Regenerative Agriculture
Why in News?
The Government of India released a detailed backgrounder on regenerative agriculture, highlighting it as a holistic, future-ready farming approach to restore soil health, enhance biodiversity, and build climate resilience in Indian agriculture.
What is Regenerative Agriculture?
- Definition: A holistic land management practice that goes beyond "sustainability" (maintaining resources) to actively restore and heal soil vitality, biodiversity, and water systems.
- Core Philosophy: Moving away from chemical/extractive farming to mimic natural ecosystems ("farming with nature, not against it").
Core Principles
- Minimising Soil Disturbance: Restricting mechanical plowing (tillage) to protect biological networks inside the soil.
- Maintaining Soil Cover: Using plant residue and mulch to shield the topsoil from erosion and evaporation.
- Maximising Biodiversity: Cultivating diverse plant species, crops, and beneficial insects to naturally cycle nutrients.
- Integrating Livestock: Reintroducing cattle and animals into fields to supply natural manure and disrupt pest cycles.
- Eliminating Synthetics: Phase-wise reduction and replacement of chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides with organic alternatives.
Practices Implemented
- Natural Farming: Using farm-sourced biological formulations such as Beejamrut, Jeevamrut, and Neemastra made from native livestock waste.
- Agroforestry: Growing perennial trees alongside food crops to regulate local temperatures, store carbon, and build extra income streams.
- Cover Cropping & Green Manuring: Growing specific non-harvest crops primarily to feed nitrogen and organic matter back into the ground.
- Micro-Irrigation: Deploying drip and sprinkler setups under programs like Per Drop More Crop (which covers 109 lakh hectares) to optimize every drop of water.
- Precision Nitrogen Management: Employing deep placement of urea and leaf colour charts to minimize nitrous oxide emissions.
Key Benefits
- Climate Resilience: Restored soils retain 20–30% more water, keeping crops alive significantly longer during prolonged droughts.
- Carbon Sequestration: It effectively extracts carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and safely traps it in the biological web of the soil.
- Input Cost Reduction: Slashing dependence on chemical imports reduces input costs by 40–60%, boosting net farmer incomes.
- Enhanced Nutrition: Food grown in bio-active, pesticide-free soil yields significantly higher mineral and nutritional values.
