Why regenerative agriculture is turning out to be a better option than age old traditional methods?

For years, conventional agriculture has been practised throughout the country, where it aims to bring in profit from a particular patch of land, heavily relying on chemical fertilisers, weedicides, and pesticides. In conventional agriculture, there is a notable emphasis on maximizing profits akin to an industrial production system. Unfortunately, this often comes at the expense of environmental concerns, which are either relegated to a secondary position or entirely disregarded. The use of fertilizers and chemicals, not only damages the environment, but disrupts the agricultural production by polluting soil, water, and air. As a result, in most cases, the production starts declining because of soil fertility loss, after a certain period of time.

As India is majorly dependant on agriculture, there is a need to adopt productive measures, that can lead to sustainable practices. Non-chemical-based agriculture is gaining traction throughout the world as an alternative to conventional agriculture. Although commonly known by different names (organic agriculture, sustainable farming and regenerative agriculture), these different types converge on stabilising the production, by mitigating the damage to the environment caused by the rampant use of chemical and rejuvenating soil health and increasing moisture regime.

Instead of fixating solely on individual components and their efficacy, these sustainable agricultural practices adopt a complete approach. They consider the entire production system, including its integration with the surrounding ecosystem. These practices are rooted in understanding how the entire system works, how its components influence each other, and how they are affected by additional inputs or the absence of essential elements.

Furthermore, regenerative farming views cropping as a holistic system. They recognize that planting various crops together or in rotation can rejuvenate soil health, leading to increased production for all crops involved.

Regenerative agricultural practices are characterized by – Minimal tillage, which avoids summer ploughing and limiting tillage before planting to a depth of up to four inches, unlike conventional practices that involve deeper tillage up to a depth of six inches. Crop rotation, which involves rotating different crops on the same land to enhance soil health and prevent pests and diseases. Multi-cropping, which involves growing multiple crops with varying root lengths to optimise nutrient uptake, enhances productivity and promotes biodiversity. Moisture management, which implements techniques such as mulching to conserve soil moisture and minimise water loss. And pest and disease management, which uses organic extracts to control pests and diseases.

While regenerative agriculture is still in its early stages in many parts of the country, this sustainable practice has already begun to yield significant ecological and health benefits for the soil. It has resulted in improved soil water retention, proven by darker soil colour, which indicates higher organic matter content. Additionally, regenerative agriculture has led to finer soil texture and increased presence of beneficial organisms.

Though regenerative agricultural faces several challenges with respect to complexity of the process and availability of raw materials, overall, this approach has proven to be beneficial.  In some parts of the country, better soil health, less chance of harming human health and better taste have emerged as some of the major motivators for the farmers to adopt these practices.

The transition to regenerative agriculture has proven transformative for many farmers, resulting in heightened food security through increased production. This uptick in output translates to enhanced income streams. Moreover, products cultivated through regenerative practices boast longer shelf lives and enjoy greater favour among consumers. Notably, farm produce derived from regenerative agriculture is recognized for its superior taste and elevated nutritional value.

It is time for the industry and the government to push regenerative agriculture more vigorously into the agricultural eco-system, so that there is better soil quality, more agricultural produce for the country, better physical and financial health for the farmers and more people can adopt these sustainable practices. There is a need to create more awareness and acceptance, towards the farming eco-system, about regenerative farming and make the raw materials more accessible for them, so that farmers can adopt these sustainable practices, in the time to come.

Views of the author are personal and do not necessarily represent the website’s views.

With over 20 years of experience, Parijat has been serving as a Team Coordinator in Research and Advocacy at PRADAN. She has played a pivotal role in mobilizing women into Self-Help Groups, focusing on savings and credit, gender equality issues, and various livelihood activities. She began her journey as a Development Apprentice.

Pranav holds a PhD in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University. He completed his bachelor’s degree at Delhi University and his master’s degree at Ambedkar University. He is currently working as a Research Associate with PRADAN.