Rethinking Growth: Cultivating a Sustainable Future for Indian Agriculture

Industrial Agriculture and Its Discontents

For decades, Indian agriculture has been rooted in the belief that more is better — more fertilisers, more water, more mechanisation, more yield. This idea, born during the Green Revolution, was initially hailed as a triumph. Yields shot up, hunger seemed to recede, and India stepped into the global arena as a food-producing powerhouse. But beneath this surface of apparent success lies a story of deep distress. Farmlands have been stripped of their natural fertility, water tables have plummeted, and the very farmers who feed the nation are often hungry themselves. As of 2024, nearly 147 million hectares of land in India were degraded, while 76% of the population faced some level of water scarcity. And despite the bounty, India still ranked a lowly 105th on the Global Hunger Index in 2021. Why? Because the dominant model of agriculture is deeply flawed — it treats nature as a machine and farmers as mere tools. The pursuit of yield has come at the cost of everything else: soil, water, biodiversity, and human lives. Smallholder farmers, who make up the backbone of Indian agriculture, are burdened by debt, locked into cycles of chemical dependency, and often unable to make ends meet. Meanwhile, large corporations continue to profit from seeds and agrochemicals, controlling inputs and siphoning away wealth from rural communities. The Green Revolution, while effective in solving short-term food shortages, has created a long-term socio-ecological crisis.

Introducing Degrowth: A New Vision for Agriculture

Enter the philosophy of degrowth — not a call for decline, but for a redefinition of progress. Degrowth challenges the obsession with GDP and endless economic expansion, especially when such growth is extractive and unequal. It proposes instead that we measure success by the health of our soil, the nutrition on our plates, the strength of our communities, and the harmony between humans and the Earth. In agriculture, degrowth does not mean growing less food — it means growing differently. It urges us to replace industrial monocultures with diverse, regenerative farming systems that work with nature, not against it. This shift involves valuing local knowledge, supporting community-led food systems, and reducing dependency on harmful inputs and distant markets. Degrowth aligns seamlessly with ancient Indian ideals like Sarvodaya (the welfare of all) and Gram Swaraj (village self-governance), which call for self-reliance, ethical living, and community well-being. Through this lens, Indian agriculture can be reimagined — not as a race for profits, but as a living system that sustains life, culture, and future generations.

Regenerative Agriculture: Healing the Land

At the heart of the degrowth approach is regenerative agriculture — a suite of practices designed to restore degraded ecosystems while still producing food. Unlike conventional methods that strip the land bare, regenerative farming seeks to rebuild it. It uses techniques like crop rotation, composting, agroforestry, cover cropping, and no-till farming to revive soil life, store carbon, and conserve water. In India, the success stories are growing. In Andhra Pradesh, natural farming initiatives have helped farmers reduce costs and improve resilience. In Maharashtra, farmers using regenerative techniques reported up to 30% less input costs and 20–30% higher yields. Globally, examples from Brazil, Mount Kenya, and even corporate partnerships in Europe show that regenerative practices can work across scales. These methods also mitigate climate change, as healthier soils capture more carbon and reduce the need for fossil fuel-based inputs. Unlike industrial systems that depend on a constant flow of chemicals and energy, regenerative agriculture builds independence and resilience into the very fabric of farming. It is not just a technique — it is a philosophy of care, one that sees the farm not as a factory, but as a living, breathing ecosystem.

Empowering Farmers Through Local Economies

Another pillar of degrowth is the creation of vibrant, localised agricultural economies. Today, smallholder farmers are often at the mercy of middlemen and market fluctuations. Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) offer a powerful alternative. These collectives allow farmers to pool resources, access better prices, and reclaim control over their produce. But their impact goes beyond economics. FPOs foster cooperation, encourage innovation in sustainable practices, and help cut down the environmental costs of long-distance transport. For instance, vegetable FPOs in Maharashtra have set up direct-to-consumer markets, reducing spoilage and emissions. Through FPOs, farmers can experiment with seed sharing, composting, and local processing — all within a framework that supports mutual aid and ecological balance. This model decentralises food systems and strengthens communities, making agriculture not just a job, but a shared endeavour. Degrowth envisions an economy where value is created and retained locally, not extracted and shipped away. FPOs are a real-world manifestation of this vision, offering hope and dignity to millions of farmers.

Wasting Less, Feeding More

One of the most shocking contradictions in Indian agriculture is the coexistence of hunger and waste. Every year, India throws away nearly 78 million tonnes of food — enough to feed over 370 million people. This waste happens at every step: crops rot on farms for lack of storage, spoil in transit, and get discarded in homes and restaurants. Yet millions go to bed hungry. Degrowth calls this out for what it is — a systemic failure, not a production problem. Reducing food waste is one of the simplest and most impactful steps we can take. Better storage facilities, decentralised cold chains, farmer training, and public awareness campaigns can make a huge difference. Community initiatives like food banks and fridges can redistribute surplus to those in need. And importantly, tackling waste requires us to rethink how we value food — not as a commodity, but as nourishment, culture, and a shared responsibility. In a world of plenty, no one should starve. The issue is not scarcity — it is mismanagement. Degrowth reminds us that true abundance lies in smarter systems and stronger communities, not in producing more at any cost.

Changing What and How We Eat

Degrowth also means looking at our plates. Modern diets, especially in cities, are increasingly dominated by ultra-processed, calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods. These foods, often cheap and convenient, come with hidden costs — rising obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, along with huge environmental footprints. The promotion of water-guzzling crops and industrial livestock farming adds to the crisis. Degrowth encourages a dietary shift: towards seasonal, local, plant-based foods that are good for both people and the planet. Traditional Indian diets, rich in pulses, millets, and vegetables, offer a model of health and sustainability. Millets, for example, are climate-resilient, water-efficient, and nutrient-dense — a perfect antidote to the wheat-rice monoculture. Community-supported agriculture schemes can bring farmers and consumers closer, fostering awareness and mutual benefit. Food is not just fuel — it is identity, culture, and choice. By changing what we eat and how we think about food, we can support farmers, restore ecosystems, and improve our own health. Degrowth offers a path to mindful consumption, rooted in respect for nature and balance.

Reviving Local Economies with Alternative Currencies

A particularly innovative idea in the degrowth vision is the use of local currencies — systems of exchange that keep value within a community. These could be time banks, bartering networks, or region-specific digital credits. In agriculture, local currencies can help farmers trade seeds, tools, and services without relying on unstable national markets. They build resilience and reduce dependence on global supply chains. In Kerala, experiments with the “Gram” currency have shown that these systems can work in real-world settings, promoting local trade and solidarity. While the idea may seem radical, it draws on age-old traditions of mutual support and village economies. Scaling up such models would require legal support, community engagement, and smart digital tools, but the payoff could be immense — a robust, circular economy that empowers people instead of corporations. Degrowth challenges us to rethink not just what we grow, but how we trade and value it. In this reimagined economy, wealth is not hoarded, but shared; not extracted, but cultivated.

Redefining Success: Beyond Growth and GDP

At the core of the degrowth argument is a simple but profound question: what does it mean to succeed? Today, we measure progress in tonnes of grain, GDP figures, and export earnings. But these numbers hide a painful truth — that while production rises, well-being often falls. Degrowth proposes a different set of metrics. Imagine an agricultural report card that measures how many people are well-nourished, how many soils have regained fertility, how many farmers are free from debt, how much biodiversity has returned to the fields. These are the outcomes that truly matter. Success should be about thriving communities, not swelling bank accounts; about resilience, not revenue. In Indian thought, the ideas of Sarvodaya and Gram Swaraj remind us that the economy should serve people, not the other way around. Degrowth does npt reject modernity— it reframes it. It calls for smart policies, ethical technology, and humane systems, all guided by ecological limits and social justice. It is not about going backwards — it is about moving forward differently.

Conclusion: A Future Worth Growing

India’s agricultural future stands at a crossroads. The current path — built on extraction, inequality, and short-term gains — is faltering. The signs are everywhere: empty aquifers, sick soils, indebted farmers, and growing hunger despite surplus stocks. But there is another way — a path that leads towards regeneration, equity, and dignity. Degrowth and regenerative agriculture offer not a utopia, but a grounded, achievable vision based on cooperation, ecology, and wisdom. It is a vision where agriculture heals rather than harms, where villages thrive instead of emptying, and where food is a gift, not just a product. This transformation woill not happen overnight. It will take policy reforms, community action, education, and courage. But the seeds of change are already being sown — in small farms, in grassroots movements, in conversations like this. As students, citizens, and future leaders, we must ask ourselves: what kind of world do we want to grow? The answer begins in our fields, our kitchens, and our hearts. Let us plant the future — together, wisely, and well.