Regenerative Agriculture: 18.19 Lakh Natural Farmers, 25.89 Crore Soil Health Cards and Soil-Centred
📅 Published 1 September 2026•Updated 12 September 2026•⏱ 7 min read•EnvironmentGS-3
Terrace Farming · Koshyk · by 2.0 · via OpenverseImage source ↗
Climate Resilience
Regenerative Agriculture: 18.19 Lakh Natural Farmers, 25.89
Crore Soil Health Cards and Soil-Centred Climate Resilience
Why in News?
India's regenerative-agriculture push now combines natural farming, organic farming, micro-irrigation,
agroforestry and scientific soil management.
As of 5 March 2026, 18,786 natural-farming clusters covered 8.80 lakh hectares and enrolled 18.19
lakh farmers.
By 13 March 2026, 25.89 croreSoil Health Cards had been generated since inception, showing the scale
of India's soil-testing architecture.
**National Mission **on Natural Farming
NMNF was launched in 2024 and provides an output-based incentive of **₹4,000 **per acre per year for two years,
covering up to one acre per farmer.
The mission provides for 10,000 need-based Bio-input Resource Centres to supply inputs such as Jeevamrit
and Beejamrit.
Each natural-farming cluster is supported by two Community Resource Persons.
By March 2026, 33,676 CRPs had been trained through KVKs, agricultural universities and local institutions.
Soil Health Cards
Soil Health Cards assess 12 key parameters covering macronutrients, micronutrients and important soil
properties.
Cards are intended to provide crop-specific nutrient and soil-treatment recommendations and are issued
periodically.
25.89 crore cards and around 7.17 lakh demonstrations create a large extension base for balanced
fertiliser use.
70,002 Krishi Sakhis had been trained to support dissemination of soil-health advisories at grassroots level.
Organic Farming Support
Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, launched in 2015, supports cluster-based organic farming and certification.
Farmers under PKVY can receive **₹31,500 **per hectare over three years for organic-farming support.
Certification and market access are essential because organic production can involve transition costs before
premium prices are realised.
Organic and natural farming overlap in sustainability goals but are not identical regulatory concepts.
Micro-Irrigation Link
About 109 lakh hectares had been brought under Per Drop More Crop by , illustrating how
regenerative agriculture also includes resource-efficient water management.
Watch and revise
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Micro-irrigation can reduce water, energy and fertiliser use when combined with fertigation.
Soil organic matter improves water-holding capacity, making soil restoration and irrigation efficiency
complementary.
Farm resilience therefore depends on both biological soil processes and engineered water-management systems.
Climate and Soil Carbon
Soils store large amounts of carbon; practices that build organic matter can improve aggregation, infiltration and
moisture retention.
Carbon gains are location- and practice-specific and can be reversed if land management changes.
Regenerative farming should therefore be evaluated through measured soil carbon, yield stability, water use and
farmer income rather than labels alone.
Reduced synthetic inputs can lower costs, but abrupt withdrawal without agronomic support may create yield
risks.
Biodiversity
Crop rotations, mixed farming, agroforestry and reduced chemical pressure can increase on-farm biological
diversity.
Greater diversity can reduce dependence on a single crop and improve resilience to pests and weather shocks.
Agroforestry also provides biomass, fodder, timber and carbon-storage benefits.
Landscape-scale planning is important because biodiversity outcomes extend beyond individual plots.
Way Forward
Create long-term field trials comparing yields, costs, soil carbon and water use across agro-climatic zones.
Use the 25.89 croreSoil Health Card base to target nutrient corrections rather than promote blanket
input reduction.
Expand Bio-input Resource Centres with quality standards so farmers receive reliable inputs.
Reward measurable ecosystem outcomes while protecting farmer incomes during transition.
Integrate natural farming with crop insurance, markets, extension and climate adaptation.
Prelims Quick Revision
NMNF launched in 2024.
18,786 clusters; 8.80 lakh hectares; 18.19 lakh farmers by March 2026.
Incentive: **₹4,000 **per acre per year for two years, up to one acre.
Regenerative agriculture must be judged by measurable improvements in soil, water, resilience and
farmer income rather than by input labels. Examine India's recent natural-farming and soil-health
initiatives.
