<p>Agricultural land use practices and monsoon rainfall play a crucial role in shaping earthworm populations, soil fertility, and crop productivity, while these factors, in turn, influence soil properties and ecosystem functions. A field study was conducted during 2020 and 2021 in three micro-watersheds of Paschim Medinipur district, West Bengal, India, within the red and laterite agroclimatic zone under a moist sub-humid climate. The study assessed the effects of twenty distinct land use practices, characterized by variations in crop rotation, irrigation, boundary plantation, organic manure application, tillage operations, and livestock grazing, on soil properties, earthworm populations, and crop yields. Soil physical, hydrological, and chemical parameters were analyzed, and multivariate statistical approaches were used to determine key influencing factors. Results indicated that specific land use practices significantly enhanced earthworm populations and crop productivity, with soil moisture, infiltration rate, porosity, bulk density, aggregate stability, and soil organic carbon emerging as the most influential factors. The findings underscore the importance of adopting sustainable land management practices as nature-based solutions for improving soil health and agricultural productivity in red and laterite soil regions.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>