The Government of Odisha, in partnership with ICRISAT, launched a ‘Compendium of Regenerative Agriculture’ to promote regenerative agriculture.
The compendium, which was released during the International Symposium on Shree Anna and Forgotten Foods held at Bhubaneshwar recently, outlines five key principles for sustainable farming: minimising soil disturbance, maximising crop diversity, maintaining soil cover, keeping living roots year-round, and integrating livestock.
Arabinda K Padhee, Principal Secretary of Agriculture, said that the compendium will be a crucial tool for scaling regenerative agriculture practices, particularly for millets, pulses, and oilseeds.
The compendium’s emphasis on holistic farming techniques that enhance soil health, increase carbon sequestration, and build climate resilience aligns with global efforts to promote sustainable agriculture.
The event also featured presentations on research priorities for millets in Odisha. With over 400 attendees, including representatives from international organisations, the symposium highlighted the growing momentum for regenerative agriculture in the country.
CII-ICRISAT discussions
Meanwhile, a delegation from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Telangana held an interactive session with ICRISAT representatives to explore collaboration opportunities in agriculture and food processing.
M Raghunandan Rao, Secretary (Department of Agriculture, Govt of Telangana), said mechanisation of agriculture would support in increasing the efficiencies and value addition would support in increasing the sustainability.
“Farmers could come together and opt for mechanisation. Farming has to provide social benefits to the population as it has to be an environmental system,” he said.
“In the Indian context, where farm sizes are small, sustainability discussions must prioritise farmers. Our efforts should focus on creating systems that ensure sustainable incomes for smallholder farmers,” he added.
Krishna Ella, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Bharat Biotech International Ltd. said that farming remained a sector where every farmer faced two risks in every season. He faces a production risk and also a marketing risk for any crop. It is true of any region, and it is true of almost all geographies. First, the focus should be on the farmer then on sustainability,” he pointed out.