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The Delhi-NCR region remains in the midst of a ‘pollution crisis’ with the air quality index in the ‘severe’ category. The situation worsened on Wednesday when smoke from post-harvest burning of paddy straw in neighboring states accounted for one-third of the air pollution in the national capital. In this background, businessman Anand Mahindra has emphasized the importance of ‘regenerative agriculture’.
“To fix Delhi’s pollution, regenerative agriculture should be given a chance. It provides a beneficial alternative to stubble burning and also increases soil productivity. Vikas Abraham of Nandi Foundation is ready to help. Let’s do it!” he urged.
The air quality in the national capital remained ‘severe’ on Wednesday. According to data shared by CPCB, the AQI was 452 in Anand Vihar and 433 in RK Puram. It was also recorded at 460 in Punjabi Bagh, 382 at Sri Aurobindo Marg and 413 in Shadipur.
Nandi Foundation was established in 1998 as a public charitable trust and currently has over 5,500 employees across 15 states. The organization runs thousands of skill and employment centers as well as girls’ education centres. Anand Mahindra is currently the Chairman of the Board of the Foundation.
What is regenerative agriculture?
According to agricultural organization Regeneration International, within 50 years there will not be enough soil left to grow food to feed the world. Intensive farming releases carbon dioxide naturally stored in the soil, and the use of heavy machinery, fertilizers and pesticides to maximize food production contributes to soil erosion. Damaged soils and degraded land can also make the environment more vulnerable to extreme weather events such as flooding.
“More than half of the world’s agricultural land has been degraded. This results in productivity losses of $400 billion per year and is a risk to future food security. Regenerative farming can restore agricultural land and reduce the environmental impact of industry, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” a 2022 World Economic Forum article explains.
This agricultural approach aims to improve soil health and increase crop yields and even help mitigate climate change.
“Regenerative agriculture focuses on improving the health of soils that have been degraded by the use of heavy machinery, fertilizers and pesticides in intensive farming,” says the WEF.
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Updated: 08 November 2023, 05:09 PM IST
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