Adoption and Scaling Regenerative Agriculture: Strategies for Sustainable Resource Management in Rice-Based Systems

Since the green revolution in India, high external input agriculture with heavy use of chemicals, particularly fertilizers, has gained importance due to high productivity. However, recent years have highlighted rising cultivation costs with stagnant productivity leading to reduced profit margins, especially for marginal farmers. This has led to gaining awareness among farmers on adopting natural farming (NF) and sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) to reduce the cost of cultivation and achieve stable and sustained productivity. Initially adopted voluntarily by farmers, these gained momentum and were adopted through community approaches in Indian states such as Andhra Pradesh. The four key principles of NF (Amruthams, Kashayas, Mulching, and Acchadana) are adopted by NF farmers along with pre-monsoon dry sowing (PMDS), leading to a reduction in the cost of cultivation, even for major crops like rice compared to conventionally cultivated rice. The adoption of SAPs by farmers witnessed a significant shift towards more eco-friendly pest and nutrient management practices, indicating a growing awareness and implementation of sustainable agriculture practices. Despite the support for sustainable production through NF and SAPs, there remains a critical need for ICT services, postharvest management, and processing support. Additionally, establishing stable and efficient marketing channels is essential to enhance farmers’ income further and ensure the sustainability of these practices.