Regenerative agriculture offers a pathway to restore ecosystems, improve soil health and enhance biodiversity. This book provides an insight on philosophy of regenerative agriculture and tools and technologies for promotion in ecologically fragile and finite ecosystem. It offers a deep dive into the essence of regenerative agriculture, exploring its principles and practices and uncovering how it can address the complex challenges facing modern farming. Farming in a way that restores the quality of soil, water, air, ecosystems, animals, and ultimately humanity. Farming that improves our soil’s natural ability to function so the planet and all of its life can also function. Regenerative agriculture revitalizes land, ecology and planet earth. Let us learn from regenerative farmers who have been co-operating with nature, it will fuel a wholesale shift away from the failed era of sustainability to a golden age of regeneration. Regenerative agriculture is a knowledge-intensive, systems-based approach grounded in ecological thinking. The future of agriculture is not just in the yield-it’s in fostering ecosystems with precision tools that make every plant, drop of water, and inch of soil count. Rising temperatures and unpredictable weather, driven by climate change caused by human activity, make agriculture highly vulnerable. Traditional farming methods, relying on chemicals, monocultures, and soil-degrading practices, worsen the issue. Remedy is, any farm, whether certified organic or not, can borrow from organic models to introduce a set of practices that regenerate soil life by focusing on biodiversity above and below ground. So, holistic approach is required for optimum utilization of ecological resources and processes to reap nutritious food without harming soil and animal health. This book is classified into 5 units 28 Chapters. All the important aspects of regenerative agriculture like Ecological resources, Nutrient management, Precision tools, Soil health, Biotic and Aboitic stress management has been deliberated with references.
Dr. Parmeet Singh is a distinguished Professor-cum-Chief Scientist Agronomy at SKUAST-Kashmir. With a strong academic foundation, he secured first position in M.Sc. Agronomy and qualified the ICAR-NET examination in 2004. Dr. Singh holds a Ph.D. in Agronomy, specializing in weed management in aromatic rice. He began his academic journey at SKUAST-Kashmir in 2007 as an Assistant Professor and has since served in various significant roles, including heading a Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) for four years. His exceptional contributions to research were recognized in 2016, when he received a prestigious fellowship from the Indian National Science Academy to study the production of encapsulated bio-herbicides. Dr. Singh’s academic output is prolific, with 65 research papers, 20 book chapters, 8 compendium write-ups, 03 manuals, and 03 books to his credit. He has also been actively involved in numerous internal and externally funded projects. Presently, he leads a ₹ 15 crore project under the Holistic Agriculture Development Plan of Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir, focusing on promoting organic farming systems in the Kashmir Valley. With extensive teaching experience, Dr. Singh has been educating undergraduate and post-graduate students in Weed Science, Organic Farming, and Agrometeorology. He has served as the coordinator and course director for MANAGE, MSME and ICAR-sponsored training programs, contributing to the capacity building of researchers and practitioners. Dr. Singh’s is a lifetime member of multiple professional societies and serves on the editorial boards of national and international journals. He has represented SKUAST-Kashmir internationally, including in Germany, as a simulation modeller. His dedication to knowledge dissemination includes publishing numerous extension materials to support farmers and extension professionals. Dr. Singh is also delivering his services as National facilitator for National Institute of Agriculture Extension (MANAGE, Hyderabad). Dr. Parmeet Singh continues to make significant strides in agricultural research, education, and community outreach, fostering sustainable and organic farming practices in the Kashmir Valley.
Dr. Moneesa Bashir holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Agriculture, both with distinction, from Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) in Kashmir. She earned her Ph.D. in Agronomy from the same institution, again achieving distinction. In 2022, she qualified the National Eligibility Test (NET). Dr. Moneesa has authored 20 publications in the field of Agriculture, including research papers in high-impact journals and popular articles. She has actively participated in numerous national and international conferences and has completed 17 professional training programs. In recognition of her contributions, she received an award for Digital Literacy from the Government of India in 2022. Additionally, she was honored with the Best Thesis Award for her M.Sc. research in the same year. Currently, Dr. Moneesa serves as a Young Professional III in a state project in Jammu & Kashmir.She is also a member of the Agricultural Technology Development Society (ATDS) in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Throughout her career, she has organized several national-level conferences and training sessions, including ICAR Winter Schools, MANAGE training programs, and those focused on the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) in J&K. Furthermore, Dr. Moneesa has authored two books and has been invited as a Resource Person to deliver lectures at various training events. She is actively involved in Incubation, On Farm Research Trials, capacity building and other activities for promoting Organic Farming practices in Jammu and Kashmir.
Dr. Shayista Fayaz boasts an impressive academic background in agriculture. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, followed by a Master of Science in Agronomy in 2019. Building on this foundation, she successfully completed her Ph.D. in Agronomy, worked on optimizing sweet corn establishment methods and weed management practices. Dr. Shayista refined the agronomy for enhancing maize productivity in relation to weed management and its residual effects on the maize-oat cropping system. In addition to her academic achievements, Dr. Shayista has authored eighteen publications including Research Papers and also contributed to thirteen book chapters. Dr. Shayista has also authored 3 books. She has actively participated in different conferences and training programmes. She has also worked as a Vocational Trainer for Agriculture in Education Department. She is also a member of Association of Agrometeorologist Anand. She has organized different training programmes under NAHEP, HADP as well as MSME. Her work demonstrates a profound commitment to advancing knowledge in agronomy and its practical applications. Presently Dr. Shayista is working as a young professional in multi-crore funded project promoting Organic Farming. She is involved in laying On Farm Research Trials to study different aspects for formulation of package and practices of Organic Farming.
Dr. Subhash Chand born on 25th July, 1972 in a small village viz. Nagala Kalyan, Bharatpur, Rajasthan in a farmer family. Presently working as a Professor-cum-Chief Scientist of Soil Science, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Campus-Shalimar, Srinagar-190025 UT of Jammu and Kashmir. He is lifetime member of six Scientific Societies viz. Indian Science Congress Association- Kolkata, Indian Association of Soil and Water Conservationist-Dehradun, Indian Society of Soil Science-New Delhi, Soil Conservation Society of India-New Delhi, Indian Society of Remote Sensing–Dehradun, Indian Society of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning-Nagpur. Dr Subhash did his B.Sc. (Ag.). Honours and M.Sc. (Ag.). Honours in Soil Science from Rajasthan Agriculture University, Bikaner in 1995 & 1997 respectively. He earned his Ph.D. (Ag.). in Soil Science form Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur in 2001. He received Best PG Course Work Seminar Award & Somani Book Award (essay competition) by ISSS, Udaipur Chapter during 1995-1997. and PG University Merit Scholarship during his PG Dr. Subhash is an elected member of Association of Soil and Water Conservationist-Dehradun for 2022-23. He was also a Councillor–North zone of ISSS&LUP-Nagpur for 2014-15. Dr Subhash has 20 years of experience of Teaching of UG, PG and Ph.D., Research and Extension in SAU System. He is the member of editorial board of several national and international journals of repute. He has presented his work at Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany in 2010. He Co-Chaired Technical and Parallal sessions at GBPUAT-Pantnagar and RARI-Gurgapura. He has authored five books. His area of research interest is soil fertility and plant nutrition, integrated nutrient management, potassium management, soil water, air pollution, etc. In total, he published 143 publications including popular articles, research papers, conference seminar papers, etc. in soil sciences. He was also awarded with Bhoominirman Award and Prashasti Patra in 2011 by Bhoominirman Group at Indore for his work.
UNIT 1: ECOLOGICAL RESOURCES AND PROCESSES.................1
1.1 Regenerative Agriculture: A Route to Sustainable and Resilient Production Systems .............................................................3
1.2 Organic Farming: North West Himalayas......................................19
1.3 Organic Farming: Prospects and Problems ....................................33
1.4 Opportunities of Organic Nutri-Cereals in Organic Farming: ...............................................................................43
1.5 Agroforestry: The Future of Natural and Organic Farming.................................................................................55
1.6 Soil Based Technology for Resource Conservation.......................71
1.7 Ecological Engineering and Agricultural Pest Management.......81
UNIT 2: ORGANIC RESOURCES FOR NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT........................................................................91
2.1 Biofertilizers as Renewable Critical Nutrient Inputs for Sustainable Farming ....................................................................93
2.2 Biochar: Evaluating Profitable Agriculture and Soil Health......103
2.3 Endophyte Formulations as Potential Bio-Input for Revolutionizing Soil Health Under Organic Production Systems..........................................................................111
2.4 Integrated Organic Farming Systems: ..........................................119
2.5 Residue Recycling in Organic Farming: Problems and Prospects............................................................................................131
2.6 Organic Integrated Farming System Modules for Small and Marginal Farmers ..........................................................139
2.7 Integrated Nutrient Management for Improving Crop Yield and Soil Health.......................................................................147
UNIT 3: PRECISION TOOLS FOR REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE ......................................................................155
3.1 Apsim Model and Its Applications................................................157
3.2 Remote Sensing and Its Applications............................................169
3.3 Disease Management in Organic Agriculture: AI Tools.............185
3.4 Simulation of Ecological Resources and Processes: ...................195
3.5 Weather Forecasting: Advancing Agricultural Resilience .........203
UNIT 4: REGENERATION OF SOIL HEALTH ...............................207
4.1 Soil Health Importance, Assessment and Management.............209
4.2 Soil Fertility Management Through Organic Farming...............219
4.3 Soil Micro Biome: A Game Changer for Food and Agriculture ......................................................................229
4.4 Towards Sustainable Soil Health: Understanding and Improving Compost Quality. .........................................................235
4.5 Soil Quality Index Computation and Assessment ......................243
UNIT 5: NEW VISTAS IN BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC STRESS MANAGEMENT......................................................................249
5.1 Development of Trichoderma Based Biopesticides ....................251
5.2 Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK): Role in Supplementing Organic Agriculture............................................255
5.3 Weed Management in Organic Production .................................261
5.4 Pheromones in the Organic Management ...................................273
