Regenerative Agriculture a Policy Pathway

Bangladesh has achieved remarkable progress in food production, but the next challenge is no longer simply producing more. It is producing enough food while keeping soil fertile, water available, biodiversity alive and farming profitable. If today’s agriculture consumes the natural capital on which tomorrow’s harvest depends, higher yields alone cannot be called sustainable. This is why regenerative agriculture deserves serious attention as a policy pathway for Bangladesh.
Regenerative agriculture is an approach that seeks to restore and improve soil health, biodiversity and ecosystem functions while maintaining productive farming. The World Bank’s 2024 review notes that its primary objective is to rebuild soil and ecological health; practices include minimum or no tillage, crop-residue mulching, crop rotation, legume-based cover crops, compost and organic waste management.
The issue is particularly relevant to Bangladesh. Agricultural land is limited, cropping intensity is high, and farmers often cultivate the same land two or three times a year. Intensive cultivation, declining organic matter, nutrient imbalance, excessive input use and pressure on groundwater can weaken the productive foundation of farming.
The World Bank’s Bangladesh agricultural transformation programme emphasises diversification, food safety, entrepreneurship and climate resilience as interconnected priorities. A regenerative approach can bring these objectives together.
Global evidence strengthens the case. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reported in December 2024 that soil degradation is being driven by land-use pressure, erosion, extreme weather, heavy machinery, monocropping and excessive fertiliser and pesticide use.
UNEP highlights compost and organic materials, better irrigation, mulching, zero-tillage, crop diversification and integration of trees and shrubs as measures that can restore soil structure and biological activity.
Bangladesh therefore needs to place soil health alongside yield in agricultural policy. National and regional soil-health monitoring should regularly measure organic matter, soil carbon, acidity, salinity, nutrient balance and water-holding capacity.
Soil-health maps could guide recommendations for fertiliser, organic amendments, crop rotations and irrigation according to agroecological conditions. This would move decision-making from generalised input recommendations towards site-specific nutrient and resource management.
Fertiliser policy deserves particular attention. According to the World Bank’s 2025 Policy Compendium, Bangladesh spent more than US$2.3 billion on fertiliser subsidies in 2024-25, representing over two-thirds of the Agriculture Ministry’s budget. The report also links excessive fertiliser use with environmental, health and productivity risks, soil degradation, greenhouse-gas emissions and declining groundwater levels.
The policy question is not whether farmers should receive support, but how that support can produce better long-term outcomes. A gradual shift from input-based subsidies towards results-orientated support for soil health, compost, biofertilisers, balanced nutrients, residue management, water-saving technologies and agroforestry deserves consideration.
Research and extension must also change. Regenerative agriculture cannot be implemented through a single national package because Bangladesh contains diverse soils, climates, farming systems and markets. Research institutions should develop location-specific models for rice-mustard, potato-rice, maize-pulse, vegetable, fruit, saline, drought-prone and hill farming systems.
Long-term field trials should measure not only yield but also production cost, net return, soil organic matter, water use, biodiversity and resilience. Crop residues should be treated as assets rather than waste. Rice straw, livestock manure, poultry litter and vegetable residues can be composted and safely returned to farmland, increasing organic matter and reducing dependence on external inputs.
However, quality standards, composting facilities and farmer training are essential. Linking municipal organic-waste management with peri-urban agriculture could simultaneously address waste disposal, soil fertility and employment.
Water management should be another pillar. Mulching, improved irrigation scheduling, rainwater harvesting, water-efficient crops and alternative wetting and drying in suitable rice systems can reduce pressure on groundwater. In areas heavily dependent on irrigated Boro rice, greater integration of pulses, oilseeds and other less water-intensive crops could diversify both water demand and farm income. Regenerative agriculture should therefore be linked with cropping-pattern planning rather than treated as an isolated farm practice.
Most importantly, farmers must see an economic benefit. They will not bear additional costs simply to deliver environmental services to society. Green credit, climate-risk insurance, premium markets, certification, producer organisations and payments for verified ecosystem services could create incentives.
The World Bank notes that agrifood systems account for roughly one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions but receive only about 4 per cent of climate finance. Redirecting more climate finance toward smallholders is therefore essential for a just agricultural transition.
Measurement will determine credibility. Bangladesh should establish indicators for soil organic carbon, water-use efficiency, input intensity, biodiversity, production cost, farm income, emissions and yield stability. Digital farm records, farmer field schools and coordinated research-extension platforms could support monitoring.
Finally, regenerative agriculture should not become another short-lived project. It should be integrated into agricultural, climate, food and nutrition, water, fertiliser and extension policies. Bangladesh already has a foundation through climate-smart agriculture initiatives, research institutions and programmes supporting diversification and resilience.
The next step is to connect these efforts around a common objective: productive farms with healthier soils, efficient water use, stronger biodiversity and higher, more stable farm incomes.
The future of Bangladesh agriculture should therefore be judged by more than tonnes produced. The real measure will be whether we can feed a growing population without exhausting the soil, water and ecological systems that make farming possible. It should be considered a practical policy pathway for securing food, farmer livelihoods and agricultural resilience for generations to come.

The writer is Principal Scientific Officer, BARI. He can be reached at [email protected]