Regenerative agriculture is a holistic approach to farming that places soil health, biodiversity and the long-term productivity of farmland at the centre of agricultural practices.
The basic principle is straightforward: healthy soil can support healthier and more resilient farming systems. Instead of focusing only on the quantity of crops produced in a particular season, regenerative agriculture seeks to improve the condition of the land over time.
The approach aims to rebuild soil fertility, improve the soil’s ability to retain water, support beneficial organisms and strengthen the natural systems that agriculture depends upon.
This distinguishes regenerative agriculture from conventional sustainability approaches that primarily seek to maintain existing environmental conditions. Regenerative agriculture seeks to actively restore and improve the health of agricultural ecosystems.
For India, where millions of farmers depend directly on soil, rainfall and groundwater for their livelihoods, the health of these natural resources has a direct connection with agricultural productivity and rural incomes.
Why does India need Regenerative Agriculture?
India’s agriculture and allied sectors recorded 4.45 per cent decadal growth during FY16-FY25, the highest among previous decades.
However, maintaining this growth over the long term requires addressing growing pressures on agricultural resources.
Intensive cultivation, excessive or inappropriate use of chemical inputs and increasing pressure on water resources can affect soil health and farm productivity. At the same time, farmers are increasingly exposed to climate-related uncertainties.
Heatwaves, prolonged dry spells and excessive or unpredictable rainfall can affect crop yields and increase production risks. These challenges can be particularly difficult for small and marginal farmers, who often have limited financial resources to absorb a failed crop or rising input costs.
Regenerative agriculture seeks to make farming systems more resource-efficient and resilient by improving soil quality, conserving water, increasing biodiversity and diversifying agricultural activities.
The objective is not simply to reduce environmental damage but to strengthen the underlying capacity of farms to continue producing despite changing conditions.
Key principles of Regenerative Agriculture
While regenerative agriculture can take different forms depending on local conditions, several broad principles are commonly associated with the approach.
Minimising Soil Disturbance
Reducing unnecessary disturbance to soil can help preserve its structure and biological activity. Excessive tillage can affect soil organisms and contribute to erosion.
Regenerative practices therefore encourage farmers to minimise disturbance wherever practical.
Maintaining soil cover
Keeping soil covered through crop residues, mulching or cover crops can protect the land from erosion and reduce the direct impact of heat and rainfall.
Soil cover can also help conserve moisture and contribute organic matter to the soil.
Keeping Living Roots in the Soil: Maintaining living roots, particularly through perennial crops and suitable cover crops, can support soil biological activity and nutrient cycling.
Integrating Livestock: Livestock can form an important part of regenerative farming systems. Their integration with crop production can contribute to nutrient cycling and provide farmers with an additional source of income.
Reducing dependence on Chemical Inputs
The approach seeks to reduce excessive dependence on synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, while encouraging biological and natural alternatives wherever appropriate.
Increasing Biodiversity: Greater diversity of crops, trees, livestock and beneficial organisms can make agricultural systems more resilient and support ecological functions such as pollination and natural pest control.
What practices come under Regenerative Agriculture?
Regenerative agriculture is not a single farming technique. Instead, it brings together several practices that can be adapted according to local farming conditions.
Micro-Irrigation: Drip and sprinkler irrigation can deliver water closer to plant roots and reduce unnecessary water loss.
Efficient irrigation becomes particularly important in areas facing water stress. Better water-use efficiency can help farmers maintain crop production while using less water.
The Per Drop More Crop scheme promotes micro-irrigation through drip and sprinkler systems. As of May 2026, the programme had covered about 109 lakh hectares, with Rs 26,325 crore released as central assistance.
Natural Farming: Natural farming focuses on the use of biological inputs prepared largely from resources available on the farm.
Practices include the use of Beejamrut, Jeevamrut, GhanJeevamrut, Neemastra and Dashparni. The approach also encourages multi-cropping, mulching, cover cropping, minimal soil disturbance and livestock integration.
These practices seek to reduce dependence on external chemical inputs while strengthening natural processes within the farm ecosystem.
The National Mission on Natural Farming, launched in 2024, provides an output-based incentive of ₹4,000 per acre per year for two years, covering up to one acre per farmer.
As of March 5, 2026, 18,786 natural farming clusters had been formed, covering 8.80 lakh hectares and enrolling 18.19 lakh farmers.
Soil Health Management: Healthy soil is the foundation of regenerative agriculture.
Practices such as green manuring, cover cropping and mulching can add organic matter, protect soil from erosion, conserve moisture and support nutrient cycling.
The Soil Health Card Scheme, launched in 2015, provides farmers with plot-wise soil test reports and crop-specific recommendations. As of March 13, 2026, 25.89 crore Soil Health Cards had been generated since the scheme’s inception.
The availability of scientific information about soil conditions can help farmers make better decisions about nutrient management and crop requirements.
Integrated Farming Systems
Integrated farming combines different agricultural activities rather than relying entirely on a single crop.
A farm can combine crops with livestock, fisheries, horticulture, agroforestry or apiculture.
Such diversification can reduce the risks associated with crop failure and provide farmers with additional sources of income. If one component of the farm faces a setback, other activities may continue to provide livelihood support.
The Rainfed Area Development Programme promotes integrated farming systems. Since its inception, it has covered 9.53 lakh hectares and benefited 15.73 lakh farmers.
As of December 2025, Rs2,251.98 crore had been provided as central assistance to states under the programme.
Agroforestry: Agroforestry involves integrating trees with crops and other agricultural activities.
Trees can provide farmers with additional sources of income while contributing to soil and water conservation. They can also help regulate local temperatures, improve soil moisture conditions and store carbon.
For farms facing increasing climate pressure, combining trees with agricultural production can therefore provide both environmental and economic benefits.
How can Regenerative Agriculture help farmers?
The benefits of regenerative agriculture can be both environmental and economic.
Healthier soils can have better structure, fertility and water-retention capacity. Improved soil cover can reduce erosion, while greater biodiversity can support pollinators, beneficial insects and soil microorganisms.
For farmers, reducing dependence on synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and excessive irrigation can potentially lower input costs.
At the same time, diversified farming systems can provide additional sources of income and reduce dependence on a single crop.
This becomes particularly important when farmers face unpredictable weather or market fluctuations. A farming system built around several crops and allied activities can potentially be more resilient than one that depends entirely on a single crop.
The approach also places greater emphasis on the long-term productivity of farmland rather than only short-term output.
Regenerative Agriculture and Climate Change
Climate change is increasing the importance of resilient agricultural systems.
Regenerative practices can contribute to climate resilience by improving soil’s ability to retain water, reducing runoff and erosion and supporting biodiversity.
Improved soil conditions can help farms cope with periods of water stress, while better water management can reduce vulnerability in regions facing irregular rainfall.
Some regenerative practices can also contribute to greater carbon storage in soils and vegetation.
The approach is therefore aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 13 on Climate Action, particularly its focus on strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards.
For India, this connection is particularly significant because agriculture remains closely linked to monsoon patterns, water availability and local climatic conditions.
Government Support for Regenerative Practices
India’s approach to regenerative agriculture is being supported through multiple programmes rather than one single scheme.
Government interventions cover areas such as natural farming, organic farming, micro-irrigation, integrated farming, agroforestry and soil health management.
The National Mission on Natural Farming, Per Drop More Crop, Rainfed Area Development Programme and Soil Health Card Scheme are among the initiatives that support practices associated with regenerative agriculture.
Together, these interventions address several of the key challenges facing Indian agriculture—soil degradation, water efficiency, excessive dependence on external inputs, climate risks and the need for diversified farm incomes.
The scale of these programmes also indicates the importance being given to improving the resource base on which agricultural production depends.
Beyond one farming method
One of the important aspects of regenerative agriculture is that it should not be viewed as a single formula that can be applied uniformly across India.
Farming conditions vary significantly between regions. Soil types, rainfall, irrigation availability, crops, livestock systems and local livelihoods are different across the country.
As a result, regenerative agriculture is better understood as a set of principles and practices that can be adapted to local conditions.
For one farmer, this may mean adopting micro-irrigation. For another, it may involve crop diversification, mulching, natural farming or integrating livestock. In other areas, agroforestry or integrated farming may provide the most suitable approach.
The common objective is to improve the health and resilience of the farming system.
The Bigger Picture
Regenerative agriculture essentially changes the question from “How much can the land produce this season?” to “How can the land remain productive for generations?”
For India, that question has growing importance.
The country’s agricultural growth needs to be sustained without placing unsustainable pressure on soil, water and biodiversity. Farmers also need systems capable of coping with heatwaves, dry spells, excessive rainfall and other climate-related uncertainties.
Regenerative agriculture brings together several elements that can help address these challenges—healthy soils, efficient water use, biodiversity, diversified farming, livestock integration and climate resilience.
With natural farming, agroforestry, micro-irrigation, integrated farming systems and scientific soil management being promoted through different government interventions, regenerative agriculture is emerging as one pathway towards healthier soils and more resilient farms.
Ultimately, its success will depend on how effectively these practices can be adapted to local conditions while ensuring that farmers continue to receive reliable incomes and adequate support during the transition.
For Indian agriculture, regeneration is therefore not simply about changing farming techniques. It is about protecting the natural foundations of agriculture so that farms remain productive, farmers remain resilient and food production can continue to meet the country’s needs in a changing climate.
