Promotion of Regenerative Agricultural Practices for a Food Secure and Climate Resilient Future in the EU-India Partnerships

Overview

The project ‘Promotion of Regenerative Agricultural Practices for a Food-Secure and Climate-Resilient Future in EU-India Partnerships’ aims to establish a dynamic multi-stakeholder and participative platform to advance regenerative agriculture.

The project is supported by the European Union and is being implemented by a consortium of partners Solidaridad, CARD and CRB. The primary objective is to strengthen the capacity of Indian Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to effectively engage with key stakeholders at the local, state, and national levels to foster sustainable, competitive, and resilient agricultural practices. The project supports the transformation to sustainable food systems with a focus on the vegetable oil value chain.

Objectives

The project focuses on key areas such as soil health replenishment, water conservation, biodiversity enhancement, climate resilience, and carbon sequestration. It also prioritises inclusivity, advocating for the equitable participation of women farmers and representation within farmer institutions, as well as underscores the importance of robust and interconnected institutional support to effectively promote and sustain regenerative agriculture practices and their stakeholders.

The larger objectives of the project are:

Enhance capacity of CSOs to organise and facilitate structured policy dialogues on regenerative agricultural practices at local, state, and national levels
Strengthen collaboration and consensus at national and local levels to promote regenerative approaches in vegetable oil supply chains
Foster an enabling environment that drives innovation, builds knowledge through collaborative learning, and provides a platform for stakeholders to scale up regenerative approaches prioritising soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem services
Actively engage CSOs in EU-India policy dialogues, focusing on water, biodiversity, regenerative agriculture, and inclusive supply chains, contributing to the effective implementation of the Global Gateway Strategy in India

Events

Dialogue on Regenerative Veg Oil Supply Chain in the context of EU-India Partnership on Sustainable Development, 14 January 2025, Bhopal

The event was organised as the first step towards engagement with the demand-side stakeholders of the vegetable oil sector to promote regenerative agriculture with specific reference to the vegetable oil. In the event, the project’s objectives – which is to encourage farmers to adopt regenerative practices to improve the soil health, climate, biodiversity, water, and promote gender equality – as well as benefits of sourcing vegetable oil from regenerative agricultural practices, were shared with the demand-side participants.

The event provided a unique opportunity for demand-side stakeholders — those involved in sourcing, processing, and marketing vegetable oils — to gain insight into the practical applications and advantages of regenerative agriculture. By bringing together stakeholders from both the supply and demand sides, the event fostered collaboration and developed a shared understanding of how regenerative practices can be scaled up within supply chains. This is an important step towards creating more sustainable, transparent, and resilient vegetable oil sourcing practices.

Multi-stakeholder meetings at Mandla, Dindori, Vidisha | Madhya Pradesh | December 10 - December 12, 2024

The multi-stakeholder meetings on regenerative vegetable oil were organised at Mandla, Dindori, and Vidish from December 10 to December 12, 2024, and attended by farmers, including women farmers, CSOs, National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) representatives, Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) representatives, Animal Husbandry representatives, local traders, NGOs, and others.

The meeting centred around four key points:
i. What are your opinions on regenerative agriculture? What are the opportunities and challenges for: Farmers, Government, Mandi, CSOs, and Traders?

ii. Regenerative agricultural practices are currently adopted by only a few farmers and in small portions of their fields. What should be done to encourage farmers to embrace regenerative agriculture across their entire fields?
iii. What are the expectations of farmers from the government and traders for increasing agricultural production and marketing of crops? What is the role of the Mandi in this?
iv. What kind of training and capacity building do farmers require to adopt regenerative agriculture on a large scale?