India, Feb. 21 -- Food is fundamental. Dietary patterns may evolve, but to sustain ourselves we require energy and that energy comes from food. At its simplest, agriculture is a remarkable ecological process: plants absorb carbon dioxide and, through photosynthesis, generate the nourishment we depend upon while releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.

Yet, 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.

Hidden costs of high-input agriculture

To ensure food security, India intensified agriculture through irrigation, fertilizers, pesticides, and mechanisation. These interventions delivered imp...