Why In News?

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and NITI Aayog have launched a comprehensive blueprint for the National Framework on Regenerative Agriculture to restore degraded soils, boost biodiversity, and build climate-resilient farming systems.

What is Regenerative Agriculture?

It is a holistic, nature-based farming methodology that restores soil health, rebuilds ecosystem functions, and enhances biodiversity while ensuring stable crop yields.

  • Soil-Centred Agriculture: Focuses on soil as a living biological organism containing billions of beneficial bacteria, mycorrhizal fungi, and earthworms rather than an inert medium for chemical inputs.

  • Ecosystem-Based Farming: Mimics natural ecological systems by combining multi-species planting, natural biological pest predation, and organic biomass recycling.

  • Resource Conservation: Minimizes water runoff, stops topsoil erosion, and protects groundwater aquifers from chemical contamination.

  • Climate-Resilient Farming: Buffers crops against extreme climatic shocks, including heatwaves, prolonged dry spells, and unseasonal cloudbursts.

Why is the National Framework Important for Sustainable Farming?

Decades of intensive monoculture, excessive chemical fertilizer use, and aggressive tillage have degraded nearly 30% of India's total land area, causing Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) levels to drop below 0.5% in most agricultural soils against a healthy baseline of 1.5%–2%.

  • Shift from Depletion to Regeneration: Unlike conventional sustainable agriculture that aims only to maintain existing degraded conditions, regenerative agriculture actively rebuilds topsoil vitality, revitalizes soil microbiomes, and restores hydrological cycles.

  • Decoupling Yield from Chemical Inputs: Reduces smallholder reliance on expensive synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, mitigating agrarian indebtedness and lowering the central fertilizer subsidy burden.

  • Achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN): Directly supports India’s international commitment under the UNCCD to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.

What are the Core Principles of Regenerative Agriculture?

Minimum Soil Disturbance (Zero/Reduced Tillage): Protects soil physical structure, prevents soil carbon oxidation into atmospheric CO2, and preserves underground fungal networks.

Permanent Soil Cover (Mulching & Cover Crops): Keeps the ground protected at all times with crop residue mulch or cover crops, lowering soil surface temperatures by 5°C–10°C and curbing evaporation.

Continuous Living Roots in the Soil: Maintains living plant roots year-round to exude liquid carbon that feeds beneficial rhizosphere microorganisms.

Maximising Crop Diversity & Multi-Cropping: Integrates crop rotations, intercropping (cereal-legume mixtures), and cover cropping to naturally fix atmospheric nitrogen and break pest cycles.

Restoring Soil Biodiversity: Inoculates soils with fermented bio-formulations (such as Jeevamrit and Beejamrit) to stimulate native soil microbial populations.

Integrating Livestock & Reducing Chemical Dependence: Utilizes indigenous livestock manure, bio-compost, and rotational grazing to cycle nutrients naturally, eliminating synthetic chemical inputs.

Why is Regenerative Agriculture Needed in India?

Critical Soil Degradation & SOC Depletion: Over-application of chemical urea has distorted the ideal NPK ratio from 4:2:1 to over 8:3:1 in key agricultural states, depleting micronutrients (Zinc, Boron, Sulfur, Iron).

Severe Water Scarcity: Agriculture accounts for over 85% of India's total freshwater extraction; regenerative soils with high organic matter hold significantly more water, recharging depleted groundwater aquifers.

Rising Input Costs & Debt Traps: Small and marginal farmers spend escalating sums on hybrid seeds, synthetic fertilizers, and chemical pesticides, shrinking net farm incomes.

Climate Vulnerability of Indian Agriculture: Over 50% of India's net sown area remains rainfed and highly vulnerable to monsoon irregularities, droughts, and heat stress.

Ecosystem & Water Pollution: Chemical pesticide and fertilizer runoff causes widespread eutrophication of lakes and rivers, contaminating rural drinking water sources.

Existing Schemes 

National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF): Formed 18,786 farmer clusters covering 8.80 lakh hectares, enrolling 18.19 lakh farmers as of March 2026. (Source: PIB)

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY): Covered a cumulative area of 16.90 lakh hectares to promote chemical-free organic farming clusters across states.

Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme: Generated over 25.89 crore plot-specific Soil Health Cards assessing 12 key soil parameters; trained 70,002 Krishi Sakhis to deliver grassroots soil advisories. (Source: PIB)

Per Drop More Crop (PDMC): Scaled micro-irrigation (drip and sprinkler systems) across 109 lakh hectares since 2015-16.

Rainfed Area Development (RAD) under Integrated Farming Systems (IFS): Disbursed ₹2,251.98 crore in Central Assistance, benefiting 15.73 lakh farmers across 9.53 lakh hectares with 4,416 KVK field demonstration models.

Agroforestry Component under PM-RKVY: Established 135 new nurseries and raised 176.59 lakh quality saplings for farm bund planting and voluntary carbon projects.

What are the Major Challenges in Adoption?

Lack of Farmer Awareness & Mindset Inertia: Decades of Green Revolution conditioning make farmers hesitant to abandon chemical fertilizers.

Transition Phase Yield Fluctuations: Farms often experience a temporary yield stabilization dip during the 2 to 3-year biological transition period while the soil food web recovers.

Small and Fragmented Landholdings: Over 86% of Indian farmers are small and marginal (<2 hectares), leaving them with limited financial buffers to absorb transition risks.

Inadequate Extension Services at Grassroots: Shortage of trained agricultural extension officers and Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) personnel skilled in biological farming techniques.

Limited Availability of Specialized Machinery: Lack of affordable access to specialized zero-till seed drills (Happy Seeders), cover-crop rollers, and biomass mulchers.

Absence of Market Incentives & Certification: Lack of streamlined certification standards and dedicated supply chains that reward regenerative produce with fair price premiums.

Way Forward

Establish Community-Led Farmer Field Schools (FFS): Mobilize Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Agricultural Technology Management Agencies (ATMA), and Krishi Sakhis to demonstrate location-specific regenerative packages.

Provide Direct Transitional Income Support (Pari-Passu Subsidies): Reallocate a portion of chemical fertilizer subsidies under PM-PRANAM to provide direct per-hectare transitional financial support to farmers adopting regenerative practices.

Scale Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs) for Zero-Till Equipment: Provide subsidized zero-till seed drills, multi-crop planters, and bio-input preparation units to Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs).

Develop a National Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) Verification Registry: Standardize digital soil testing and remote-sensing protocols to measure carbon sequestration and connect farmers to carbon credit trading.

Establish Dedicated Regenerative Supply Chains & Branding: Formulate clear national standards and green-label certifications to ensure farmers receive a 15%–25% price premium in domestic and export markets.

Strengthen ICAR Scientific Validation & Crop Breeding: Direct the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to scientifically validate traditional bio-inputs and develop crop cultivars optimized for chemical-free soil microbiomes.

Conclusion

The National Framework on Regenerative Agriculture transitions Indian farming from input-heavy depletion to biological rejuvenation, securing soil health, climate resilience, and sustainable farm prosperity.

Source: PIB

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. What is Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)? Explain its role in enhancing water use efficiency and mitigating agricultural carbon emissions in India. (10 Marks, 150 Words)