A seminar cum training programme on “Regenerative Agriculture and Precision Farming Integration for Sustainable Production and Climate Resilience,” was organised at the Water Technology Centre, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, by ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-IARI) in collaboration with S M Sehgal Foundation. Both initiatives were conducted under the collaborative project titled “Application of Advanced Technologies for Improved Productivity and Resource Use Efficiency in Regenerative Agriculture Production Systems.”
The integrated programmes were designed to build awareness and technical capacity among farmers, scientists, teachers, and extension professionals around regenerative agriculture and precision farming as complementary approaches. The core objective was to promote farming systems that restore soil health, improve resource use efficiency, sustain crop productivity, and enhance farm profitability, while strengthening resilience to climate variability.
Soil health and resource efficiency drive programme agenda
The seminar component focused on regenerative agriculture as a system that enhances natural soil processes through crop diversification, conservation tillage, residue management, and precision based interventions. Sessions highlighted how diversified cropping improves soil aggregation, increases organic matter, enhances water infiltration, and strengthens moisture retention, collectively improving the ability of farming systems to cope with drought, heat stress, and erratic rainfall. Precision farming was positioned as an enabling layer that supports accurate application of water and inputs, ensuring that cultivation decisions are guided by both resource stewardship and knowledge systems.
Participants were also introduced to farm mechanisation practices spanning planting to harvesting, along with in-situ and ex-situ paddy straw management, including processing methods. Conservation tillage, weed management strategies, and crop residue management using decomposer technology were explained as practical pathways to integrate regenerative principles into routine farm operations. Additional discussions covered efforts to reduce dependence on chemical fertilisers, promote crop residue management through Super Seeder machines, advance water efficient irrigation practices, strengthen the inclusion of women farmers, and support regenerative coffee cultivation in Karnataka.
Climate smart technologies were examined in the context of emerging water security challenges, including the implications of glacier melt, reinforcing the importance of farmer centric approaches in building resilient agricultural systems. The programme also underscored the role of collaborative action and institutional knowledge transfer in scaling sustainable practices.
Farmers and scientists engage in practice-oriented learning
More than 130 participants, including scientists, farmers, practitioners, and representatives from non governmental organisations, took part in the seminar cum training programme. Over 60 farmers from Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Mahendragarh, Pingwan, and Alwar actively engaged in the sessions, contributing to an interactive and practice oriented learning environment. A field visit to the IARI experimental plots enabled participants to observe water saving and precision based technologies in operation. Farmers reported that witnessing these techniques in real conditions improved their understanding and confidence in adopting new methods.
A dedicated panel discussion addressed emerging innovations such as AI-enabled precision tools, smart irrigation sensors, smartphone applications, and cybersecurity in digital agriculture, providing a direct interface between farmers and agricultural scientists. Practical experiences from regenerative and conservation agriculture, including SRT based approaches shared by practitioners associated with Saguna Baug, offered real world perspectives on integrating sustainability with technology at the farm level.
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Three-week ICAR training builds technical capacity
Running in parallel, the ICAR sponsored training programme on precision agriculture technologies was conducted by the Division of Agronomy, ICAR-IARI. The three week programme “Precision Agriculture Technologies: Environmental Responsibility and Optimizing Resource Use for Increased Farm Income,” focused on strengthening technical competencies in precision agriculture, with emphasis on sustainable resource use, environmental responsibility, and income enhancement. Seventeen participants from different regions of the country completed the programme, which delivered more than 55 theory and practical lectures covering a wide spectrum of precision agriculture topics. Experts from institutions across India contributed sessions on advanced precision farming tools and digital agriculture solutions.
Participants received hands on exposure to variable rate application technologies, hyperspectral image processing, GreenSeeker based nitrogen management, drone based imaging, agricultural robotics, and other sensor driven precision agriculture tools. These practical modules were structured to equip professionals with real time skills applicable across research, teaching, and extension contexts.
The training also included a field visit to a progressive farmer’s field in Dariapur Kalan village, where participants observed on-ground implementation of advanced agricultural practices. The visit provided insights into farm level adoption and operational benefits of precision agriculture technologies.
Knowledge transfer linked to research and extension
Throughout the programme, emphasis was placed on translating acquired knowledge into institutional seminars, field interventions, and multi institutional research proposals, with precision agriculture highlighted as a pathway to improve input use efficiency, address climate related challenges, and support sustainable farm profitability. The organisers acknowledged institutional guidance and support from ICAR-IARI, which enabled the smooth execution of both initiatives.
Commitment to climate-resilient farming systems
The combined programmes concluded with a collective commitment from participants to apply regenerative and precision agriculture technologies within their respective professional domains, with the shared objective of advancing sustainable, climate resilient, and economically viable agricultural systems across India.