18.19 lakh farmers join natural farming drive as India focuses on soil health

India’s regenerative agriculture push has encouraged over 18 lakh farmers to adopt natural farming practices across 8.80 lakh hectares. The initiative focuses on restoring soil health, improving biodiversity, reducing chemical dependence and building climate-resilient farming systems through sustainable practices

New Delhi: As part of India’s push for regenerative agriculture, the country’s farmers are adopting practices such as natural farming, agroforestry, micro-irrigation, integrated farming systems, and scientific soil management, according to the factsheet on Sunday.

Government support has accelerated this transition aimed at rebuilding soil vitality, strengthening ecosystem functions, and improving resilience to climatic variability, while supporting long-term environmental balance and farm prosperity.

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As of March 2026, natural farming clusters covered 8.80 lakh hectares and enrolled 18.19 lakh farmers. About 109 lakh hectares have been brought under the Per Drop More Crop scheme. In addition, 25.89 crore Soil Health Cards have been generated since inception.

India’s agriculture and allied sectors have demonstrated strong and sustained progress. During FY16-FY25, it recorded decadal growth of 4.45 percent, the highest in previous decades.

However, years of intensive cultivation, heavy chemical use, and erratic rainfall leave many soils tired and less responsive. Yields that once came easily now demand higher inputs, while heatwaves, dry spells, or excess rain can undo months of labour. For millions of small and marginal farmers, declining soil health often translates into higher costs and uncertain harvests. As a result, the sustainability of farming has become an increasingly important concern and regenerative agriculture has to play a key role, the official statement said.

Regenerative agriculture is a holistic farming approach centred on restoring soil health and enhancing biodiversity. At the same time, it seeks to ensure long-term productivity and resilience in farming systems. Healthy soils support higher food and nutritional output, store more carbon, and promote biodiversity. Unlike sustainable farming, which primarily aims to maintain existing conditions, regenerative agriculture seeks to improve them. It goes a step further by actively rebuilding soil health, enhancing biodiversity, and strengthening ecosystem resilience.

It is based on the principles of minimizing soil disturbance, protecting the living roots of perennial crops, maintaining soil cover, integrating livestock, limiting the use of chemical inputs and enhancing biodiversity.

Regenerative agriculture draws upon a diverse set of farming practices adopted in India. While the spectrum of regenerative approaches is much broader, some of the prominent practices can be broadly classified into the following categories:

Micro-irrigation systems such as drippers, sprinklers, and foggers deliver water directly to plant roots. This reduces water wastage and improves water-use efficiency. By optimizing farm-level water management, these systems enhance crop productivity and strengthen resilience to droughts and water stress. As a result, farming systems become more climate-resilient and economically viable.

Farm Mechanization involves the use of agricultural machinery and equipment to streamline and automate various farm operations. It helps optimize the use of key inputs such as water, fuel, and fertilizers, reducing wastage and lowering the carbon footprint. By enabling timely and precise farm operations, mechanization improves resource management, enhances productivity, and helps reduce the environmental impact of farming.

Nitrogen Fertilizer Management helps reduce nitrous oxide emissions while improving crop productivity. It focuses on selecting the right fertilizer and optimizing application timing and dosage. Other practices include deep placement of supergranular urea and the use of leaf color charts for precise assessment of nitrogen status. The approach also promotes biological inputs such as cyanobacteria and legume intercropping. Overall, these measures improve nitrogen-use efficiency and minimize environmental losses.

Natural farming is a chemical-free agricultural approach rooted in India’s traditional knowledge systems. The system relies on on-farm biological inputs such as Beejamrut, Jeevamrut, GhanJeevamrut, Neemastra, and Dashparni, prepared using inputs from native livestock. It also promotes the use of traditional seed varieties and the integration of trees along farm boundaries. Pest management is undertaken through locally prepared, on-farm botanical formulations, the statement added.