For decades, conventional Indian agriculture has relied on synthetic fertilisers to boost crop yields. Urea, in particular, has become a staple, heavily subsidised by the government to keep food production steady. But this dependence has come at a cost—soaring input expenses, soil degradation, and alarming levels of water pollution.
With erratic monsoons and climate change intensifying pressure on agriculture, there emerges an alternative to fertilisers: nitrogen-fixing crops, a practice that nourishes the soil in the process of agriculture and nothing more.
Nitrogen is essential for plant growth, but most crops can’t access it directly from the atmosphere–even though nitrogen makes up 78% of the atmosphere! Instead, plants rely on nitrogen compounds in the soil, often replenished by fertilisers. This is where nitrogen-fixing plants, such as legumes, come in. They have a natural advantage—they form symbiotic relationships with certain soil bacteria (Rhizobia) that convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2), which is in a gaseous form, into ammonia, which is a usable form for the plants. This biological process reduces the need for synthetic fertilisers, making farming more self-sustaining. In theory, it’s a perfect fix—but whether it can hold up in large-scale Indian agriculture, is the complex question that is still being explored.
One of the key challenges in relying on biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) is soil health. The effectiveness of Rhizobia actually depends on soil conditions, including pH, organic matter, and microbial diversity. Afterall, the bacteria fosters a symbiotic relationship–it needs the right nourishment, in exchange for converting atmospheric nitrogen. Degraded soil due to overuse of chemical fertiliszers and intensive farming practices can limit the efficiency of nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Additionally, while legumes contribute to soil fertility, they cannot replace the high nitrogen demands of staple crops like wheat and rice, which dominate Indian agriculture.
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Another consideration is economic viability. Synthetic fertiliszers offer immediate and predictable results, making them attractive to farmers under pressure to maximisze yields. Transitioning to nitrogen-fixing crops or integrating Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF)–a process of working with nature and without chemicals–requires time, knowledge, and investment. Encouraging sustainable nitrogen management would need policy support, farmer education, and incentives for adopting biofertilisers. But, addressing these challenges could help Indian agriculture move toward more sustainable nitrogen use while maintaining productivity.
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Across India, nitrogen-fixing crops like pigeon pea (tur), chickpea (chana), and groundnut are already integral to traditional farming. Intercropping these with staple cereals like rice and wheat has been an age-old practice, and farmers have long realised that they improve soil fertility. Yet, large-scale adoption remains limited, especially in high-yield commercial farming. There are a few reasons for this, a significant one being: unlike nitrogen-heavy urea, biological nitrogen fixation works gradually and depends on soil health, microbial activity, and crop cycles. For small and marginal farmers, the lower input costs are a major benefit, but questions remain about whether these crops can fully replace chemical fertilisers in an economy driven by yield maximisation.
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Then, there is the fact that government policy continues to favor chemical fertilisers, with urea subsidies exceeding ₹1.31 lakh crore in 2023. This not only distorts farm economics but also disincentivises a shift towards regenerative practices. In fact, if you look closely enough, you’ll see that fertilisers are at the centre of Indian agriculture–even seed markets and agribusinesses prioritise high-yield hybrid varieties that depend on synthetic inputs. So, without policy shifts—such as incentives for intercropping or support for microbial biofertilisers—nitrogen-fixing crops will remain a secondary solution rather than a mainstream alternative for farmers.
While nitrogen-fixing crops alone may not meet India’s food demand, integrating them into existing farming systems could reduce dependency and over reliance on synthetic fertilisers. A hybrid approach—combining legumes, crop rotation, organic mixes, and judicious fertiliser use—could make Indian agriculture both more sustainable and resilient to deteriorating soil health. There have been a few attempts, too. The Biotechnological and Biological Sciences Research Council, UK (BBSRC), Department of Biotechnology, India (DBT), and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC UK) agreed to fund virtual joint centers (VJCs) to investigate the ways of managing agricultural nitrogen, and improving crop production while reducing energy inputs. One of the four centers is IUNFC (India-UK Nitrogen Fixation Center)–which focuses specifically on pigeon pea rhizobial nitrogen fixation through various creative processes, like identifying superior strains of pigeon pea and matching them with effective nitrogen-fixing rhizobia to enhance crop production and developing engineered rhizobia.
But for this movement to really be meaningful, government policies, market structures, and farmer incentives must ultimately align with long-term soil health rather than short-term yield gains.
In India's agricultural heartlands, where farming sustains countless livelihoods, the soil's hidden key to prosperity lies in humus. This dark, organic material forms when plant and animal matter decomposes and undergoes complex biological transformations. While it may seem unremarkable at first, humus is the powerhouse of soil, the element that transforms it from mere dirt into a thriving ecosystem capable of nourishing crops, retaining water, and combating the challenges of climate variability. Its importance cannot be overstated — According to the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India experiences an annual soil loss rate of approximately 15.35 tonnes per hectare, resulting in a significant loss of about 8.4 million tonnes, especially as India battles declining soil fertility and diminishing agricultural yields with erratic weather patterns.
Humus is not just decomposed matter—it is the end product of a long process of breakdown and stabilisation, resulting in a resilient, nutrient-rich substance. Unlike raw organic matter, which decomposes rapidly, humus is stable and has persisted in the soil for centuries. It is nutrient-rich in carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, essential for healthy plant growth.
However, humus does more than simply feed crops—it fortifies the soil, creating a structure that supports life in its many forms.
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One of humus's greatest contributions to soil health is its ability to enhance fertility. It acts as a slow-release reservoir of essential nutrients, steadily feeding plants. This starkly contrasts chemical fertilisers, which provide quick but short-lived nutrition boosts and often degrade soil quality in the long run. Humus offers a sustainable alternative, reducing dependence on expensive inputs while improving the soil’s intrinsic productivity. This is particularly critical for Indian farmers trapped in a cycle of amping up fertiliser use to compensate for nutrient-depleted soils.
Beyond its role as a nutrient bank, humus aids in water management. Its spongy texture allows it to absorb and retain large amounts of water, making it invaluable in regions prone to drought or erratic rainfall. Drought-prone regions like Maharashtra’s Marathwada and the north and central Indian province of Bundelkhand—where agriculture is predominantly rain-fed—stand to benefit immensely from soils rich in humus. By ensuring that water remains available to plant roots even during dry spells, humus supports crop growth and mitigates the impact of water scarcity on farming livelihoods.
Another often overlooked benefit of humus is its role in preventing soil erosion. In India, where unsustainable farming practices, deforestation, and overgrazing have led to the loss of billions of tonnes of topsoil annually, humus can make a significant difference. It binds soil particles together, improving soil structure and stability and preventing valuable topsoil from being washed or blown away. This is particularly crucial in a country where the loss of fertile soil directly threatens food security and agricultural sustainability.
Also read: Do-nothing farming: The Masanobu Fukuoka story
Equally important is humus’s ability to foster life within the soil. Healthy soil is not inert; it is alive with microbes, fungi, and other organisms contributing to its fertility. Humus is a steady food source for these microorganisms, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem that benefits both soil and crops. Without this microbial activity, the soil becomes lifeless and incapable of supporting healthy plant growth. This interconnectedness further asserts how humus is the foundation for robust soil health.
Despite its critical role, the Indian soil is in a humus crisis. Decades of intensive farming, monocropping, and an over-reliance on chemical fertilisers have depleted the organic matter content of Indian soils. Most Indian soils contain less than 1% organic matter, which is far below the ideal range of 3%-6%. The consequences are visible in falling crop yields, rising input costs, and soils increasingly unable to withstand climate shocks. Rebuilding humus levels is not just desirable; it is essential for the survival of Indian agriculture.
The path forward requires a shift in farming practices. Incorporating crop residues, green manures, and compost into the soil can gradually replenish organic matter and restore humus levels. Natural farming methods, already gaining traction in states like Andhra Pradesh, emphasise these methods and offer a model for sustainable agriculture. Practices such as agroforestry and zero tillage further protect the soil, ensuring that humus can thrive.
Agroforestry enriches the soil by integrating trees and shrubs to prevent erosion and boost organic matter, while zero tillage minimises disturbance, retains moisture, and sustains vital microorganisms by avoiding ploughing.
Therefore, although these changes may seem daunting in the short term to farmers, the long-term benefits—increased productivity, lower input costs, and greater resilience to climate change—are undeniable.
Humus is more than an agricultural tool; it is the essence of healthy soil. Its ability to nourish, protect, and sustain makes it indispensable in the fight for food security and climate resilience.
Also read: How one farmer purged toxic chemicals from his soil
There is no one answer to the burdens of climate change, but many farmers agree that there is one ally: soil. The earth, which houses and nourishes crops, also has the ability to retain water during droughts, keep away pests, trap the pesky carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and grow healthier foods. But for this, you must farm not just to produce food, but also to nurture and service the soil it grows in.
Broadly, this approach to farming is understood as regenerative farming. It is not one singular method–it is a term for a range of practices that focus on conservation and rehabilitation of the soil when farming.
As a philosophical model, regenerative farming asks of us to factor in and incorporate how all aspects of agriculture are interconnected through a web of entities that grow, enhance and sustain each other. It holds no strict rule book, yet its holistic principles are rooted in addressing inequity, climate inequality and making sustainability a reality rather than a distant dream.
Small and marginalised farmers, particularly in India and other parts of the Global South, often lack secure land ownership–and this prevents them from investing in long-term sustainable practices.
Small and marginalised farmers, particularly in India and other parts of the Global South, often lack secure land ownership–and this prevents them from investing in long-term sustainable practices. Historically, land ownership in the country has remained categorically limited to upper caste and upper class households as well as wealthy landlords, leaving landless labourers in the pits of land inequity, without recourse. Regenerative farming seeks to thus root itself in addressing the inequity of high-cost fertilisers that both impoverish soil health and hold back small-scale farmers.
This method of farming aims to restore and enhance the health of ecosystems while producing food. Unlike conventional farming, which often prioritises high yields at the expense of rapid environmental degradation, regenerative farming focuses on replenishing soil fertility, promoting biodiversity, and reducing carbon emissions. Its goal is to create a self-sustaining system that benefits both nature and humanity.
At its core, regenerative farming tells you to work with nature rather than against it. It emphasises practices like crop rotation, cover cropping, reduced tillage, and integrating livestock into farming systems. These methods aim to mimic natural processes. Cover crops, for instance, protect the soil from erosion, while reduced tillage minimises disturbance to soil organisms. Livestock, when managed correctly, can contribute to soil fertility through natural fertilisation cycles. In nature, wild herbivores move across landscapes, grazing in one area and then the next. This prevents overgrazing, allowing plants to regrow and the soil to recover. Farmers replicate this by rotating livestock between pastures. Moreover, as animals graze, they deposit manure, which enriches the soil with organic matter and nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen–thus reducing the reliance on synthetic fertilisers.
Crucially, regenerative farming prioritises soil health. While modern-day farming addled with chemicals has desensitised many farmers to poor soil health, regenerative farming brings it back into focus as it hopes to reverse the soil degradation that’s amassed abundantly. The word regenerative in itself suggests a sort of gentle healing–to slowly undo the harm we have done to the soil.
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The guiding principles of regenerative farming are rooted in keeping the soil surface covered with a duvet of growing crops. This reduces soil erosion and also helps the earth retain carbon from the atmosphere. Thus farmers ensure that there is no disturbance to the soil, be it through heavy ploughing or excessive fertilisers.
This duvet of crops, regenerative farming says, should be diverse. After all, monocultures aren’t organically occurring–so, the act of cover cropping can heavily improve soil health.
All of these processes aim to patiently bloom some life back into the soil, making it healthier.
The benefits of regenerative farming extend beyond the farm. But what does this mean? How can soil help a warming planet?
Regenerative farming actually holds the potential to mitigate climate change. By enhancing the soil’s capacity to store carbon, regenerative farming can act as a natural carbon sink, offsetting greenhouse gas emissions. The global effort here is to reduce carbon footprint, and this sort of farming does exactly that.
Additionally, regenerative practices enhance biodiversity by creating habitats for insects, birds, and other wildlife. Diverse plantings and minimal chemical use foster a balanced ecosystem, reducing reliance on synthetic fertilisers and pesticides. Farmers have reported economic benefits, as healthier soils often lead to higher yields and lower input costs over time. The improved water retention of healthy soils can make farms more resilient to droughts, an increasingly pressing concern, especially in countries like India.
Regenerative farming isn’t solely a respite for farmers, but for consumers as well. For consumers, regenerative farming offers the promise of healthier food. Studies suggest that produce grown in nutrient-rich soils contains higher levels of vitamins and minerals. Not only is regenerative farming a net positive for agriculturists but there could be a potential market waiting to usher in regeneratively produced food – much like organic produce.
Also read: Against the grain: Gowramma’s lessons from the land
Despite its promise, regenerative farming is not without challenges. The scientific consensus on the effectiveness of regenerative farming in sequestering carbon is still evolving. Certainly, studies reassure, healthy soil holds the potential to trap carbon, but they also caution that the extent to which soil can store carbon may be limited and heavily dependent on local and regional conditions. This indicates that regenerative farming alone cannot deliver sweeping climate benefits–there are conditions to how it should be practiced, to reap these benefits.
Another limitation is scalability. Implementing regenerative practices on a global scale requires widespread systemic changes in land management, supply chains, and agricultural policies.
In the same vein, realistically transitioning from conventional methods to regenerative practices can be costly and time-consuming, particularly for small-scale farmers. It often requires significant investments in education, equipment, and experimentation, which not all farmers can afford. However, studies have shown that while the net margin from a regenerative farming system may be lower than conventional systems in the first year, it can exceed conventional systems by the sixth year. This long-term profitability, coupled with environmental benefits, makes regenerative agriculture a viable option for Indian farmers.
Despite its challenges, regenerative farming practices form a historical corpus in the subcontinent. Techniques such as mixed cropping, crop rotation, agroforestry, and the use of local varieties have been integral to Indian farming for centuries. The traditional Barahnaja system (translating to “twelve seeds” in Garhwali) belonging to the Himalayan region is a testament to this history. Under this system, farmers would cultivate 12 or more crops together in a single field, using no chemical fertilisers. This makes sure soil erosion is at a minimum, soil health is bolstered, and an ecosystem of insects, worms, and weeds is created. The practice struck the much-needed balance between food security and ecological sustainability–something regenerative farming promises, too.
Meal prepping, an efficient and productive way to make sure you eat healthy, home-cooked food has populated online and offline conversation. The mere mention of meal prepping can conjure up a stereotypical image: of neatly stacked containers filled with the dull beiges and greens of boiled chicken, broccoli, and quinoa.
For Indians, though, the picture doesn’t have to look this way. Meal prepping–some form of it, at least–has become necessary in the modern life, although it doesn’t hurt to remember that women have always “meal-prepped” in the Indian kitchen: washed, cut and stored away vegetables and fruits, prepared pickles for months to come, ground chutneys to spruce up meals throughout the week.
For young professionals in urban areas, meal prepping may look different, but in the tedium of city life, it can be the recourse for sustaining cooking autonomy – while not sacrificing on health or taste.
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However, meal prepping isn’t without its drawbacks. Sure, it promises to save your time and make your meals healthier, but the process can easily lead to wasted food. The domestic kitchen is no stranger to the guilt of wilting greens, slops of dals, and uneaten leftovers. So, how do we marry the art of meal prepping while keeping sustainability in mind and avoiding the monotony of repetitive meals?
Here’s a guide to meal prepping for the Indian diet—designed to save time and taste.
1. Cook in small batches to avoid spoilage
Instead of prepping an entire week’s meals, aim for only 3–4 days. Indian dishes, especially those with fresh coconut or dairy, can spoil quickly. Cooking in smaller quantities reduces the risk of food going bad, and the ability to cook more for fewer days ensures variety in your meals.
2. Plan around perishables
When meal prepping, prioritise using fresh ingredients early in the week. It can be tempting to stock your fridge with fresh produce to use throughout the week, but you may not get around to it–your produce will remain fresher and more useful when purposed into, say, a coriander chutney or a green curry base on Day 1 and then frozen in portions. Planning around perishables will help you avert your greens from wilting in the back of your fridge.
3. Repurpose leftovers
Meal prepping doesn’t mean every meal has to be a fresh start, using a fresh batch of veggies or proteins. While prepping your ingredients is a large part of it, meal prepping for the Indian kitchen encompasses the larger idea of thinking ahead and using food sustainably – and “prepping” in this way also means thinking creatively about using your leftovers. Turn yesterday’s dal into dal parathas or use leftover sabzi as stuffing for sandwiches. Rice, the Indian staple, can transform into fried rice, lemon rice, a quick rice bowl mix–and if you have some more time on hand, you can just take the cooked rice, grind it with grated coconut, soaked rice, urad dal and water and whip up a batch of leftover rice dose for breakfast or lunch!
4. Label and rotate
Clear, pretty air-tight containers are great for meal-prepping, but labeling them is the non-negotiable part. Write down the date you cooked each dish to ensure you’re eating the oldest items first. The ugly side of meal prepping often is forgetting the food you’ve made and discovering that your old containers are now housing new ecosystems. Labelling can go a long way in countering this.
5. Prepping ingredients and not just dishes
While meal prepping does involve preparing full meals ahead of time, the tedium of eating the same meal–or even similar meals–every day can make you averse to the whole process. Instead of prepping full meals, consider prepping ingredients. Chop vegetables, boil dals and soak pulses overnight, prepare spice marinades in advance for a quick dinner after work. This reduces waste by giving you flexibility to cook fresh, diverse meals without the stress of starting from scratch.
6. Pre-chop and freeze vegetables
Vegetables like peas, beans, carrots, and spinach freeze beautifully. Contrary to popular belief, frozen vegetables don’t lose their nutritional value. In fact, they’re often frozen at peak freshness, locking in nutrients better than produce slowly aging in your fridge for days. Freezing also gives you the ability to prep it in bigger batches, because you can use them over a longer period of time.
Also read: Micronutrients 101: Your guide to nature's tiny health boosters
1. Don’t forget about the safety of your food
Cooked rice and dals are particularly susceptible to bacterial growth. Store them in shallow containers to cool quickly and refrigerate within two hours. While refrigeration is a must, make sure to consume them within the first few days.
2. Don’t give into storage myths
Myth: Freezing food reduces its nutritional value.
In reality, frozen foods, especially vegetables like peas, spinach, and corn, are flash-frozen at peak freshness. They are actually a reliable alternative to fresh produce. The same also applies to meat, if you so choose to marinate and prep meat ahead of time in the freezer.
Myth: Refrigerating food for more than a day makes it unhealthy.
When in reality, properly stored, cooked food can last up to 3–4 days in the refrigerator without losing its quality or nutritional value. The key is to cool food quickly and store it in airtight containers.
Myth: Freezing chapatis makes them rubbery.
In reality, semi-cooked chapatis or parathas freeze and reheat well on a hot tawa, retaining their softness. The trick is to separate each piece with parchment paper before freezing. Instead of microwaving your chapatis, make sure to heat them on a pan/tawa.
3. Don’t overstuff your fridge
Meal prepping is ultimately about organisation. Overloading your fridge can cause uneven cooling, leading to spoilage. Prioritise what you’ll actually eat instead of prepping with misplaced gusto.
4. Don’t discard edible scraps
That ridge gourd peel you were about to toss can be turned into a delicious chutney. The stems of coriander, often thrown away with their muddy roots, can add incredible flavour to a curry base or tadka. Vegetable scraps can be used for stocks or composted to reduce waste. Meal prepping doesn’t have to compromise efficiency over sustainability when you can have both!
India wastes an estimated 78.2 million tonnes of food annually, nearly one-third of what is produced. This wastage occurs at every stage—harvest, storage, transportation, and consumption. In urban households, much of it comes from the kitchen: uneaten leftovers, rotting produce, and over-purchased groceries.
The environmental cost of this waste is staggering. It is estimated that decomposing food in landfills contributes to 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. For a country like India, where millions still go hungry daily, the dichotomy is stark.
Meal prepping, if done thoughtfully, can help address this crisis with appropriate stockage, freezing, repurposing leftovers, and upcycling your ingredients. At the end of the day, meal prepping can shape up to a practice of productivity, autonomy and care.
Also read: Macronutrients 101: What your body craves and why
Kombucha, a tangy, fizzy fermented tea, has captured the attention of health enthusiasts across the world. In India, it has made its way into cafes and grocery stores, but at a steep cost—bottles often range between ₹250 and ₹400. Brewing your own kombucha at home offers a far more economical solution, with costs dropping to just ₹10–₹15 per serving. Beyond the savings, the DIY process lets you control the ingredients, ensuring a healthier drink free from preservatives and excess sugar. You can also infuse it with flavours that you like, whether it’s ginger, tulsi, or fruit blends like mango or guava.
Making kombucha at home involves fermenting sweetened tea with a SCOBY—a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast that works its magic over time. The process is surprisingly simple and requires little more than tea, sugar, and patience.
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To start with, the tea is brewed, sweetened, and allowed to cool. You can use black or green tea, but make sure to brew a big old batch of it, and add sufficient sugar (usually a fourth of a cup of sugar for one litre of tea). Kombucha is brewed pretty much like any other fermented drink: the microbes in your brew need sugars to feed on, so they can release molecules and proteins that fizz up your brew. But they can only feed on cane sugar–so don’t swap it out for any other sweeteners. The tea will cool down, and that’s when you add the SCOBY to it. This is a gelatinous, fairly cloudy slab of microbes that will feel slimy to the touch. You can find SCOBY online (in SCOBY kits) or even get them from friends who regularly brew kombucha. Along with the SCOBY, add some starter tea–a small amount of store-bought, unflavoured kombucha. If this reminds you of setting aside milk in a dark corner of your kitchen to turn it into dahi, it’s because both processes follow the exact same science: just like you’d add one spoon of microbe-filled dahi to milk and start an infinite chain of homemade curd, you can keep aside some unflavoured kombucha from your brewing batch and keep adding it, as a starter, for your future batches!
Brewing kombucha doesn’t take too long–compare it to vinegars, which sour away for months before you can use them!–but if you want to cook up a flavoured kombucha, it does take two phases. The first phase is to ferment the sweet tea into kombucha and the second, shorter phase is to flavour it with fruits.
The first fermentation (F1) takes place over seven to 10 days, with the bacteria and yeast transforming the sugary tea into a probiotic-rich, slightly sour beverage. Make sure you store your clean glass jar of tea and SCOBY in a cool, dark corner (ideally, 20-26° C); avoid direct sunlight or drafty spots.
The length of fermentation determines its taste—shorter brews are sweeter, while longer ones have a tangier, almost vinegary kick.
The second phase of fermentation (F2) is optional, but fairly straightforward if you wish to infuse flavour into your kombucha. To begin with, remove the SCOBY from your kombucha, and strain the liquid. Divvy it up into small batches that you want to flavour, and go ahead and add your flavourings: fruit pieces or juices; pieces of ginger or herbs; spices like cinnamon, cardamom etc. Transfer these batches into clean, air-tight bottles, leaving some room at the top. This phase requires you to ferment the drink again for about two to five days, so a lot of fizz will form: that’s why the room at the top. In fact, one crucial step in this process is to “burp” the bottles daily. Quite literally, you are required to slowly open the bottle caps and release the gas before screwing it tight again. Five days of this, and you’ll have a flavoured, fizzy drink.
When you’re happy with the flavour and carbonation, remember to store your kombucha in refrigerators–not just for it to chill, but also because this will finally stop the fermentation and carbonation process.
Brewing at home also has an environmental edge. By reusing jars and bottles, you cut down on the plastic waste associated with store-bought drinks. For Indian kitchens, where sustainability and frugality are often part of daily life, this is an added advantage. Plus, the joy of nurturing your own SCOBY and watching the tea evolve into kombucha can be immensely satisfying—it’s like a living science project in your kitchen.
However, there are a few precautions to keep in mind. Cleanliness is crucial, as contaminated equipment can lead to mold or harmful bacteria. Always use sterilised jars and utensils to ensure a safe brew. If you notice fuzzy mold growing on the surface—a rare but possible issue—it’s best to discard the batch and start over. Additionally, kombucha is naturally fizzy, so bottles need to be sealed tightly during secondary fermentation to trap the carbonation. This step requires careful monitoring to prevent over-fermentation, which can lead to pressure build-up in bottles.
Also read: The fragile future of Guchi mushrooms
The health benefits of kombucha make it worth the effort. It’s loaded with probiotics that improve gut health and digestion, and its antioxidants may help reduce inflammation. It’s also a great alternative to sugary sodas and energy drinks, offering a natural caffeine kick with minimal calories. For those wary of sugary beverages, homemade kombucha provides the ability to control the sweetness, especially important for people managing diabetes or simply aiming to reduce sugar intake. It’s important to note, though, that you can’t actually brew kombucha without sugar, or even with less sugar–the microbes need enough to feed on. So, the way to control sweetness is to monitor for how long you ferment your kombucha – the longer the brew, the more sugar will be consumed by the microbes, and the less there will be for you. By some estimates, fermenting kombucha for about 50 days removes all the sugar in it.
While the process may seem intimidating at first, kombucha brewing is forgiving and adaptable to Indian kitchens. You don’t need specialised equipment—just a large glass jar, a breathable cloth to cover it, and bottles for storing the finished product. With just a little practice, you’ll have a refreshing, healthful drink that’s not only easy on your wallet but also packed with flavour and probiotics.
Brewing kombucha at home isn’t just about health or saving money—it’s a step towards a more intentional way of living. By taking control of what you consume, you create a drink that’s uniquely yours, while reducing reliance on packaged goods. For those looking to embrace healthier habits without breaking the bank, kombucha offers an easy, rewarding start.
Teasing grain, vegetables, and citrus from the earth has always demanded back-breaking labour. The life of a farmer is one of constant exposure—to the merciless summer sun, the bitter chill of winter, and the unpredictable rains. And the toil doesn’t stop with the weather. Pest invasions, crop failures, and slim margins often drive farmers to abandon their fields, for the promise of steadier incomes in urban areas. The modern agricultural system, which relies heavily on machines plowing through fields and industrial grade pouring of chemicals over crops, has left many farmers feeling overwhelmed and disillusioned.
Amid a system that constantly demanded more labour and machinery, came Masanobu Fukuoka: a Japanese farmer and philosopher with an entirely different approach—one rooted in humility and a near-religious deference to nature. Fukuoka passed away in 2008 at the age of 95, but his philosophy continues to resonate. His vision—of a farming system that works with nature rather than against it—offers a counterpoint to the high-input, high-stress agriculture that dominates much of the world today.
His method, often referred to as “do-nothing” farming, rejects the core pillars of conventional agriculture: no plowing, no chemical fertilisers, no pesticides, and no weeding. Fukuoka doesn’t mean to say that farmers should sit idle. Rather, his philosophy is about stepping back and observing nature’s wisdom, allowing it to guide farming practices instead of imposing human will.
Born in 1913, Fukuoka’s journey to this radical simplicity was anything but straightforward. He began his career as a scientist, working in a laboratory to develop agricultural techniques. But a crisis of faith in the modern approach to farming led him to return to his native village. There, he tested his ideas on his own fields, slowly uncovering what he called “natural farming.”
“An object seen in isolation from the whole is not the real thing,” Fukuoka wrote in his 1975 book The One-Straw Revolution, a no-tilling manifesto. Through this work, he gently but firmly dismantled the premises of modern agriculture, arguing that they had damaged the soil, weakened plants, and poisoned ecosystems. For Fukuoka, nature was a unified and self-sufficient whole, capable of thriving without human interference. Human “cleverness,” he believed, was often the root of the problem.
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Natural farming, as Fukuoka practiced it, required less labour than traditional methods but not a complete absence of effort. Although the method is also called ‘no-till’ or ’do-nothing farming’, it doesn’t translate to sitting back and relaxing. There was still work to be done—casting seeds, mulching, and maintaining the land thoughtfully with care and sensitivity. But the goal was to work in a symbiosis with nature, not in disruption of it. For example, instead of plowing to control weeds, Fukuoka used a ground cover of white clover and a mulch of barley straw to suppress unwanted growth. His approach was deliberate and experimental, not one that left the land recklessly abandoned.
Also read: Sikkim shows how to farm without chemicals
“Crops grow themselves,” he famously proclaims, insisting that plants, left to their natural course, would flourish without the need for heavy-handed human intervention. Yet, he acknowledged that this philosophy cannot be adopted overnight. Transitioning to natural farming often requires an initial period of adjustment—some weeding, composting, or pruning—but these measures would gradually diminish as the system stabilises.
Fukuoka distilled his philosophy into four guiding principles: no cultivation, no chemical fertilisers or prepared compost, no weeding by tillage or herbicides, and no dependence on chemicals. These were not rigid commandments but a framework that farmers can adapt to their unique environments. Fukuoka repeatedly emphasised that his methods were not recipes to be copied. When one of his students tried to replicate his techniques on a different land, the attempt failed. Each plot of land, Fukuoka argued, requires its own process of observation and experimentation.
The man’s admiration for nature extended to weeds and insects, long considered villains of the farm. Weeds, he argued, often played a beneficial role: fixing nitrogen in the soil, aerating it, and even repelling harmful pests. Similarly, he believed that conventional pest-control methods—whether chemical or mechanical—were futile if they ignored the relationships among insects. His fields, notably free of rice leaf-hoppers–tiny, sap-sucking enemies of rice crops–became a case study for scientists who wondered how his ecosystem seemed to regulate itself.
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Chemical herbicides, however, remained godsent for many farmers. Before their invention, weeding rice fields was a grueling task, involving miles of walking through flooded paddies with a weeding tool. Fukuoka understood why these chemicals were embraced but urged farmers to consider the long-term costs—to the soil, the crops, and their own health.
The inspiration for Fukuoka’s approach to rice farming came early in his life–from an abandoned field he stumbled upon, where healthy rice seedlings were thriving in a tangle of weeds. This chance encounter led him to rethink the entire planting cycle. Instead of sowing seeds in spring, he turned into balls and began scattering them in the fall, mimicking the natural drama of the plant. By tilting the balance slightly in favour of his crops and interfering as little as possible, he found a way to produce a copious amount of yields without disrupting the ecosystem.
“Almost everyone thinks that ‘nature’ is a good thing, but few can grasp the difference between natural and unnatural,” he wrote. For Fukuoka, farming was a sacred act, grounded in a philosophy that goes beyond considerations of soil analysis and harvest yields. He saw food as a mirror of the human condition: crops grown unnaturally weakened the body, creating a cycle of dependence on supplements and medicines.
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India, with its longer growing season and rich biodiversity, offered fertile ground for Fukuoka’s ideas. During his visit to the country, he met Subhash Palekar, a farmer from Maharashtra who had been practicing chemical farming until 1986. Inspired by Fukuoka, Palekar developed Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), a system that has since gained traction across Karnataka and beyond. Of course, Indian farmers had been practicing various forms of natural farming for centuries before the green revolution, in the 1960s, forced them to adopt high-cost chemicals and hybrid seeds. But these methods yielded crops at the cost of the soil’s health and nourishment. So, when Fukuoka carried his technique to India in 1988, it was welcome.
The Indian government has recently taken significant steps to promote natural farming as part of its low-carbon agricultural transition. The 2024-25 Union Budget reduced fertiliser subsidies and earmarked resources for 10,000 bio-input resource centers. These hubs aim to distribute natural fertilisers like “Jeevamrit” and neem-based pesticides, supporting the government’s goal of bringing one crore farmers into natural farming by 2025. Yet, logistical challenges remain, from scaling up these initiatives to ensuring farmers have the resources and knowledge to make the transition.
(Banner image: https://landbyhand.org/natural-farming-with-masanobu-fukuoka/)
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