By Nazmin Saikia
India stands at a pivotal moment. Its agriculture sector feeds 1.4+ billion people, supports almost half the population, and remains the backbone of rural livelihoods — yet it faces climate shocks, resource stresses and a pressing need to raise productivity sustainably. This article surveys the current scale of Indian agriculture, highlights sustainable and scalable innovations (both domestic and global) that can be applied to Indian farms, and sets out practical policy and farm-level measures to secure food systems for the future — all grounded in recent data and reporting.
Agriculture today: scale, importance and pressures
Agriculture contributes roughly 16% of India’s GDP and supports about 46% of the population; in recent years the sector has grown at around 5% annually while remaining central to rural livelihoods. Foodgrain production remains high — the Kharif 2024 crop was reported at over 1,647 lakh tonnes — yet producers face rising input costs, water stress, uneven markets and climate risks. (India Budget)
Global food markets add pressure: cereal and commodity price volatility is persistent (World Bank monitoring shows shifts in cereal indices), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) continues to stress transformation toward sustainable, resilient food systems to meet rising demand without overshooting planetary boundaries. (worldbank.org)
Key systemic challenges India must solve are: (1) closing yield and efficiency gaps (per-hectare productivity vs. best practice); (2) reducing food loss and waste along a long value chain; (3) building climate resilience for smallholders; and (4) decarbonizing inputs and water use while improving farmer incomes.
Pathways to sustainability: innovations and practices that scale
Below are proven and emergent solutions — tested in India or abroad — that address productivity, resilience and environmental footprints, and that policymakers and farmer networks can scale.
1. Climate-Smart & Regenerative Agriculture
Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) — an FAO-endorsed approach — combines productivity, adaptation and mitigation: drought-tolerant varieties, improved cropping calendars, soil carbon practices and integrated nutrient management. CSA helps farmers manage risk while reducing greenhouse-gas intensity. (FAOHome)
Regenerative agriculture (no-till/minimum tillage, crop rotation, cover crops, agroforestry) is gaining empirical support in India. A 2025 study from eastern India showed crop rotation, agroforestry and diversification improved household resilience and multidimensional poverty outcomes — indicating regenerative practices can boost incomes while rebuilding soil health. (Nature)
Policy & examples: Bihar Agricultural University’s Climate Resilient Agriculture Programme — awarded nationally in 2025 — reached tens of thousands of farmers with minimal tillage, organic inputs and water conservation pilots, demonstrating state-level success in scaling resilient practices. (The Times of India)
2. Precision Farming, Drones & Digital Agriculture
Drones and precision tools are no longer futuristic. States are piloting drone spraying for nano-urea and pesticides; Uttar Pradesh, for example, launched drone spray pilots across multiple districts to increase timeliness and reduce labor and chemical use. High-resolution imagery and multispectral sensing allow variable-rate fertiliser application, earlier pest detection and better water management. (The Times of India)
AI and decision-support platforms can synthesize weather forecasts, market prices and pest alerts to advise smallholders on sowing dates, input timing and crop choices — improving yields and lowering risk. India’s national AI in Agriculture initiatives highlight rapid adoption of such tools in 2024–25. (IndiaAI)
3. Renewable Energy & Water Solutions
Solar pumps and decentralized solar under PM-KUSUM and allied schemes are transforming irrigation economics: large deployments of solar agriculture pumps reduce diesel dependence and provide predictable power for pumps and cold chains. PM-KUSUM aims to add large solar capacity and hundreds of thousands of pumps by 2026, offering both cost and emissions benefits. (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy)
Water-saving irrigation like micro-irrigation (drip & sprinkler) paired with soil moisture sensors is proven to cut water use substantially and boost yields for fruits, vegetables and cash crops. Combining solar pumps with drip systems multiplies benefits — reduced energy cost and improved water-use efficiency.
4. Reducing Food Loss & Cold-Chain Expansion
FAO’s Food Loss & Waste platform documents how one-third of global food is lost or wasted; for India, investments in cold chains, pack-houses and improved transport reduce post-harvest loss for perishables and increase farmer returns. The FAO’s tools show targeted cold-chain access reduces spoilage and food-system greenhouse gases simultaneously. (FAOHome)
Private-sector and government efforts — including enhanced storage allocations in the 2025 budget and support for food processing — aim to strengthen infrastructure and compress the time between harvest and market. Reuters reported a major budget increase for agriculture in 2025 to support infrastructure, storage and value-addition. (Reuters)
5. Urban & Vertical Farming to Reduce Pressure
Vertical farming and controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) can supply high-value vegetables and reduce transport emissions for cities. While CEA is capital-intensive, modular models (hydroponics and aeroponics) are being piloted in India and can complement rural production by reducing seasonal stress on land and diversifying urban diets. Global vertical-farming firms demonstrate that with energy-efficiency and renewable power, CEA can be economically viable for perishables. (iGrow News)
6. Biologicals, Microbial Inputs & Reduced Chemical Dependency
Biofertilizers, microbial inoculants and integrated pest management (IPM) reduce synthetic input use and improve soil biology. Nano-urea and precision nutrient applications (paired with drone delivery) show promise in reducing blanket overuse of nitrogen and associated emissions — but require training and monitoring to ensure agronomic and environmental gains. (The Times of India)
How to scale change: policy levers & finance
Public investment in R&D and extension for smallholders. Government must fund adaptive research (regionally specific drought-tolerant varieties, seed systems for diversification) and strengthen extension networks to translate innovation into field practice (digital advisories, farmer field schools). The Economic Survey and budgetary shifts in 2025 signal increased public commitment that must be matched with delivery. (India Budget)
Incentives for sustainable practice adoption. Direct subsidies for micro-irrigation, payments for ecosystem services (soil carbon or water-saving credits), and insurance premium reductions for climate-smart adopters can accelerate uptake.
Finance for smallholder infrastructure. Low-cost finance and public–private partnerships to build cold chains, local pack-houses and aggregation platforms reduce food loss and improve market access. The government’s plans for food-processing incentives and infrastructure in 2025 are aligned with this need. (Reuters)
Skills and digital inclusion. Training farmers to use drones, sensors and AI tools — plus ensuring affordable data connectivity in rural areas — is essential to democratize precision agriculture benefits. National AI in agriculture programs already emphasise farmer training. (IndiaAI)
Landscape and watershed approaches. Agroforestry, rainwater harvesting, and integrated watershed management stabilize water availability, improve biodiversity and buffer climate extremes — key for long-term sustainability and livelihoods.
Practical farm-level roadmap for 2030
For a representative smallholder (1–3 ha), a practical sustainability roadmap could include:
Year 1–2: Soil testing and balanced nutrient management; micro-irrigation adoption (subsidy-supported); introduction of crop diversification (pulses/vegetables) to increase income and reduce mono-crop risk.
Year 2–4: Integrate regenerative practices (cover crops, minimal tillage), pilot agroforestry strips, access to precision advisory via mobile AI platform.
Year 3–5: Aggregate with local farmer producer organisations (FPOs) for access to cold-chain, value addition and direct market linkages; adopt solar pump for irrigation and cold storage charging.
Continuous: Participate in extension and certification programs (organic/regenerative) to access premium markets.
Evidence suggests these staged steps combine productivity gains with resilience and improved household incomes when supported by finance and technical extension. (Nature)
Risks, trade-offs and equity considerations
Capital & knowledge barriers: Technologies (vertical farms, CEA, sensors) require capital and technical skills; without targeted support, smallholders risk exclusion. Policies must prioritize low-cost, high-impact tools first.
Energy & water trade-offs: Solar pumps and CEA consume electricity; careful design — renewable energy + efficient water systems — is necessary to avoid shifting burdens. PM-KUSUM’s solar pump push offers an example of coupling renewables with irrigation. (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy)
Market linkages: Increased production without market access can depress prices; coordinated investments in processing, storage and market information are essential. FAO’s food-loss analyses underline the importance of reducing post-harvest bottlenecks. (FAOHome)
Conclusion — a pragmatic vision for India’s food future
India’s challenge is not simply to produce more food, but to produce smarter: raise per-hectare productivity, close yield gaps, cut losses, and do so while restoring soils, conserving water and lowering emissions. The toolbox exists — regenerative practices, precision agriculture, solarized irrigation, cold-chain investment, digital advisories and biological inputs — and many pilots and policies in India point the way. The critical task is scale: targeted public investment, farmer-centric training, finance that reaches smallholders, and strengthened value-chain infrastructure.
World Food Day asks whether our food systems are nourishing people now and preserving resources for tomorrow. For India, the answer depends on putting sustainable practice into the hands of farmers — backed by science, markets and policy. With focused action over the next decade, Indian agriculture can sustain higher yields, healthier soils and resilient livelihoods — feeding the nation while protecting the planet.
Selected References & Sources
Ministry of Finance / Economic Survey — Chapter on Agriculture & Food Management (2024/25). (India Budget)
Press Information Bureau — Agricultural performance and Khari production data (2025). (pib.gov.in)
FAO — Climate-Smart Agriculture platform; FAOSTAT & Food Loss & Waste (FLW) database. (FAOHome)
World Bank — Food security and commodity price updates (2025). (worldbank.org)
PM-KUSUM scheme details (Ministry of New & Renewable Energy). (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy)
Reuters — India to raise farm budget by over 15% for 2025 (analysis of budget priorities). (Reuters)
Times of India — Drones to spray nano-urea and pilots in Uttar Pradesh (2025). (The Times of India)
Nature (2025) — Empirical study on regenerative agriculture practices in eastern India. (Nature)
Times of India / national news — Bihar Agricultural University awards and sustainable farming programs (2025). (The Times of India)
No comments:
Post a Comment