Why the world needs regenerative agriculture

By Dr Deepak Birewar, Chairman & MD, Inventys Research Company

India is one of the major players in the global agricultural market. With the unstable food security landscape and the burden of feeding the growing population, the stress on the agricultural systems is increasing. This is leading to the emergence of issues like soil degradation and loss of crops and biodiversity. International scientists and industry reports suggest that at the current pace, only 50 years of harvest remain to feed the world population. In such a scenario, regenerative agriculture that prioritises ecological functions will be effective in building the resilience of agroecosystems.

Regenerative agriculture is a holistic farming system that focuses on improving soil health, enhancing food quality, and biodiversity improvement, through practices that increase soil organic matter, biota and biodiversity. The technique builds soil health, supports biodiversity and even returns carbon and nutrients to the soil. Regenerative agriculture also enables soil aggregation, water infiltration, retention and nutrient cycling. The practice further reduces soil erosion and provides habitat and food for diverse species.

The technique works on four main principles: minimising soil disturbance through conservation or zero tillage, diversifying crops to replenish nutrients and disrupt pest and disease lifecycles, retaining soil cover using cover crops, and integrating livestock (which adds manure to the soil and serves as a source of carbon sinks). Regenerative agriculture preserves soil organic matter and moisture, which helps suppress weeds, protects soil from the impact of extreme weather patterns, and avoids soil compaction. The farming method promotes nutrient cycling, improved plant nutrition, and helps prevent pests and diseases.

Also known as conservation agriculture, it is a farming system that supports sustainable land management, environmental protection and climate change adaptation and mitigation. It is relatively 20-50 per cent less labour-intensive and contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through lower energy inputs and improved nutrient use efficiency. Additionally, it minimises soil disturbance by reducing ploughing and retaining carbon in the soil, promotes crop rotation to enhance biodiversity and moves grazing animals to different pastures, thus improving soil quality and animal welfare.

Benefits

The practice improves long-term farmer livelihood through reduced costs and improved crop quality. It also ensures greater resilience to market volatility and extreme climate events. It further opens new green revenue streams for farmers, such as rewarding them for carbon capture and storage in the soil.

When soil is healthy, it produces more food and nutrition, stores more carbon and increases biodiversity. It also supports other water, land and air environments and ecosystems through natural processes, including water drainage and pollination. Other benefits of this model include efficient water usage and fewer pests, as greater biodiversity makes the land more resilient.

Regenerative farming can improve crop yields – the volume of crops produced- by improving the health of the soil and its ability to retain water, as well as reducing soil erosion. These improved yields can help feed the world’s growing population. Moreover, regenerative farming has the potential to transform the croplands and pastures, which cover up to 40 per cent of Earth’s ice-free land, into carbon sinks, reducing emissions from agriculture.

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By Dr Deepak Birewar, Chairman & MD,