Organic farming and agriculture in India stand at a critical crossroads, where the need for soil regeneration, chemical-free cultivation, and affordable, safe food is more urgent than ever.

India uses over 5.6 million tonnes of synthetic fertilizers annually, and around 60,000 tonnes of chemical pesticides, as per data from the Ministry of Agriculture. Globally, India ranks fourth in total fertilizer consumption after China, the USA, and Brazil, highlighting its massive input dependence. These substances, once promoted to increase yield, are now turning toxic, destroying microbial life, hardening soil, and exhausting groundwater. FAO estimates that indiscriminate fertilizer use leads to only 30–50% nitrogen use efficiency in India, with the rest lost to water bodies and the atmosphere, causing eutrophication and greenhouse gas emissions.

Out of India’s total 140 million hectares of net sown area, over 45 million hectares (roughly 32%) are already degraded due to erosion, salinization, acidification, and chemical overuse, according to ICAR’s National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning. A 2022 government report indicated that over 29% of the country’s land area is undergoing desertification or land degradation, endangering food security for millions.

Chemical overuse is not just excessive, but dangerous. A multi-state surveillance study by the Centre for Science and Environment tested 20 common vegetables and fruits across 12 Indian cities. Over 65% of the 200+ samples were found contaminated with pesticide residues, many of them classified as Class I (extremely hazardous) by the WHO. One sample of cauliflower in Delhi was found to contain acephate at 640 micrograms/kg, nearly 13 times the European safety limit. The National Institute of Nutrition also found that common staples like rice and wheat sometimes carry residues of chlorpyrifos and malathion exceeding national MRLs by 2–5 times.

Residues of DDT, malathion, chlorpyrifos, and endosulfan, some banned globally, continue to be detected in food markets, milk samples, and even in umbilical cord blood. A 2021 Amrita Hospital study detected endosulfan residues in 75% of breast milk samples from mothers in Kasaragod district, Kerala, years after its official ban, indicating long-term soil and food chain persistence. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) reports that more than 30% of fruits and vegetables in urban mandis consistently exceed maximum residue levels (MRLs).

India’s annual pesticide consumption per hectare stands at 0.27 kg/ha, which may appear modest, but in absolute terms, with 140 million hectares under cultivation, it amounts to nearly 38,000 tonnes sprayed annually, often concentrated in a few high-yield regions. For instance, Punjab’s pesticide consumption stands at 0.74 kg/ha, nearly triple the national average, while Haryana uses around 0.5 kg/ha, reflecting regional intensity.

Despite India’s promise of organic farming, chemical pesticide use remains widespread, posing risks to health and soil – a challenge the CircularFarms Network seeks to transform into an opportunity for sustainable, toxin-free agriculture.

At the same time, organic farming, despite its promise, covers only 2.8 million hectares, less than 2% of India’s total farmland. India accounts for 30–41% of the world’s organic producers but ranks only 9th in organic land area globally, reflecting smallholder-led certification with limited land per farmer. And most certified organic produce is exported, not consumed domestically, making clean food both scarce and expensive for Indian households.

The outcome is a food system where affordability often means exposure to slow poisoning. A 2023 study by AIIMS and the Indian Society of Oncology found a 27% increase in hormone-related cancers among younger adults in metro cities over the past decade, correlating with higher pesticide consumption and endocrine disruptors in food. Research by the Endocrine Society shows that chronic exposure to pesticides like atrazine and chlorpyrifos, even at low doses, disrupts hormonal systems linked to thyroid, reproductive, and neurodevelopmental disorders.

This is the hidden chain reaction. Soil mismanagement in Vidarbha or Guntur silently shapes cancer risk in Delhi and Chennai.

Every grain of wheat, every plate of rice, every glass of milk is now tied to a crumbling soil system, leaking toxins from farm to table.

A weary farmer reaches for chemical pesticides to protect his crops – a routine Earth5R’s CircularFarms Network is working to replace with regenerative, organic farming solutions for healthier soils and livelihoods.

The CircularFarms Network

The CircularFarms Network is Earth5R’s national mission to restructure India’s agricultural backbone by shifting from a chemically dependent, linear model to a regenerative, tech-enabled circular system to promote Organic farming and agriculture. The CircularFarms Network works by onboarding farmers into a national regenerative grid. Each farm receives hands-on training in natural soil restoration, access to Earth5R-certified organic inputs, and is digitally linked to Earth5R’s cloud-based platform. This platform uses IoT sensors, drone mapping, and AI-based soil analytics to monitor soil moisture, pH, and carbon content in real time. Farms are scored using a verified Soil Test Score, visible through QR codes to buyers and consumers for full farm-to-fork traceability.

India currently ranks first in the number of organic producers (over 1.6 million farmers) but only 9th in organic cultivation area globally, highlighting the opportunity for scaling regenerative models like CircularFarms. The government has identified that out of India’s 130 million hectares of land are degraded due to erosion, salinisation, and chemical overuse.

Early pilots have shown that input costs drop by 20-30%, and Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) improves by 0.3% within one cropping season, a critical marker in reversing soil degradation. Research indicates that each 1% increase in SOC can improve water holding capacity by 20,000–25,000 gallons per acre, boosting drought resilience in vulnerable farming regions.

With over 140 million hectares under cultivation in India, the scalability potential is immense. Currently, organic farming covers only ~2.8 million hectares (<2% of total farmland), demonstrating vast untapped potential. Earth5R aims to integrate 4 million hectares into the CircularFarms Network in the next 5 years, creating a transparent, regenerative agri-economy that benefits farmers, protects consumer health, and delivers measurable ESG outcomes for businesses.

The long-term goal is clear: Using smart organic farming and agriculture to make organic food more affordable than conventional food within five years, shifting India’s food system from toxic to trusted, from fragmented to future-ready. With India’s organic food market projected to reach ₹6,400 crore (~USD 800 million) by 2025, cost-effective regenerative systems are key to ensuring domestic affordability rather than focusing solely on exports.

Rebuilding Agriculture from the Soil Up

The CircularFarms Network connects India’s most pressing crises, soil degradation, farmer debt, water scarcity, and urban food toxicity, and solves them as one integrated challenge. By creating regenerative farming hubs across the country, Earth5R is building India’s first large-scale infrastructure for circular, traceable agriculture.

India loses about 5.3 billion tonnes of soil annually due to erosion, severely impacting farm productivity and rural incomes. Farmer debt remains high, with the average indebted household owing ₹47,000 as of the last NSSO survey, pushing many towards input-driven loans and distress. India’s per capita water availability has fallen by 60% since independence, intensifying irrigation stress for chemical-intensive crops.

Each farm in the network is treated as a living node in a larger system. Earth5R provides training in regenerative practices, deploys branded organic inputs made from agri-waste, and integrates every farmer into a digital platform that monitors soil health, input use, and market readiness.

Currently, less than 2% of India’s farmland is under organic cultivation, despite the nation having over 1.6 million organic producers (NCOL), indicating enormous potential for scale. But this goes beyond the field. What makes the CircularFarms Network transformative is how it connects technology, trust, and affordability by promoting smart organic farming and agriculture.

Urban Plates, Rural Roots: The Hidden Supply Chain

The turmeric in a Mumbai kitchen, the tomatoes in a Bangalore restaurant, the rice grain in a school meal in Lucknow, none of these are just commodities. They are the outcome of soil decisions made months earlier, hundreds of kilometers away, in rural India.

India produces over 75% of the world’s turmeric, with major cultivation in Maharashtra, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu supplying urban markets. Bangalore alone consumes over 2,000 tonnes of vegetables daily, most sourced from peri-urban and rural districts. Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow, is the largest rice-producing state, contributing nearly 14 million tonnes annually to India’s food system.

And these decisions are often driven by desperation. A farmer may overuse fertilizer to ensure yield. May spray pesticides on leafy greens a day before harvest. May burn crop residue to save time before the next sowing.

India uses around 5.6 million tonnes of chemical fertilizers annually, and approximately 60,000 tonnes of pesticides, with Punjab alone burning over 7.3 million tonnes of crop residue each year, causing severe air pollution across northern cities.

All of this eventually travels to cities, into the bodies of children, the immune systems of the elderly, and the daily bloodstream of urban India.

This is why Earth5R frames agriculture not as an isolated rural issue, but as a national health, climate, and food security issue.

The CircularFarms Network reverses this damage by transforming inputs, training, systems, and market linkages, ensuring that food grown in India heals, rather than harms.

With support from Earth5R’s CircularFarms Network, farmers like her are embracing organic practices, growing healthy, chemical-free vegetables that nourish communities and protect the environment.

Technology Meets Tradition: A Smarter Path Forward

What powers this transformation is its precision. Earth5R is integrating a full spectrum of technologies into the CircularFarms Network, making traditional regenerative wisdom measurable, scalable, and efficient.

Globally, the smart agriculture market is expected to reach USD 34 billion by 2026, driven by IoT, AI, and data analytics – technologies now entering Indian farms through initiatives like CircularFarms.

Farms are equipped with IoT sensors that track real-time soil moisture, pH, and carbon levels. Studies show that IoT-based precision irrigation can reduce water use by 30–50% while increasing yields, a critical benefit for India’s water-stressed regions. Earth5R’s central platform uses AI and machine learning to analyze this data and recommend optimal organic inputs, irrigation schedules, and disease prevention strategies tailored to each location.

Through satellite overlays and drone scans, Earth5R maps crop cycles, soil degradation zones, and biomass health to make data-backed planning decisions at village and district levels. ISRO’s remote sensing satellites currently monitor over 70 million hectares of cropped area, providing scalable potential for Earth5R’s AI integration with national datasets.

Every participating farm is assigned a Soil Health Score, a digital certificate of regenerative practices, validated by Earth5R’s on-ground teams and remote sensing. This traceability will soon be visible at the consumer end through QR-linked packaging, allowing citizens to know where their food came from, who grew it, and what inputs were used.

Traceability has become a market differentiator in the global organic sector, with over 60% of consumers in Asia willing to pay premium prices for verified safe food, according to FiBL.

This ambitious project by Earth5R is farm intelligence, and it’s built for scale.

A Commitment to Affordability

Organic food should not be a luxury product for the privileged. It should be the national standard. But today, organic vegetables cost 2 to 3 times more than their chemical-laced counterparts. This is a failure of design, not economics.

India’s organic food market is projected to reach ₹6,400 crore (~USD 800 million) by 2025, yet domestic consumption remains limited due to high prices and export-focused production models.

Earth5R is committed to making organic food cheaper than conventional food in India within the next five years.

By transforming waste into high-quality inputs, reducing transport distances, enabling crop planning through digital tools, and building direct linkages between farmer cooperatives and urban buyers, Earth5R is eliminating the inefficiencies that inflate cost and prevent access.

Globally, studies show that reducing supply chain intermediaries can lower organic food prices by up to 35%, making affordability a function of structural efficiency rather than input cost alone.

When smart organic farming and agriculture become affordable, it doesn’t just heal the planet, it heals the economy.

A woman farmer irrigates her thriving organic crops – a glimpse of how Earth5R’s CircularFarms Network is helping farmers adopt sustainable practices that reduce costs, protect health, and make organic food affordable for every household.

From Green Revolution to Circular Revolution

India’s original Green Revolution made the country food-secure. But it left behind chemical dependency, monoculture vulnerability, and ecological fatigue. Today, India needs a second revolution, one that balances productivity with resilience, growth with restoration.

Between 1965 and 2015, India’s grain production rose from 72 million tonnes to over 252 million tonnes, but fertiliser use grew 13-fold in the same period, contributing to soil degradation and declining yields per input unit.

The CircularFarms Network is that revolution. It’s a permanent ecosystem with the infrastructure, people, and data systems to serve the future of India’s organic farming and agriculture.

It is rooted in Earth5R’s experience of working across 350 villages in 11 states, training over 1,56,000 farmers, and running national sustainability programs with partners like Google, UNESCO, IITs, NYU, and MIT.

India ranks first globally in the number of organic producers but only 9th in organic farming area, underscoring the potential for Earth5R’s scalable regenerative models.

It builds on Earth5R’s success in urban restoration through the BlueCities Network and now mirrors that leadership in the agricultural domain.

Policy, Climate, Health: The Triple Impact

The CircularFarms Network aligns with India’s key policy missions, Natural Farming (BPKP), Soil Health Card Scheme, PM-PRANAM, AgriStack, the Carbon Market Framework, and Digital Agriculture Mission.

It directly supports SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger), 3 (Health), 12 (Sustainable Consumption), and 13 (Climate Action).

India ranks 107 out of 121 countries on the Global Hunger Index 2022, indicating an urgent need for systemic agricultural reforms to achieve SDG 2. Approximately 70% of India’s rural population depends primarily on agriculture, making regenerative transitions critical for livelihoods and national health.

And it offers a platform for food and beverage companies, health insurers, impact investors, public procurement bodies, and state governments to plug in and scale verified, low-carbon, high-health value chains.

Climate change is projected to reduce Indian farm incomes by 15-25% on average, with semi-arid regions facing even sharper declines without soil and water conservation interventions.

Every rupee invested into this network brings return across food security, climate resilience, health cost savings, and rural income.

Women farmers proudly harvest their organic produce, demonstrating how investments in Earth5R’s CircularFarms Network strengthen food security, climate resilience, and rural incomes across India.

Call to Stakeholders: Let’s Build the Future of Farming

This is not a waiting game. The time to shift is now. Every delay adds more toxins to our food, more stress to our farmers, and more cost to our economy.

If you are a policymaker, funder, corporate ESG head, or agri-tech entrepreneur, the CircularFarms Network is your gateway into India’s regenerative future.

Earth5R is inviting strategic partnerships to scale this ecosystem into every district, integrate new innovations, and embed circularity into the heart of India’s food systems.

India has over 700 districts, highlighting the vast geographic scope and opportunity for scalable regenerative impact.

This national vision is already in motion. Through field-tested interventions across India, Earth5R has implemented regenerative farming models, farmer training programs, and organic input innovations in some of the country’s most ecologically vulnerable districts.

Approximately 30% of India’s land is undergoing degradation or desertification, underlining the urgency for such interventions.

What follows is a case study from one such implementation, demonstrating how sustainable practices, when backed by local trust and scientific methods, can transform not just yield, but farmer livelihoods, soil health, and rural ecosystems. This ground-level experience forms the blueprint for scaling the CircularFarms Network to millions of farmers across the country.

ESG & CSR Case Study: Organic farming and Agriculture program by Earth5R© in Partnership with the Agriculture Sector

INTRODUCTION

Agriculture is the backbone of rural India, yet it faces significant challenges related to climate change, resource management, and sustainability. Recognizing these challenges, Earth5R, in partnership with the agriculture sector, launched a one-year sustainable agriculture training program aimed at empowering farmers with knowledge and tools to adopt sustainable, climate-resilient practices. The program engaged 300 Earth5R volunteers, each of whom worked with 30 farmers per month, training them on a wide range of topics from organic farming to financial literacy and renewable energy adoption

Program Overview

Objective: To provide farmers with practical training on sustainable agriculture practices, enhance their understanding of climate change, and equip them with the tools and knowledge to improve agricultural productivity while reducing environmental impact.

• Volunteer Engagement: 300 Earth5R volunteers engaged with 30 farmers each month for one year, in the year of 2017 reaching a total of:
  • 300 volunteers x 30 farmers x 12 months = 108,000 farmer engagements.
• Training Topics:
  • Organic Farming & Drip Irrigation: Techniques to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides while promoting water conservation.
  • Weather Forecasting: Use of apps like Windy for accurate weather predictions, helping farmers plan better.
  • Waste to Energy Conversion: Training on converting agricultural by-products into fuel pellets, reducing air pollution from crop residue burning.
  • Soil Health & Composting: Methods to enhance soil fertility and modern composting techniques.
  • Climate Change Awareness: Training on the impacts of climate change and how farmers can adapt to new weather patterns.
  • Water Management: Techniques to conserve water and ensure efficient use through sustainable practices like drip irrigation.
  • Renewable Energy: Guidance on investing in renewable energy, like solar pumps, to enhance energy sustainability.
  • Sanitation & Healthcare: Basic hygiene training for better health and productivity in rural communities.
  • Financial Literacy: Education on financial management, savings, and investment in sustainable practices.

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Impact & Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

1. Environmental Impact

The Sustainable agriculture training CSR program directly contributed to reducing environmental degradation, improving resource efficiency, and promoting sustainable farming techniques. Key environmental outcomes include:

• Reduction in Water Usage: Adoption of drip irrigation by the trained farmers resulted in 20-30% reduction in water usage, contributing to improved water management in rural areas.
  • Environmental KPI: Water savings of 500,000 liters per month across the total number of farmers trained.
• Decrease in Air Pollution:  Agricultural waste was converted into fuel pellets instead of being burned, which prevented air pollution.
  • Environmental KPI: Prevented the burning of 10,000 tons of crop residue, reducing Carbon Dioxide emissions by approximately 18,000 tons annually.

• Improvement in Soil Health: Adoption of organic farming practices and composting techniques improved soil fertility and reduced the use of harmful chemical fertilizers.
  • Environmental KPI: Enhanced soil quality for 80% of participating farmers, reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers by 40%.
• Renewable Energy Adoption: Farmers were trained on investing in solar energy, with 15% of trained farmers adopting renewable energy for irrigation and other agricultural activities.
  • Environmental KPI: Reduction of 1,200 tons of Carbon Dioxide annually through the use of solar pumps and renewable energy sources.

2. Social Impact

The program had a far-reaching social impact, improving the quality of life for farmers and their communities through education, healthcare, and economic empowerment:

• Improved Farmer Livelihoods: Adoption of organic farming and waste-to-energy conversion helped farmers increase their income through the sale of organic produce and fuel pellets.
  • Social KPI: 50% of farmers reported an increase in income by an average of 15% after adopting these sustainable practices.
• Health & Sanitation: Basic hygiene training led to a marked improvement in the health of farmers and their families, reducing illness and improving productivity.
  • Social KPI: Reduction in hygiene-related diseases in 40% of participating households, leading to fewer workdays lost due to illness.

• Food Security: Organic farming practices helped diversify crops and improve food security for farming families, enabling them to grow a wider range of nutritious crops.
  • Social KPI: 20% of farmers reported greater food self-sufficiency, contributing to improved nutrition for their families.
• Community Engagement: The program created a ripple effect in local communities, with farmers sharing their knowledge and encouraging neighbors to adopt sustainable practices.
  • Social KPI: Secondary training of 15,000 additional farmers through farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing.

3. Economic Impact

By introducing modern agricultural practices, reducing input costs, and increasing productivity, the program generated significant economic benefits for farmers and their communities:

• Cost Savings on Inputs: Farmers who adopted organic farming reduced their reliance on costly chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
  • Economic KPI: Farmers saved an average of INR 10,000 annually on chemical inputs by switching to organic alternatives.
• Increased Productivity: Improved soil health and water management techniques led to higher crop yields, increasing income for participating farmers.
  • Economic KPI: 15-20% increase in crop yields was observed among farmers who adopted organic farming and drip irrigation practices.

• Income from Fuel Pellets: Farmers who converted agricultural waste into fuel pellets generated additional income by selling these pellets locally.
  • Economic KPI: INR 12 million generated annually from the sale of fuel pellets, boosting local economies.
• Financial Literacy & Savings: By learning basic financial management skills, farmers improved their savings and investment in sustainable farming equipment, including renewable energy sources.
  • Economic KPI: 30% of farmers reported a 10-15% increase in savings and began investing in sustainable farming tools.

Governance Impact

The program also contributed to improved governance by promoting transparency, accountability, and sustainable practices at the grassroots level:

• Data-Driven Agriculture: Farmers learned to use weather forecasting apps like Windy to make informed decisions about planting and harvesting, reducing the risks associated with unpredictable weather.
  • Governance KPI: 70% of participating farmers adopted weather-based decision-making practices, reducing crop losses.
• Sustainable Governance Practices: The promotion of sustainable agricultural practices helped establish long-term governance structures in rural areas, where farmers took ownership of environmental and community initiatives.
  • Governance KPI: 20 farmer cooperatives were established to continue the dissemination of sustainable practices after the program’s conclusion.

The Sustainable Agriculture Program launched by Earth5R in partnership with the agriculture sector provided 108,000 farmer engagements over a one-year period, delivering significant environmental, social, and economic benefits. By adopting sustainable farming practices, improving water and soil management, and embracing renewable energy, farmers were able to reduce their environmental footprint, increase their income, and improve their quality of life.

This initiative serves as a strong model for how CSR and ESG goals can be aligned to create sustainable impact in the agriculture sector, addressing the urgent need for climate-resilient farming and community development in rural India.

About Earth5R Platform

Earth5R is an ESG and CSR “Action” platform that drives large-scale plastic recovery and recycling programs while integrating community livelihoods into circular economy frameworks. With transparent data management and reporting, Earth5R helps businesses meet their sustainability goals while creating lasting social impact. 

Earth5R’s work has contributed to offsetting over 954,000 tons of Carbon Dioxide, planting 87,000 trees, and engaging 1.3 million citizens globally. By leveraging technology through its award-winning app, Earth5R enables individuals, governments, and businesses to collaborate in building sustainable, resilient communities.​