<p>The SDGs on sustainable production and consumption, zero hunger, and clean water are critical for the functioning of agricultural systems. The current food production systems are highly resource-intensive and environmentally intrusive. Farm practices account for about 70% of global freshwater withdrawals and 31% of GHG emissions, making farming a significant contributor to climate change. High input use intensity of fertilizers has triggered a debate on long-term agro-ecological security. This research aims to determine the critical factors involved in intensive fertilization due to enhanced pressure on maintaining the balance between environmental security and food security. The study highlights the significance of holistic land and water management in agri-ecosystems. The agrarian states of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, India, were identified for conducting survey studies. A total of 620 farmers were administered a questionnaire capturing the socio-economic characteristics of farmers, fertilizer use patterns, and factors influencing natural resource management. Factor analysis followed by structural equation modelling was applied to assess the critical parameters affecting the use of fertilizer by the key stakeholders. Factor analysis identified economic support and benefits, resource endowments, institutional capacity, enabling environment, situational factors, and tangible/intangible factors as the critical elements of intensive fertilization. Path analysis showed an insignificant relationship between propensity to resource management and on-farm practices, indicating the intention-behavior gap. A conflict exists between the farmer’s propensity to resource management and their action on the farm. It was observed that the farmer’s main deciding factor during fertilizer application is productivity enhancement, which is influenced by supporting socio-economic, market, and institutional factors overruling the environmental impacts of excessive usage.</p>