Regenerative agriculture
Topic: Environment and Sustainable Development · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Regenerative agriculture is farming that aims to repair land, not just avoid harming it. It restores soil health and biodiversity (the variety of plants and animals) through four main practices:
- cover crops that keep the soil covered
- less ploughing
- crop rotation
- managed grazing, where animals are moved in planned cycles
Healthier soil holds more water and carbon, so farms cope better with drought.
Example
A farmer grows a legume cover crop after the harvest instead of leaving the field bare. They rotate cereals with pulses and let cattle graze the field in planned turns. Over a few seasons, the soil's organic matter and earthworm numbers rise.
Don't confuse with
- Conservation agriculture: defined by three fixed principles (minimum soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, crop diversification). Regenerative agriculture is a wider, outcome-focused idea that also includes managed grazing.
Related concepts
- Traditional knowledge
- Vermicomposting
- Biopest control
- Integrated pest management
- Organic farming
- Organic food
- Natural farming
- Zero budget natural farming
- Conservation agriculture
- Zero tillage