Syllabus: GS 3/Agriculture
Introduction
India, with 145 crore people, has attained food and nutrition self-sufficiency during the last 70 years, owing mostly to agricultural development and improved practices during the Green Revolution. Food demand is expected to rise by 2-3% every year, requiring the country to produce 50% more food by 2050.
What is Regenerative Agriculture?
Regenerative agriculture is a comprehensive farming approach aimed at improving soil health, food quality, biodiversity, water, and air by minimizing the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, reducing tillage, incorporating livestock, and utilizing cover crops. The Rodale Institute first used the term "regenerative agriculture" in the 1980s.
While still in the early stages, regenerative farming is gaining momentum in India. Farmers in states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra are experimenting with techniques such as cover cropping, reduced tillage, and agroforestry.
Principles on which Regenerative Farming Depends
Reduce Soil Disturbance: To lessen soil disturbance, employ conservation tillage.
Crop diversification: To restore nutrients and disrupt the cycles of pests and diseases, grow a range of crops.
Preserve Soil Cover: To preserve and improve soil health, plant cover crops.
Integrated Farming: Include animals to improve soil, produce manure, and aid in the sequestration of carbon.
Distinct Features of Regenerative Agriculture
Advancing Beyond Sustainability: Regenerative agriculture improves soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience. Regenerative agriculture actively reverses degradation, promoting ecological restoration.
Soil-Focused Regeneration: Emphasizes microbial-plant symbiosis to enhance nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration.
Integrated Agricultural Practices: Combines agroecology and conservation agriculture, tailored to local conditions.
Adaptive and Inclusive Approaches: Incorporates flexible methods like zero tillage, crop diversification, and livestock integration.
Environmental and Agricultural Synergy: Strengthens soil health, increases crop nutrition, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Environmental and Ecological Advantages: Enhances soil structure, water retention, nutrient cycling, and provides habitats while reducing erosion.
Need for Integrated Agriculture in India
Declining soil fertility: With soil organic carbon falling from 2.4% in 1947 to 0.4% now, below the crucial 1.5% threshold, overuse of synthetic fertilizers and unsustainable practices have decreased soil fertility. Over the previous 70 years, this has cost India about $564 billion.
Changes in climate: In addition to decreasing soil health and ineffective methods, rising droughts, floods, and extreme temperature events have a detrimental effect on agricultural productivity.
Pressures from the economy: Farmers must contend with exorbitant input costs, volatile market prices, and a yearly fertilizer subsidy of Rs 2 lakh crore ($25 billion), which encourages inefficient practices and raises greenhouse gas emissions by 25 million tons (CO2e) annually.
Potential hazards: Experts caution that within the next 50 years, feeding the world's population may be impossible due to soil degradation, dwindling biodiversity, and declining soil fertility.
Deficits in knowledge: Rural farmers' adoption of regenerative and climate-resilient methods is hampered by a lack of knowledge and resources.
Advantages of Regenerative Agriculture
Decreased emissions: By sequestering carbon and improving crop resistance to climate shocks, regenerative agriculture helps reduce emissions. For example, it could cut emissions by 600 million tons, or around 2% of global emissions, which is equal to Germany's carbon footprint, if it were implemented on 40% of the world's crops.
Health of the soil: By recycling agricultural waste and adding composted ingredients, it improves the health of the soil. Studies by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) show that composting and regenerative farming practices can increase soil organic matter by 22-25% over 5 years.
Biodiversity: By using techniques like crop rotation, agroforestry, and silvopasture, it increases biodiversity.Research from the Punjab Agricultural University indicates a 20% reduction in pest incidence and a 15-20% increase in yields through crop rotation.
Conserving water: It encourages effective groundwater use, which helps save water. Regenerative practices in Maharashtra reduced irrigation needs by 25-30%, as reported by ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics).
Financial well-being of farmers: Regenerative agriculture boosts farmers' economic well-being by reducing input costs and increasing productivity and profits. Regenerative farming in Tamil Nadu cut input costs by 30% (MS Swaminathan Research Foundation).
Farmers in Andhra Pradesh saw a 50% profit increase due to higher yields and lower costs.
Regenerative Farming Across Globe
Regenerative farming techniques are being used in a number of nations to combat climate change, enhance biodiversity, and improve soil health. Important instances consist of:
United States: Under the direction of the Rodale Institute, regenerative techniques like rotational grazing and cover crops have gained widespread traction in areas like Iowa and California.
Australia: Well-known for its use of agroforestry, rotational grazing, and holistic management, especially in areas that are prone to drought.
Brazil: In the Mato Grosso region, regenerative farming restores degraded land by combining cattle ranching with agroforestry.
Canada: The Regenerative Agriculture Alliance encourages farmers in the prairie areas to use no-till farming, crop rotation, and livestock integration.
United Kingdom: With the help of groups like the Soil Association, the use of cover crops, agroforestry, and no-till farming is expanding.
New Zealand: Encourages soil regeneration and rotational grazing in sheep and dairy farming to improve soil health.
Argentina: To combat soil degradation and cut down on chemical inputs, no-till farming, crop rotation, and pasture management are being adopted.
Way forward
Reduce Soil Disturbance: To maintain soil health and minimize soil disturbance, use conservation tillage.
Crop Diversification: Encourage a variety of cropping methods to replenish nutrients and break the cycles of pests and diseases.
Integrative farming: Incorporating livestock into farming systems can improve soil quality, produce carbon sinks, and contribute manure.
Policy Support: Create regulations that lower fertilizer subsidies and encourage environmentally friendly agricultural methods.
Research and Development: To evaluate the advantages of regenerative agriculture, conduct comprehensive studies across agro-climatic zones.
Campaigns to Raise Awareness: Inform farmers and other interested parties on the advantages of regenerative approaches for the economy, ecology, and human health.
Collaboration: To scale up sustainable agricultural practices, encourage cooperation between NGOs, the commercial sector, and local communities.
Conclusion
India's agriculture requires a complete rethink, with a focus on radical transformation through regenerative farming rather than simply optimizing the current intense system. This strategy is not only a choice but a requirement for meeting the expanding food demand on a sustainable basis.
UPSC Mains Model Question
Q. Regenerative agriculture is emerging as a promising solution to the challenges of soil degradation, water scarcity, and declining biodiversity. Discuss the key principles, distinct features, and advantages of regenerative agriculture, highlighting its relevance to India’s agricultural future. Also, analyze the challenges and suggest the way forward for promoting regenerative agriculture in the country. (250 words)
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