Sustainable Agriculture

The global population is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, raising concerns about feeding these increasing numbers without further degrading the environment. Our work focuses on bringing sustainability in agricultural practices by developing plant and microbe derived products that reduce the use of chemical fertilisers while substantially improving crop yields. We are making strides in using nano biotechnology to develop a range of green products including nano-fertilisers, superfoods and algal based bioenergy. We demonstrate change by helping farming communities improve their livelihood through our products and practices.

agriculture narrative

NEW IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

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  • Agricultura Coalition

     

    Event

    TERI’s Centre For Bio Nano Fertilizers

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  • Mycorrhizal Research

    Report

    State of Science, Technology and Innovation Skills for Sustainability of India's Food and Land-use Systems

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  • cooling plants

     

    Recent Events

    Nanobiotechnology in natural food colours

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  • TERI and CFCL

     

    Launch

    TERI and CFCL launch Mycorrhiza Product

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  • cooling plants

     

    Launch

    UTTAM PRANAAM BIO NANO PHOSPHORUS

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Projects

Boosting farmers

Boosting farmers’ income and reducing carbon footprint through solar technology application and cultivation of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) in agricultural practices in Tehsil Bakshi Ka Talab, District Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Survey

Meghalaya Traditional Knowledge Portal

SDG Blueprint

SDG Blueprint for Sustainable Agriculture

SAHeLEE

SAHeLEE: Striving for Advancement in Health and improved quality of Life through Entrepreneurship and Education

DTD-RNA

DBT - TDNBC - DEAKIN – Research Network Across continents for learning and innovation (DTD-RNA)

sustainable agriculture

Development of Molecular Tools For Detecting Arbuscular Mycorrhizal fungi In The Environment

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Articles

Application of Guar Gum for Oil and Gas Industry: A Green Biopolymer

Dr Banwari Lal
,
Dr K Nanthakumar
,
Mr Shishram Chahar
,
Dr Veeranna Channashettar
,
Mr C Paul Jeyaseelan

Guar gum powder is extracted from the guar seeds after a multistage industrial process. The production technique depends upon the desired product.

Biochar and Microbial Application for Carbon Dioxide Removal

Dr Mandira Kochar
,
Mr Varun Grover

Combining biochar with soil microbial communities can enhance soil health, nutrient cycling, and agricultural productivity. Being a stable carbonaceous material, biochar offers multiple benefits by improving soil’s physical, chemical, and biological properties.

Emerging Technologies and Debates: Nano-agri-inputs and Products

Dr Pushplata Singh

Nano-agri-inputs could be the next big leap in sustainable farming, with the ability to boost yields and cut emissions—but their real-world impact will rest on scientific rigour, careful regulation, and farmer trust.

Grassroots Climate Action in Uttarakhand: Partnerships, Participation, and Progress

Dr Amit Kumar Thakur
,
Dr Dipankar Saharia

Agriculture is the backbone of the hill economy in Uttarakhand. However, most of the farming in the state is rain-fed, with irrigation facilities primarily restricted to the plains and valleys.

Climate Anxiety in Youth: Causes, Impacts, and Solutions

A recent survey reveals that 94% of Indian youth are grappling with eco-anxiety amid the climate crisis.

Nature-based solutions (NbS) for Rural Livelihoods

Mr Shri Prakash

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can create sustainable rural employment by leveraging ecosystem restoration, agroforestry, and sustainable farming. With potential to generate 20 million jobs by 2030, NbS offers long-term livelihood opportunities for India's rural workforce.

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Events

WSDS 2026 Thematic Track: India’s Energy Transition Scenarios in the Age of Security: Navigating Growth, Resilience and Climate Action across Multiple Possible Futures

February 25, 2026
to February 25, 2026

(i) Problem statement and state of play

India’s energy transition is unfolding at a time of profound global uncertainty. As the country advances towards its ambition of becoming a developed economy by 2047 and achieving netzero emissions by 2070, it must respond simultaneously to rising energy demand, affordability and access imperatives, and accelerating climate risks.

Connecting Policy and Finance for Landscape Restoration in Gujarat under RECAP4NDC

September 9, 2025
to September 9, 2025

Design and Development of Commercial Plant Tissue Culture Lab at Guyana

August 27, 2025
to August 27, 2025

The Sustainable Agriculture Division of TERI has signed an MoU with the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Ministry of Agriculture, Guyana, to establish a commercial plant tissue culture laboratory with an annual production capacity of one million plants. The objective of this lab is to enable large-scale micropropagation of Guyana’s key crops—such as pineapple, plantain, breadfruit, and strawberry—to enhance farmers’ livelihoods.

TERI empowers marginalized farmers in Bakshi Ka Talab, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh through the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants and the application of solar technology in agriculture

April 14, 2025
to April 14, 2025

TERI-KRC and the Centre for Rural Action conducted a series of awareness programs for small holding farmers in Bakshi Ka Talab, Uttar Pradesh, as part of a NABARD-supported project. It is aimed at boosting the income of farmers through the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) and the integration of solar technology in their agricultural practices.

Training on Climate Resilient Integrated Watershed Management

April 12, 2025
to April 12, 2025

TERI is organizing a training program on Climate Resilient Integrated Watershed Management on 12th April 2025 at Silver Oak, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, India

Background

Over 80% of India’s population lives in districts vulnerable to climate-induced disasters. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, depleting groundwater, retreating glaciers, severe cyclones, and rising sea levels threaten livelihoods, food security, and the economy. Urban areas, particularly those with unplanned development, face increasing risks from extreme heat, flooding, and disease.

WSDS 2025 Thematic Track-Watershed Management for Agricultural Resilience: Challenges, Solutions, and Sustainable Development

March 5, 2025
to March 5, 2025

Rural communities throughout India face various challenges related to climate change and its variability, coupled with declining farm productivity and livelihood due to depleting and degrading natural resources. Dryland agriculture in India is particularly vulnerable to climate change, given the dependence of its dense population on agriculture, excessive pressure on natural resources, and limited coping capacities. The anticipated impacts of climate change are likely to further strain already scarce land, water resources, and livelihoods.

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News

Crops may fail, solar will not: Climate-resilient agriculture for a new India

February 21, 2026
| Dr Vibha Dhawan
| The Pioneer

Feeding a population as large as India’s is no simple ecological equation. It is a complex technological, economic, and governance challenge. It is a challenge that now demands systemic rethinking writes Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

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Path to Resilient Livelihoods

January 30, 2026
| Dr Vibha Dhawan
| Millenium Post

The new rural employment reform links social protection with climate adaptation, positioning wage programmes as engines of resilience, sustainability and inclusive rural growth writes Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

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VB-G RAM G India's journey towards livelihoods

January 30, 2026
| Dr Vibha Dhawan
| Punjab Kesari

Rural employment programs have been a central pillar of India's social security structure for nearly two decades. As rural India undergoes rapid economic, technological, and environmental changes, there is an urgent need to further strengthen this framework to effectively respond to emerging challenges and opportunities writes Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, The Energy and Resources Institute.

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Guyana introduces nano fertilizer to transform agriculture, improve yields

October 23, 2025 |
October 23, 2025
Guyana Chronicle

The introduction of the fertiliser developed through collaboration between the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) of India marks a major milestone in the government's push to modernise the sector, enhance productivity, and reduce environmental impacts.

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TERI sees up to 50% drop in chemical fertilisers use

September 12, 2025 |
September 12, 2025
The Financial Express

TERI has developed three nano-fertiliser technologies urea, DAP and Phosphorous up to commercial scale, which is being marketed by private manufacturers.

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Plasticulture: Plastic has taken over agriculture, on one hand it promises good income and bumper crops, on the other hand it is poisoning the soil

September 12, 2025 |
September 12, 2025
Gaon Junction (Amar Ujala)

From mulching films to drip irrigation , greenhouse covers and post-harvest packaging, the use of plastic in agriculture is steadily increasing. India's plasticulture sector today is worth Rs 54,000 crore. The use of plastic in agriculture may have its benefits, but the environmental hazards it poses cannot be ignored writes Dr Pushplata Singh, Director, Centre for Nano Research and Agricultural Biotechnology, The Energy and Resources Institute, TERI.

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Policy

Food and Land Resources: Incorporating Watershed-Based Approaches for Better Sustainability-Productivity Balance

August 4, 2021

The overall purpose of watershed programmes is to enhance incomes, provide food security through sustainable agriculture and prudent management of natural resources. This directly corresponds to SDG 1 and 2, i.e. No poverty and Zero Hunger respectively.

Guidelines for Evaluation of Nano-based Agri-input and Food Products in India

August 6, 2020

Nanobiotechnology applications in food production and agriculture have a lot of potential. However, India did not have adequate guidelines to regulate the same. Until now.

Women in agriculture: Enhancing their role and promoting sustainability and livelihood support

May 26, 2020

The paper looks at enhancing the role of women in agriculture and allied activities and providing institutional support

Discussion Paper : Organic Agriculture: An option for fostering sustainable and inclusive agriculture development in India

June 2, 2015

Land scarcity, degraded ecosystems and climate change are pressures that the agriculture sector confronts in the 21st century whilst needing to meet demands for food, feed and fibre, preserve natural resources as well as ensure profitability, economic and social equity (FAO, 2015). Industrialized agriculture,1 which is capital intensive, substituting animal and human labour with machines and purchased inputs (IAASTD, 2009) has been the favoured model for agriculture development due to its tremendous success in increasing food production.

Strengthening Agricultural Biotechnology Regulation in India

September 22, 2010

The recent decision by the Ministry of Environment and Forests to place an indefinite moratorium on the release of Bt Brinjal for commercial agriculture has brought sharp focus on the stridently polarized views across the scientific community and civil society on the benefits and costs of genetically modified crops.

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Services

Technology for reclaming wastelands

We provide expertise in greening and reclamation of wasteland to turn it into green, productive land. We do this using a beneficial group of micro-organisms known as mycorrhizal fungi. Successful examples of sites reclaimed using this technology include fly ash overburdens, alkali chlor-laden sites, distillery effluent discharge sites, phosphogypsum ponds, coal mines, red mud, saline and arid sites.

Next generation technology to produce high-quality mycorrhiza

Mycorrhiza is a biofertiliser that helps promote plant growth in an environment-friendly manner and provides several benefits during the plant cultivation stages. Our in-vitro mass production technology uses a sterile, contamination-free environment, to commerciallly produce this high-quality mycorrhiza, which is viable, healthy, and genetically pure. Our next generation technology for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi is suitable for industries and requires less space for maximum recovery of propagules (up to 1000 billion propagules/annum).

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Team

Dr Vibha Dhawan

Director General

Mr Deepak Kumar

Director, Centre for Mycorrhizal Research

Dr Pushplata Singh

Director, Centre for Nano Research Area and Agricultural Biotechnology Area

Dr Shovon Mandal

Fellow and Area Convenor, Agricultural Biotechnology

Dr Shyam Sundar Sharma

Area Convener, Micropropagation Technology Park

Dr Leena Johny

Fellow and Area Convenor, Centre for Mycorrhizal Research

Dr Palash Kumar Manna

Fellow and Area Convenor, Centre for Nano Research