Agriculture

The challenges facing Indian agriculture, from climate change, depleted soil, and increasing costs of inputs, are today, more than ever before, receiving attention not only from research labs and bureaucratic corridors of power but from classrooms as well. Aashi Prisha Borah, at just 14 years of age, is one such innovator from Jorhat, nestled in the State of Assam, who embodies, almost unobtrusively, this changed thought process where agriculture and science converge, and sustainability is no longer just a trend but life itself.

Aishi has been awarded with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2025 in the Science & Technology field. The most notable aspect about her work is its complete relevance in the Indian agricultural context. Her projects involve natural farming practices, Newspaper Mulching, and further "waste-to-wealth" projects, besides raising pertinent questions regarding the day-to-day challenges faced by farmers on Indian soil - reduction in soil moisture, rising costs of chemicals, and agricultural waste.

The most interesting Agri-tech intervention that Aishi has made is newspaper mulching, which costs very little to implement and is environmentally friendly, ensuring the conservation of soil moisture and weed control. In regions such as Assam that face the challenges posed by erratic rainfall, such technologies are very useful for farmers in that they need not invest any money for the benefit they receive.

Her contributions to natural farming also fit perfectly within the national agenda that is striving to overcome dependence on chemical fertilizer and pesticides. Through organic and natural farming methods, she is pioneering a future where productivity and nature cannot be seen as mutually conflicting entities anymore. As a country where more than half the population is dependent on agriculture as a source of livelihood, this is precisely the balance that is required.

Another is her waste-to-wealth innovation, known as the newspaper recycle machine, which turns recycled newspaper into pencils that can be reused. Even as it is not directly an agriculture innovation, it is representative of the rural economy mentality: taking waste and turning it into wealth.

The projects of Aishi have been exhibited at a national event at the Rashtriya Bal Vaigyanik Pradarshini and National Children's Science Congress; however, what is more important is the fact that these projects showcase how solutions to agricultural challenges in the coming decades may have been discovered in these young minds thinking locally and acting scientifically. While the earth is tightening its hold on farming in the subcontinent, the second farming revolution, in all its likelihood, will not be the result of massive industrial mechanization but the concept of Aishi Borah, where “sustainability is obvious, innovation is inclusive, and the future of farming will be determined not by age, qualifications, or credentials, but the clarity of conviction.” It is not only an honor to the individual but is already an indication that the language of the farmer and the scientist is being spoken, and the seeds of resilience are being sown at a young age, sometimes by children who know that the health of the soil is the health of the nation.

India's agriculture stands at a crossroads. As farmers are now increasingly turning to AI technology, climate-resilient crops, and world market connections, its agriculture education is still entrapped in the syllabuses of Green Revolution times. Such increasing irrelevance of education from what happens in class to what happens on the farm has rapidly emerged as one of the most damning factors causing productivity, innovations, or farmer empowerment.

For a 28-year-old Satnam Singh, a resident of Ferozepur in the state of Punjab, the chasm became clear little while after the completion of his BSC in Agriculture and M.Sc in Agronomy. Though he wanted to introduce new methods of agriculture in the lands of his family's farm, as he claimed: "I ended up studying old, outdated textbooks that never helped me in practical ways to address the challenges in the field."

“I have learnt more about modern farming practices from the farmer’s community itself than I did in class,” Iyer said, perhaps echoing the sentiments of every agriculturally-qualified individual in the country.

What is the real problem with the agriculture sector of the country today?

Indian agriculture faces problems of antiquated practices, low productivity, depleted soils, susceptibility to climate, and over-reliance on monsoons. While the literature discussion rages about subsidy and MSP issues, a far more fundamental problem exists in terms of how agriculture is presently taught.

The Indian agricultural education system has failed to keep up with developments in precision agriculture, climatology, biotech, agricultural business, and international trade. This has led to agricultural graduates being inadequately prepared to provide assistance to farmers in dealing with modern conditions.

Effect of Agricultural Education on Farming Practice

In fact, Higher Educational Institutions are one of the关键元素 in the agriculture value chain. Furthermore, without the inclusion of innovative solutions, market intel, risk management, and agri-tech in these university courses, farmers are deprived of new solutions.

This situation continues to create cycles of low productivity, and it also restricts access to new markets and technology for farmers. In some situations, it can be noted that, at a local level, famers have gained more practical skills, creating a reverse flow of knowledge between graduates and famers.

Why Indian Agriculture Education is Outdated?

This, according to experts, was a result of inflexible syllabi, poor methodologies, and the fact that reforms were not made mandatory. Even though many committees have been established that came up with propositions for reforms, many of these reforms were made optional, and institutions continued to teach syllabi that were decades old.

This is according to Avinash Kishore, a Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute or IFPRI. This is an incestuous loop whereby the educator teaches the students what they taught in class years ago. "In its current form, an economics graduate would know more about markets in agriculture than an agriculture science student," explained Kishore.

Textbooks contribute to the problem. Some popular textbooks are from the 1970s and the early 2000s and fail to address issues like climate change, artificial intelligence-assisted weather forecasting, gene editing, and data analytics, which have become crucial in agriculture worldwide.

New ICAR Guidelines: A Long Overdue Change

Finally, realizing this problem, is the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has made radical proposals, known as the Sixth Deans' Committee Report, to overhaul agricultural education in India.

Important recommendations include:

• Climate-resilient farming and sustainable agriculture
• Integration of AI with machine learning, robotics, and biotechnology
• Compulsory Internship & Enhancement of Skills Module
• Emphasis should be more on the management of agribusinesses,

These reforms will ensure the graduate in agriculture is ready to work, innovation-led, and global.

Which institutions have been able to adapt to modern agriculture developments?

Certain institutions have started the process. TNAU, PAU, and University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru are now offering specialized courses in precision farming, Sustainable Agriculture, and agri-tech innovation.

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, continues to head the league with highly advanced laboratories, a substantial amount of research, and industry-linked programmes. However, the quality remains patchy. There are huge gaps between the NIRF.rankings, where the small state universities are lagging miles behind in the number of publications, patents, and their impact.

Will the Output of Indian Farm Production Increase Due to Changes in the Curriculum?

“Yes, no question," said experts. Updating curricula with modern research findings in agricultural science could potentially give future generations of agronomists a better handle on some of the most pressing issues currently facing modern agriculture, from water to soil to climate and then marketing."

Experiential training and learn-by-experiment approaches can help convert theoretical knowledge into practical and scalable solutions that make a tangible impact on farm productivity and sustainability.

The Significance of Policymakers in Agricultural Education Reforms

The role of policymakers cannot be overemphasized in terms of budgetary allocation, mandates of universities, and research incentives. Without the correct regulations, the reforms in curriculums face the fear of being random or symbolic.

Support is also required for public-private partnerships, industry labs, and knowledge transfer between the universities and the farming communities—to ensure that innovation is not simply relegated at the campus level.

Balancing Modernization with Traditional Knowledge

However, modernization does not necessarily have to mean separation from tradition. Experts insist that there is a pressing need to integrate traditional knowledge in agriculture with scientific advancements. Hence, there is a challenge to universities to initiate research studies aimed at developing local traditional knowledge while adopting new technology in irrigation, genetic crop development, and even market predictions.

“The sector today encompasses climate science, water relations, gender relations,forestry, and international trade,” explained Pradyuman Kishori, agriculture policy analyst. “But our educational system today regards it as a one-dimensional phenomenon.” One Defining Moment in Indian Agriculture As more students opt to study agriculture abroad because of the degree programs available in agribusiness, food safety, and sustainability, India is losing its talent at a time when its agriculture sector badly needs innovation. With supportive policies and less focus on the accountability of institutions, the transformative curriculum of the ICAR may finally take the agriculture education of India out of the shadows of the Green Revolution. How India will bridge the gap will be the determinant of the future of its students and the adaptability and competency of Indian agriculture in a changing world.

At dawn in a wheat field outside Moga, Punjab, farmer Gurmeet Singh bends down and rubs the soil between his fingers. It looks healthy enough, but he knows better. “The soil is tired,” he says quietly. “Every year we add more urea, and every year the crop demands more. It’s like an addiction.”

For farmers like Gurmeet, India’s battle against climate change is not fought in conference halls or policy documents. It plays out season after season, in rising input costs, weakening soils, and crops that seem increasingly vulnerable to heat and erratic rains. 

A recent study published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature has opened a door that agricultural scientists have been knocking on for decades. The research suggests that a microscopic tweak , changing just two amino acids in a plant protein, could allow cereal crops like wheat, rice, and maize to tap into atmospheric nitrogen on their own. If realised in the field, this breakthrough could sharply reduce India’s dependence on urea fertilisers, a cornerstone of modern agriculture and one of the country’s most persistent climate and fiscal burdens.

“This is fundamentally a question of how plants respond to microbial cues,” the researchers write. “The answer hangs on a small molecular switch that decides whether a plant mounts an immune response or establishes a symbiosis.”

At stake is nothing less than a rethink of how food is grown in a warming world.

The Nitrogen Divide

For more than a century, modern agriculture has relied on industrial nitrogen fertilisers to feed crops. The Haber–Bosch process used to manufacture urea made it possible to feed billions, but at a steep environmental cost. Urea production alone consumes roughly two percent of global energy and releases vast quantities of carbon dioxide. Once applied to fields, excess nitrogen leaches into groundwater or escapes into the air as nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 277 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

India sits at the heart of this dilemma. It is among the world’s largest consumers of urea, spending tens of thousands of crores annually on fertiliser subsidies. Official data and IPCC assessments show particularly intense usage in Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh, where rice–wheat cropping systems dominate.

Yet nature offers a quieter alternative one that only some plants have mastered.

Legumes such as lentils, peas, and soybeans host specialised bacteria called rhizobia inside nodules in their roots. These microbes “fix” nitrogen directly from the atmosphere, converting it into a form plants can use. Cereals, despite being global staples, lack this ability. When bacteria approach their roots, cereals respond not with cooperation, but with hostility.

Gatekeepers at the Root

The key difference lies in receptor proteins embedded in plant root cells molecular gatekeepers that decide whether an approaching microbe is friend or foe.

In legumes, a receptor protein called NFR1 plays a remarkable role. It suppresses immune alarms, allowing symbiotic bacteria to colonise the roots and begin nitrogen fixation. Cereals, however, carry receptors such as CERK6 or RLK4 that do the opposite. They interpret bacterial signals as threats and trigger immune defences.

The Nature study reveals that this difference may hinge on something extraordinarily small.

By swapping just two amino acids in a critical region of the cereal receptor ,known as the “symbiosis determinant” , scientists were able to flip the plant’s response. “The immune system is not switched off,” the researchers note, “but rewired to discriminate between pathological and beneficial microorganisms, such as nitrogen-fixing bacteria.”

In barley, this modification led to the formation of root nodules strikingly similar to those seen in legumes. The plant’s behaviour towards bacteria changed, the researchers observed, “from hostile to symbiotic” , a functional reawakening of an ancient biological pathway lost over millions of years of evolution.

Why This Matters for India

For climate scientists and agricultural economists alike, the implications are profound.

“Urea production alone accounts for enormous energy consumption and carbon emissions,” explains Zaitsev, one of the researchers. “And once fertilizer is applied, nitrous oxide emissions follow.”

If cereals could fix even a fraction of their nitrogen needs, the ripple effects would be immense. Agricultural scientists estimate that India could save up to ₹40,000 crore annually on fertiliser subsidies. According to projections cited by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture could fall by nearly one-third.

But the benefits would not be limited to climate metrics or government budgets.

“Regions experiencing urea-laden groundwater, such as Punjab, would see immediate relief,” notes an ICAR official. Years of excessive fertilizer use have contaminated soils and aquifers, contributing to declining soil health and public health risks. In climate-vulnerable regions like Bundelkhand or the floodplains of Bihar, reduced dependence on fertilisers, often applied erratically due to monsoon variability, could stabilise yields and input costs.

From Lab Bench to Field Furrow

Despite the excitement, scientists caution against premature celebration. What works in controlled laboratory conditions must still survive the complexity of real fields , pests, droughts, soil diversity, and farmer practices.

“Translating this discovery to wheat, rice, and maize will require careful field trials, regulatory clarity, and public trust,” the researchers acknowledge.

In India, that last element may be the most delicate. Gene editing, even when it does not involve transgenic modification, remains politically sensitive. Public debates around genetically modified crops have been shaped by decades of distrust, activism, and uneven communication.

Yet agricultural experts argue that the stakes have changed.

“This is not about boosting yields at any cost,” says one senior agricultural scientist. “It’s about reducing chemical dependence, lowering emissions, and giving farmers resilience in a climate-stressed future.”

A Different Kind of Green Revolution

India’s first Green Revolution transformed fields through fertilisers, irrigation, and high-yield seeds , but it also left behind ecological scars that farmers are now paying for. The discovery described in Nature hints at a second transformation, one that works with biology rather than overwhelming it.

“Sometimes climate solutions are not about scaling up,” one researcher reflects, “but about switching on.”

India’s first Green Revolution transformed agriculture through fertilisers, irrigation, and high-yield seeds  but it also left scars that farmers now live with. The discovery described in Nature hints at a different kind of transformation, one that works with biology rather than overpowering it.

Back in Moga, Gurmeet looks across his field as the winter sun rises. “If the plant can learn to take care of itself,” he says, “maybe the soil can heal too.”

For now, the change exists only at the molecular level — two amino acids, invisible to the eye. But beneath India’s most familiar crops, a quiet possibility is taking root: that the future of low-carbon farming may already be written into the plants themselves, waiting to be switched back on.

Whether this discovery ultimately reshapes Indian agriculture will depend on how science, policy, and society respond. But for now, beneath the surface of the country’s most familiar crops, a quiet revolution is stirring , one that suggests the future of low-carbon farming may already be written into the plants themselves.

Agriculture has always remained the core of the Indian economy. It is responsible for employing approximately half of the Indian workforce. Recently, it came into increasingly intense pressure from climate change, resource availability, and the current need for technology-based agricultural practices in the country. At the same time, the severe shortage of qualified human resources is expected to impede its progress.

This, it is observed, is in contrast with the one million graduates that are required in the agricultural and related sectors, mostly driven by the demands of the current as well as the future that unfold for the nation. The given scenario is linked with the widening gap that is observed in one of the most crucial areas of the nation.

Thus, to address this issue, the Government of India in 2017 describes the solution through the National Agricultural Higher Education Project along with the support of ICAR, with financing assistance from the World Bank. This proposal suggests the enhancement of agricultural education to make it meet international levels of global standards.

According to NAHEP, there are 74 agricultural universities in the country that have established serious efforts in reforming themselves. There are changes brought into their curriculum through digitalization, learning by experience, emphasis on more application-based learning, improvement in teaching, research, and global collaboration.

Now, the impact of this policy is that the number of agricultural university enrollments is more than Double in 2017-2022, which is evidence of renewed student interest. Also, female enrollment percentages rose from 43.6 percent to 45.2 percent, members of which indicate progress in the inclusivity of women in agricultural education.

In total, NAHEP directly reached 826,761 faculty members and students during this timeframe, with almost half or 421,138 beneficiaries being female.

Such projects as NAHEP are also being seen as efforts that would fall into key steps involved in preparing a broad and well-trained manpower that would ensure continuity in growth, innovation, and rural development in the upcoming decades, seeing that it is progressing into developing a climate-resilient and technology-based farmland economy.

The College of Agriculture, Rajendranagar, Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University, PJATU, celebrated Agricultural Education Day on Wednesday to mark the birthday of Bharat Ratna Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India and former Union Minister of Agriculture. The event urged school students to pursue careers in agriculture and its allied sectors once more, underscoring its critical role in India's development.

Chief Guest and Vice-Chancellor Dr. AldasJanaiah explained that the programme aimed at introducing students to various aspects of agriculture, thus motivating students to choose agricultural sciences after schooling. The government should consider including agriculture and food sciences as a subject in schools along with biology to build more awareness and interest among the young learners, he said.

A part of the celebrations were the stalls put up by various departments of the university. The latest practices in vermicompost, drip irrigation system, silkworm rearing, beekeeping, integrated crop protection methods, and seed technology aspects were exhibited. Advanced demonstrations included tissue culture, DNA fingerprinting, micro-propagation, speed breeding chambers, biofuels, and organic fertilizers. Latest machinery, storage facilities, hydroponics, indoor gardening and mushroom cultivation were also showcased by engineering, horticulture and community science departments.

Appreciating the commitment of the faculty and students in showcasing these practices and technologies, Dr Janaiah said such exposure would help school students understand the scope of agriculture as a modern, scientific, and sustainable career path. Registrar Dr Vidyasagar, Dean of Agriculture Dr Jhansirani, PG Dean Dr Eshwari, Associate Dean Dr Govardhan, HoDs, and students from more than 20 schools like Government School Shivarampally, Adarsh Vidyalaya, Asia Grammar School, and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan attended the program. The staff, teaching and non-teaching, actively took part in making it a vibrant celebration of agricultural education and innovation.

The fifth edition of BioAgri 2025, a leading conference and expo on sustainable biological agriculture, will be organised on December 10 and 11 at Ramoji Film City. Organised by BioAgri Inputs Producers Association (BIPA), the event is expected to bring over 200 delegates across the agri-inputs sector besides policy-makers, researchers, entrepreneurs and farming community representatives.

BIPA is the oldest registered body for agricultural biology under the Societies Act, with over 100 active members who promote safe, sustainable, and biologically derived agricultural solutions. This work mainly focuses on lessening the reliance of this sector on conventional chemical inputs while improving the adoption of environment-friendly ones for soil health, biodiversity, and the productivity of farms in the long term. The association also guides its membership on some of the pressing issues faced, including regulatory compliance, product development, technology adoption, and policy advocacy.

BioAgri 2025 will have 40 exhibition stalls on the latest biological inputs; biofertilizers; biopesticides; plant growth promoters; and microbial solutions for increasing crop yield with minimal environmental impact. It allows companies and startups alike to showcase the latest technologies while networking at the event with future partners, distributors, and end-users.

Apart from the exhibition, there will be two days of sessions by experts on sustainable farming practices, advances in biotechnology, climate-resilient agriculture, regeneration of soil, and market trends for emerging biological inputs. Industry leaders and subject matter experts will share knowledge on the rising global demand for sustainable agricultural products and how India can lead this transformation.

BioAgri 2025 is designed to be an essential knowledge-sharing and networking platform in view of challenges associated with increased climate change, soil degradation, and rising input costs. It fosters innovation in biological agriculture as a pursuit toward the strengthening of India's transition into a more resilient, sustainable, and ecologically responsible farming ecosystem.