Sustainable Farming and Food Security in India

India has achieved a significant development milestone through its agricultural evolution, which brought food scarcity under control and led to self-sufficiency by the 1980s. Grains, fruits, and vegetables— India today is one of the largest producers in the world — a perfect demonstration that policy, innovation, and farmer resilience do work. While challenges around food security, environmental sustainability, and farmer livelihoods persist, they present an opportunity to build on past achievements. As India is marching ahead, sustainable agriculture needs to be more relevant than ever to secure long-term nutritional and ecological well-being.

This blog examines India’s current sustainable agriculture initiatives to provide recommendations for enhancing long-term food security and livelihood stability.

The Duality of Abundance and Undernourishment

With around 11.8 million metric tons of wheat and  63.09 million tons of rice reserves, India remains one of the world’s top producers of Cereals, pulses, fruits, and vegetables. Despite the availability of grain surpluses, a significant portion of the population continues to experience food insecurity. In a recent study in 2024, the Global Hunger Index ranked India at 105th out of 127 countries, reflecting the country’s serious food insecurity levels.

Additionally, according to World Food Programme data, 74% of India’s population cannot afford a healthy diet. Malnutrition is also highly prevalent across the nation, especially among children and women, while anemia affects 67% of children and more than half of all women of reproductive age.

This paradox reveals a gap between agricultural production levels and nutritional outcomes. The Public Distribution Systems (PDS) provide enough calories to meet basic needs, but they do not guarantee that people will receive a diverse diet with sufficient micronutrients.

The need of the hour is to move beyond quantity-based approaches to food security and instead focus on quality aspects, including affordable, sustainable production methods, and easy access to food.

Emergence of Sustainable Farming Practices

Sustainable agriculture has slowly started to gain momentum throughout India. The combination of environmental requirements, policy support, and increasing farmer participation has led to a transition from chemical-based farming to environmentally friendly methods.

Natural farming serves as a government-endorsed approach to combat both soil deterioration and chemical substance dependence. Natural farming methods have been adopted by approximately 800,000 farmers throughout 12 states in 2024. The National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), which started in 2023, supports farming practices that restore soil health while protecting groundwater resources.

Similarly, even though organic farming maintains a restricted presence across 2% of India’s net sown area, it has received substantial support through Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana schemes. The state of Sikkim has adopted complete organic farming practices, while Kerala and Uttarakhand are establishing farmer cooperatives, which help farmers obtain organic certification and seamless market access.

Regenerative agriculture is another approach to sustainable farming that has recently become popular among the farming community of the country. Examples like the REEL Regenerative Cotton initiative in Gujarat and the Bayer ForwardFarm model in Telangana show how models that are science-based and replicable can improve yields, restore soil health, and raise farm incomes.

Policy Framework and Financial Incentives

The Indian government has launched several policies to encourage sustainable agriculture. The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) is one such example. It aims to increase agricultural productivity through integrated farming practices, with a special focus on rainfed areas, water conservation, and soil health management.

The government has provided financial support to farmers through policy frameworks, which show that 54% of farmers received aid in 2024 to adopt sustainable agricultural practices. The 2024 Agriculture Budget demonstrates the government’s dedication to climate-resilient food security through its focus on innovative, sustainable farming methods.

Climate Vulnerability and the Role of Monsoons

With more than half of India’s cultivated land not having irrigation systems, the country is heavily dependent on monsoon rain for its agricultural output.  The 105% above-average monsoon rainfall predicted for 2025 will help drive up our agricultural production while maintaining stable market prices for agricultural produce, as reported by Reuters. However unpredictable weather patterns and ongoing climate change effects tend to disrupt agricultural production cycles, which threatens both food security and drives up food prices.

In today’s context with unpredictable weather patterns, risk adaptation needs more than just cultivating weather-resistant crop varieties; it also requires building water harvesting infrastructure and implementing precision irrigation systems, including real-time agro-advisory services. These systemic interventions are needed to prevent climate-induced shocks from continuing to hamper the nation’s food security and farmer incomes.

Challenges in Implementation

Despite promising developments, adopting sustainable agriculture still faces multiple substantial obstacles that prevent its widespread implementation. Smallholder farmers face limited awareness about sustainable practices as they cannot access training programs, technical guidance, and demonstration models.

Secondly, the supply chain restrictions prevent most sustainably produced products from receiving premium prices, which diminishes the economic motivation for farmers to switch to these practices. The lack of proper post-harvest infrastructure, including cold storage facilities, processing units, and logistics systems in rural areas results in excessive food loss and wastage.

Strategic Pathways Forward

India needs to implement a systems-based approach to fill these gaps and make real progress. The foundation of this approach should start with farmer-centric knowledge dissemination, delivered through Panchayati Raj Institutions, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), and digital advisory platforms. The implementation of specific capacity-building programs targeting women farmers and marginalized communities will also drive equal participation.

We need to build markets for sustainable produce that are inclusive of all. Certificates, branding, and procurement incentives should be introduced for farmers to help them connect to conscious consumers and institutional buyers. Millets and pulses that are already promoted under the International Year of Millets 2023 should be included in the MSP to facilitate diversified cropping patterns while improving nutrition.

Moreover, enough focus should be directed towards attracting investments in climate-smart infrastructure like solar-powered cold storage, climate-resilient seeds, and decentralized water systems.

Conclusion

India’s agricultural sector is currently at a pivotal moment. This transition towards sustainable farming is not just a matter of owning up to long-standing environmental responsibilities—it is a national imperative for our food security, climate resilience, and rural livelihoods. The way forward requires three main components: institutional support for sustainable practices, financial and knowledge gap bridging, and market realignment with ecological outcomes. Only then can India transform its agricultural landscape. The choices of today will determine whether the country can sustainably nourish itself in the long run while taking adequate care of its natural resources in the decades to come.

Raj Kashyap Das – Content Strategist, Sambodhi