An Adaptive Framework for Regenerative Agriculture based on Environmental Management

Introduction The scope of implementing innovative research findings aimed at sustainable development goals seems to be inherently limited by economic and social acceptance, despite their technical efficacy. There exists a huge demand for coordinated efforts to mitigate the negative impacts of the so-called ‘development’ activities that are tampering with the very existence of humanity, natural resources, and the environment. Agriculture, though historically the first and foremost occupation of humans, has always been intrigued by nature at the cost of natural calamities and uncertainties in ensuring the availability and timely distribution of essential resources. In the modern context of water-energy-food paradigms, the agriculture sector can play a pivotal role in bolstering the state economy in multifaceted ways by assuming the adaptability of recent scientific advancements to the core functional attributes of sustainability. In this scenario, the concept of regenerative agriculture can be better understood as a holistic, self-adaptive, and integrated approach towards not only bringing about a revolutionary breakthrough in agricultural productivity but also providing a retroactive and reconstructive strategy for minimizing the inevitable consequences of destructive developments. An organized, synthesized approach in this direction would certainly culminate in fabricating close-connected, supportive interlinking pathways for related fields of science and technology to make them more beneficial towards the responsible productivity expected from the agriculture sector [1]. The prospects of environmental research have established a close interlink with the agriculture sector, mainly through the attributes of material, energy, and living species. It is envisaged that the environment is a bigger space with multiple spheres of activity, while agriculture comprises a smaller sect with limited but well-defined interactions with the environment [2]. Even though it is generally accepted that most of these interactions (such as soil quality and crop growth, water requirement and crop selection, raining pattern and cropping seasons, etc.) are mutually directed, one could perceive them as if initially driven by agricultural activities. However, there are some other interactions where environmental attributes are driving agricultural activities and outputs [3-5]. Most of these interactions are, nonetheless, subtle and complex, and little is known about their individual lead roles. Hence, it is important to identify the specific attributes of some of the well-known interactions and look for the key drivers towards addressing the original problem of agriculture and sustainability. A dynamic interaction between agriculture and environment is observed to be well-reinstated through the simultaneous existence and exchanges of the energy, materials and activities (Figure 1). It is, however, expected that a compensating step is essential to redirect (or push forward) such exchanges without creating adverse environmental impacts as well as agricultural losses. List of About the Conference, Conference Model, Publication of the Proceedings, Proceedings Editors, Technical Advisory Committee are available in this Pdf.


Introduction
The scope of implementing innovative research findings aimed at sustainable development goals seems to be inherently limited by economic and social acceptance, despite their technical efficacy.There exists a huge demand for coordinated efforts to mitigate the negative impacts of the so-called 'development' activities that are tampering with the very existence of humanity, natural resources, and the environment.Agriculture, though historically the first and foremost occupation of humans, has always been intrigued by nature at the cost of natural calamities and uncertainties in ensuring the availability and timely distribution of essential resources.In the modern context of water-energy-food paradigms, the agriculture sector can play a pivotal role in bolstering the state economy in multifaceted ways by assuming the adaptability of recent scientific advancements to the core functional attributes of sustainability.In this scenario, the concept of regenerative agriculture can be better understood as a holistic, self-adaptive, and integrated approach towards not only bringing about a revolutionary breakthrough in agricultural productivity but also providing a retroactive and reconstructive strategy for minimizing the inevitable consequences of destructive developments.An organized, synthesized approach in this direction would certainly culminate in fabricating close-connected, supportive interlinking pathways for related fields of science and technology to make them more beneficial towards the responsible productivity expected from the agriculture sector [1].The prospects of environmental research have established a close interlink with the agriculture sector, mainly through the attributes of material, energy, and living species.It is envisaged that the environment is a bigger space with multiple spheres of activity, while agriculture comprises a smaller sect with limited but well-defined interactions with the environment [2].Even though it is generally accepted that most of these interactions (such as soil quality and crop growth, water requirement and crop selection, raining pattern and cropping seasons, etc.) are mutually directed, one could perceive them as if initially driven by agricultural activities.However, there are some other interactions where environmental attributes are driving agricultural activities and outputs [3][4][5].Most of these interactions are, nonetheless, subtle and complex, and little is known about their individual lead roles.Hence, it is important to identify the specific attributes of some of the well-known interactions and look for the key drivers towards addressing the original problem of agriculture and sustainability.A dynamic interaction between agriculture and environment is observed to be well-reinstated through the simultaneous existence and exchanges of the energy, materials and activities (Figure 1).It is, however, expected that a compensating step is essential to redirect (or push forward) such exchanges without creating adverse environmental impacts as well as agricultural losses.

Figure 1. Key aspects of agriculture-environment interactions for regenerative agriculture
As stated above, the key drivers are to be selected in such a way that they contribute to a major change, or they have multiple pathways, or they constitute majority of activities.Based on this understanding, some of the key drivers and their expected interactions can be summarized as below.
Agricultural productivity enhancement:

About the Conference
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on "Climate Change and Land" defines regenerative agriculture as a "sustainable land management practice" focused on ecological functions that "can be effective in building the resilience of agro-ecosystems."It encompasses resilient farming practices, food security, and soil fertility in a broader sense.The Department of Agricultural Engineering at Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sathyamangalam, India, has organized the First National Conference on Advances in Science and Technology for Regenerative Agriculture (ASTRA-2023) on May 23, 2023, through a virtual platform to provide an environment for collaboration, discussion, and idea exchange.The conference aimed at bringing together researchers, academicians, business people, and policymakers in order to cooperatively develop projects focused on regenerative agriculture.The conference has received wide attention among the young students and researchers with their original contributions mainly under six themes: "Smart Agricultural Practices," "Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture", "IOT in Agriculture", "Novel Technology of Food Processing", "Food Formulation for Value Addition", and "Biomass, Energy, and Water Management".

Conference Model
ASTRA-2023 took place in virtual mode with an enterprise-licensed video conferencing connection via the Zoom platform.The online platform is chosen for enabling participants from various institutes to contribute in the intellectual transactions without taking the trouble of travel from remote places.The program commenced with a keynote address by Dr. S. Mohana Sundaram from the Asian Institute of Technology Thailand on the topic "Artificial Intelligence Models for Floods and Droughts Forecasting in Tropical and Arid Climatic Regions".There were about 80 technical presentations during the conference under the selected themes, and six best paper awards were presented based on the recommendations from the technical session chairpersons.Majority of the participants (about 70%) belong the rural districts of Tamil Nadu, India while there were considerable participants from other parts of the state.Each session was handled by a session chair and co-chair who were responsible for evaluating the presentations for a maximum score of 30 (technical content-10, presentation-10, and communication/interaction-10) and recommending the best papers.The sessions lasted roughly 2.5 hours, with about 10-12 papers per session.The participants were given about 15 minutes, covering 10 minutes for presentations and 5 minutes for interaction with the session chair.

Publication of the Proceedings
This present edition of the conference proceedings through IOP -Earth and Environmental Sciences comprises selected full papers presented in the conference pertaining to the theme of ASTRA-2023.We are sure that there is a great scope in reaching this compendium to the scientific community towards redefining their intellectual pursuits towards sustainable development goals research in the areas of smart agricultural practices, agro-based value-added products, and environmental concerns of agricultural operations.It will be highly beneficial not only to academicians and scholars but also to industry researchers and policymakers who are keen on observing the latest trends in engineering and technology towards product, service, and policy formulation.In this regard, we anticipate a good opportunity for this title to get exposed and popularized, especially through the IOP Publications.On behalf of the organizing committee and the host institute, we thank all the contributing authors, members of various committees, technical reviewers, and student coordinators for making this attempt a grant success.We greatly appreciate Morressier for being the technical partner in managing the entire review process with great ease and with precise database management.We also thank IOP Publishing for collaborating with us on the publication.We apologize for any inadvertent mistakes that occurred in this edition.
With the introduction of agriculture, mankind entered upon a long period of meanness, misery, and madness, from which they are only now being freed by the beneficent operation of the machine" [6].It is not astonishing that an amalgamation of advances in science and technology may bring about a whole set of standardized conditions where production and wastage are well optimized and agricultural operations are carried out with a more detailed and accurate awareness of environmental conditions.A research framework focused on the agriculture-environment coalition can undoubtedly bring about more sophisticated and sustainable solutions to solve the growing crisis.By focusing on the development of innovative technologies, improved crop varieties, and sustainable farming practices, environmental-based agricultural research can enhance the overall productivity and efficiency of the sector.Moreover, advancements in agricultural research have led to the adoption of cutting-edge techniques such as precision farming and smart irrigation systems, which optimize resource utilization and minimize wastage.This translates to cost savings for farmers and ultimately contributes to the overall economic growth of the country.Additionally, agricultural research fosters the development of agribusiness and agro-industries.New technologies and practices create opportunities for value Availability of natural resources  Impact of climate and soil conditions  Land use management Agricultural waste management:  Crop residues for value-added products such as biochar, cutleries, bio-fuels, green building materials, and bio-stimulants  Co-composting and wasteland reclamation  Soil fertility enhancement and carbon management Agricultural effluent management:  Farm runoff and eutrophication  Biochemical degradation of organic pollutants  Sedimentation and soil carbon sequestration Wastewater reuse for agriculture:  Irrigation augmentation and groundwater interactions  Nutrient recycling and fertility management  Bio-accumulation and toxicity pathways Climate resilient farming practices:  Agroforestry and livestock management  Constructed wetlands  Resource conservation technologiesBertrand Russell once said: "addition, food processing, and the creation of agro-based products, leading to the growth of the rural manufacturing sector and generating employment.Being a significant exporter of agricultural products, India can improve the quality and safety of its agricultural exports, opening up new markets and enhancing foreign exchange earnings.In conclusion, agricultural research acts as a catalyst for driving innovation, increasing productivity, and improving rural livelihoods, making it a crucial component of the national economic development strategy.As the nation strives to address the challenges of food security, sustainability, and rural development, agricultural research will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping a prosperous and resilient economy.