1.
Surajit Bag
– Excelia Business School, France.
2.
Susmi Routray
– Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Abstract
India faces a range of challenges, including soil degradation, water scarcity, dependence on inputs, post-harvest losses, income
fluctuations for farmers, climate hazards, and nutritional insecurity in its agri-food system. There has been increased policy
visibility regarding natural farming, soil health, millets, and sustainable agriculture, but most of the current policy focus is “farmcentric”.
This article debates that scaling up regenerative agriculture in India is not possible without enabling the supply chains
to be regenerative. Farmers are not only in need of advice to reduce the use of chemical inputs or diversify their crops, but also
of information and the means to implement those changes. They require markets, logistics, financing, procurement contracts,
measurement, and public institutions to ensure the economic feasibility of ecological restoration. The article suggests that, to fill
this void, a PRANA Index: Performance for Regenerative Agriculture, Nutrition and Agri-Food Systems be created. PRANA is a
policy-oriented composite index that aims to quantify the regeneration of soil, water, farmer livelihoods, circular resource flows,
markets, nutrition, and institutional inclusion in an agri-food supply chain. The article also proposes a Regenerative Minimum
Support Ecosystem, a new framework for agricultural support in India’s transition to regeneration. The framework has the
potential to provide a tangible measurement tool for all stakeholders working toward regenerative ambition and accountability,
including food companies, food financiers, researchers, and policymakers.
Keywords Agri Food Supply Chains, Regenerative Supply Chains, Natural Farming, Farmer Producer Organisations, Regenerative Supply Chain Index, PRANA Index, Agri Food Policy