Nodal Ministries- Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare & Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
The Ecological Imperative
a) Decadal Growth Milestone- Indian agriculture and allied sectors achieved a 4.45% decadal growth rate (FY16–FY25), the highest recorded in recent decades.
b) Agrarian Fatigue & Degradation- Decades of intensive cultivation, unbalanced chemical fertilizer application, and groundwater depletion have diminished soil vitality, raising input costs for small and marginal farmers.
c) Climate Vulnerability- Extreme weather events including heatwaves, erratic rainfall distributions, and prolonged droughts threaten rainfed cropping systems.
d) Core Philosophy of Regenerative Agriculture- Unlike conventional sustainable farming (which aims to maintain existing baselines), regenerative agriculture actively restores soil biology, rebuilds organic matter, and enhances ecological resilience.
e) SDG 13 Alignment- Directly advances SDG 13 (Climate Action Target 13.1) by turning agricultural soils into net carbon sinks and strengthening climate-adaptive capacity.
Core Principles & Agronomic Framework
- Soil Biology Preservation- Minimizes mechanical tilling to protect mycorrhizal fungal networks and soil aggregate stability.
- Continuous Living Cover- Uses biomass mulching and cover cropping to suppress weed emergence, regulate soil microclimates, and stop erosion.
- Livestock-Crop Integration- Couples indigenous livestock dung/urine with native microbial inoculants to cycle organic nutrients.
- Biological Nitrogen Fixation- Promotes cyanobacteria, bio-fertilizers, and legume intercropping to reduce reliance on synthetic urea.
Key Regenerative Agricultural Practices in India
|
Practice Area |
Core Methods & Interventions |
Direct Ecological & Economic Benefits |
|
Water & Resource Efficiency
|
Micro-irrigation (drip, sprinkler, foggers) and precision farm mechanization. |
Reduces water conveyance loss, cuts fuel consumption, and mitigates drought stress. |
|
Nutrient Management
|
Deep placement of supergranular urea, leaf color charts (LCC), and cyanobacteria inoculants. |
Improves nitrogen-use efficiency and curbs nitrous oxide ($N_2O$) emissions. |
|
Natural Farming
|
On-farm bio-formulations (Beejamrut, Jeevamrut, Ghanjeevamrut, Neemastra, Dashparni). |
Eliminates chemical expenditure, utilizes native seeds, and restores beneficial microflora. |
|
Soil Health Management
|
In-situ green manuring, organic crop residue mulching, and cover cropping. |
Enhances Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), water retention, and microbial biodiversity. |
|
Integrated Farming Systems (IFS)
|
Multi-enterprise clusters combining crops, livestock, fisheries, agroforestry, and apiculture. |
Recycles farm waste, diversifies farmer income, and hedges against total crop failure. |
|
Agroforestry & Tree Systems
|
Boundary plantation of perennial trees, fruit orchards, and shelterbelts. |
Rejuvenates degraded rainfed lands, buffers micro-temperatures, and sequesters carbon. |
Government Schemes Driving Regenerative Agriculture
A. National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF - 2024)
a) Output-Based Incentives- Provides ₹4,000 per acre per year for two years (up to 1 acre per farmer) to incentivize conversion to chemical-free methods.
b) Bio-Input Infrastructure- Establishes 10,000 need-based Bio-input Resource Centres (BRCs) to supply localized formulations.
c) Ground Outreach (as of March 2026)- Formed 18,786 natural farming clusters covering 8.80 lakh hectares with 18.19 lakh enrolled farmers, supported by 33,676 trained Community Resource Persons (CRPs).
B. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY - 2015)
a) Financial Assistance- Provides ₹31,500 per hectare over three years for organic cluster formation, capacity building, PGS certification, and marketing linkages.
b) Cumulative Coverage- Covered 16.90 lakh hectares across the country (as of October 2025).
C. Per Drop More Crop (PDMC - 2015–16)
a) Capital Subsidies- Provides 55% financial assistance for small/marginal farmers and 45% for other farmers to install drip and sprinkler irrigation systems.
b) Implementation Scale- Covered ~109 lakh hectares with ₹26,325 crore in Central assistance released (as of May 2026).
D. Rainfed Area Development Programme (RAD - 2014–15)
a) Integrated Farming Clusters- Develops ~20-hectare village clusters, providing ₹30,000 per farm familyfor IFS adoption and ₹10,000 per cluster for capacity building.
b) Coverage Footprint- Covered 9.53 lakh hectares, benefiting 15.73 lakh farmers with ₹2,251.98 crore in Central assistance (as of Dec 2025). Supported by 4,416 KVK field demonstrations.
E. Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (Agroforestry Component under PM-RKVY)
a) Quality Planting Material (QPM)- Grants 100% financial assistance to Government agencies and 50% back-ended credit assistance to private growers for nurseries.
b) Recent Progress (2025–26)- Sanctioned ₹78.31 crore to 27 States/UTs, establishing 135 new nurseriesand raising 176.59 lakh saplings to benefit 25,693 farmers.
F. Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme (2015)
a) Scientific Soil Diagnostics- Issues biennial cards analyzing 12 key chemical and physical soil parameters with crop-specific dosage recommendations.
b) Footprint- Generated 25.89 crore Soil Health Cards (as of March 2026), supported by 7.17 lakh field demonstrations and 70,002 trained Krishi Sakhis.
Strategic Challenges & Policy Way Forward
- The Transition Yield Gap- Farmers frequently experience minor yield dips during the initial 2–3 years of chemical withdrawal, requiring sustained transition subsidies and crop insurance cushions.
- Labor Intensity of Bio-Inputs- Preparing formulations like Jeevamrut requires daily maintenance; establishing localized Bio-input Resource Centres (BRCs) at the Panchayat level is essential.
- Certification & Premium Pricing- Strengthening Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) and connecting farmer producer organizations (FPOs) to high-value retail markets ensures remunerative price premiums.
- Overcoming Input Distortions- Rationalizing synthetic fertilizer subsidies (e.g., through direct cash transfers or nutrient-based subsidy parity) prevents the over-application of urea and encourages organic alternatives.
Source: PIB