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

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

TDNBC

TERI-Deakin Nanobiotechnology Research Centre

Survey

Meghalaya Traditional Knowledge Portal

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Articles

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.

Mycorrhiza and Bacteria-Enriched Microbiomes

Mycorrhizae are beneficial soil fungi that establish a symbiotic association with host plant roots. In nature, they also associate with bacteria during different stages of their life cycle. Cross-kingdom associations formed between plant roots and mycorrhizae have been proficient in positively influencing plant growth as these associations are evolutionarily selected and maintained in nature, and are hence more powerful than introduced, non-native, combinations of biofertilizer bacterial strains.

Impact of Nature-based Innovative Biofertilizers on Agriculture

Ms Vatsala Koul

Global climate changes have resulted in unexpected drought, extreme temperatures, excessive rainfall, and unanticipated storms, causing disasters that had never occurred in the past. Considering this, establishment of an environment friendly mechanism is of vital importance. In recent years, there has been an unrestricted and unchecked use of agrochemicals to obtain higher yield which on the flip side has given rise to several agricultural problems and damaged soils.

TERI team has developed nanofertilizers for climate smart agriculture

Nanofertilizers developed by TERI's Sustainable Agriculture Program for achieving climate-smart agriculture are approved by the Department of Agriculture for manufacturing and marketing

Dr Pushplata Singh

Nanofertilizers have promised to overcome the adverse effect of excessive conventional fertilizers on environment and health. Our extensive studies have shown that the use of nanofertilizers, in combination with ‘bulk’ fertilizer(s), can reduce the application size of conventional fertilizers by 25-50 % in agricultural fields. TERI has developed three nano-fertilizer technologies up to commercial scale. These include nano Urea, nano DAP and nano Phosphorous.

Connecting with the Community: How FOLU India engages farmers to improve nutrition

Ms Meena Sehgal
,
Ms Vidhu Gupta

 

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Events

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.

WSDS 2025 Thematic Track: Agriculture sustainability through advanced technologies and innovations to achieve food security and heal our planet

March 5, 2025
to March 5, 2025

Soil health and nutrient use efficiency are interlinked, and improvement in both is important for achieving Sustainable Agriculture Goals. Soil degradation is a global problem that affects 3.2 billion people, or 40% of the world's population. Soil degradation impacts food security, biodiversity and climate resilience. It can reduce global food productivity by 12% and cause food prices to increase by up to 30% by 2040. On the other hand, the world needs to increase the food production by 70% to meet the demand of the ever-increasing population, which is expected to become 8 billion by 2050.

Hack4Agri

October 15, 2024
to October 15, 2024

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in partnership with The Australian Government, announces Project ‘Hack4Agri’- an initiative to engage the youth of Karnataka to ideate, innovate, incubate, and implement scalable solutions to address post-harvest losses in the agricultural sector.

TERI launched a pilot project funded by NABARD aimed to enhance the income of marginalized farmers in Tehsil Bakshi Ka Talab, District Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

June 14, 2024
to June 14, 2024

On June 14, 2024, TERI launched a pilot project funded by NABARD aimed to enhance the income of marginalized farmers by conducting training on scientific cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants and the use of solar technology applications in agriculture in Tehsil Bakshi Ka Talab, District Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

UTTAM PRANAAM BIO NANO PHOSPHORUS

April 22, 2024
to April 22, 2024

Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), launched biogenic nano Phosphorous (nanoP) with the commercial partner Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals Limited under the brand name UTTAM PRANAAM BIO NANO PHOSPHORUS.

TERI’s Centre For Bio Nano Fertilizers

April 22, 2024
to April 22, 2024

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News

TERI and CFCL launch ‘New Crop Protection Facility’ at TERI GRAM in Haryana

February 4, 2025 |
February 15, 2025
Agro Spectrum India

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals Limited (CFCL) launched the ‘New Crop Protection Facility at TERI GRAM', recently in Gurugram, Haryana. This cutting-edge facility is dedicated to the development of highly efficacious bio-control products and biogenic formulations in a controlled environment. This initiative underscores TERI's and CFCL's commitment to sustainable agriculture and reinforces India’s ability to spearhead eco-friendly, science-driven sustainable solutions for a better future.

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Union budget 2025: Transforming agriculture for a sustainable and inclusive future

February 12, 2025
| Dr Pushplata Singh
| The Pioneer

Union Budget 2025 introduces a bold vision for agricultural transformation, addressing key challenges such as soil degradation, climate change and rural distress, says Dr Pushplata Singh, Senior Fellow and Associate Director, Sustainable Agriculture Division, TERI.

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CFCL, TERI in pact for ‘Centre of Excellence for Advanced and Sustainable Agriculture Solutions’

December 3, 2024 |
December 4, 2024
The Hindu Business Line

Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd (CFCL) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) have signed an agreement to establish the 'CFCL-TERI Centre of Excellence for Advanced and Sustainable Agriculture Solutions'. The centre aims to address challenges such as stagnating productivity, soil degradation and reduced resistance to chemicals.

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Experts deliberate on India's Bio-engineered Crop Policy - PHD Chamber's Roundtable

November 16, 2024 |
November 16, 2024
Krishak Jagat

Dr Arvind Kapur, Distinguished Fellow, Sustainable Agriculture, TERI while presenting the future outlook said that all stakeholders should move beyond the initial questions and take concrete steps towards policy formulation. "We should move from the initial questions to policy formulation that can reduce regulatory barriers for GM crops in India," he said. Dr Kapur underlined the economic reasons for adopting GM technology and said, "Farmers are looking for crops that are easy to grow, low cost and more profitable.

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Traditional Knowledge for Resilient Agriculture in Northeast India

September 2, 2024
| Dr Dipankar Saharia
| Agriculture Today Magazine

It is important to note that while indigenous traditional knowledge exists in the Northeast region, its documentation is not a priority among the local communities, says Dr Dipankar Saharia, Senior Fellow and Senior Director, TERI.

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Hindustan Zinc Collaborates with TERI to Transform Wasteyard into Green belt

August 28, 2024 |
August 28, 2024
The Hans India

Hindustan Zinc Limited the world's second-largest integrated zinc producer and the world's most sustainable metals and mining company according to S&P Global, has initiated the second phase of transformation of 16 hectares of wasteland at the Chanderiya Lead-Zinc Smelter into a flourishing greenbelt. By leveraging Mycorrhiza technology, in collaboration with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Hindustan Zinc is enhancing biodiversity and protecting natural ecosystems around its operational units.

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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, Mycorrhiza Commercial Production

Dr Pushplata Singh

Associate Director, Nano Commercial Production

Dr Shovon Mandal

Fellow and Area Convenor, Agricultural Biotechnology

Dr Shyam Sundar Sharma

Area Convener, Micropropagation Technology Park