that Haryana’s production-oriented agricultural model is ecologically fragile and requires a transition toward resource-efficient and land-size-sensitive strategies.