Food, farms, and the future: Why transforming agri-food systems is key to Viksit Bharat 2047

As India embarks on its transformative journey towards becoming a developed nation by 2047, no challenge is more fundamental than reimagining how we produce, process, trade, and consume food. The statistics present a compelling narrative of both triumph and persistent challenges and vulnerability: while we produce 354 million tonnes of food grains, 367 million tonnes of horticulture, and 239.30 million tonnes of milk, generating $51.91 billion in exports, significant nutritional deficiencies persist—particularly among children under five years and women of reproductive age.

This paradox of being food secure while remaining nutritionally vulnerable illustrates why incremental reforms are insufficient.

With average non-farm sector income more than twice that of farming, high yield gaps, and a food surplus in most commodities in India, we need a complete transformation from production-focused agriculture to comprehensive agrifood systems.

Beyond the Green Revolution Legacy

For over five decades, India’s agricultural policy has been optimised for maximum yields and price stabilisation through public procurement of rice and wheat. While achieving food security, this approach created today’s challenges: soil degradation in one-third of agricultural land, water stress in more than half the country’s districts, critically low soil organic carbon levels, and increasing market risks for farmers. Climate change further exacerbates these challenges. Despite surplus product nutritional deficiencies persist across all income groups. Government initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY), and National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), among others, are in the right direction and intend to optimise resource use and prioritise livelihoods and sustainable agriculture; however, there is a long way to go.

The agrifood systems framework offers a paradigm shift away from single-metric optimisation. Instead of maximising only yields, it seeks to optimise simultaneously across three critical dimensions: economic viability for farmers, human health outcomes, and environmental sustainability. This approach recognises that our food system encompasses the entire journey from farm to plate, not just production.

The Triple Challenge of 2047

By 2047, India must feed 1.6 billion people while ensuring adequate nutrition, not just calories. Simultaneously, we must reverse decades of environmental degradation and build resilience against escalating climate risks. This triple challenge demands fundamental restructuring.

Economic optimisation means creating market-driven production systems that respond to consumer demand for diverse, nutritious, and sustainable foods rather than just staple grains. Health optimisation involves transitioning from “eating enough” to “eating well”—promoting nutritious commodities like millets, legumes, fruits, vegetables, fish, and dairy that provide essential nutrients. Environmental optimisation requires regenerative practices that improve soil health, conserve water, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining productivity.

Four Pillars of Systemic Transformation

Research Reorientation: Our agricultural research system, built for the Green Revolution, focuses on individual components. We must shift toward integrated systems thinking that develops bundled solutions across the value chain, addressing multiple challenges simultaneously. This means breeding programmes prioritising nutritional quality and regenerative systems alongside yield, and ​ and resource use efficiency research optimising resource use across entire watersheds and landscapes, and inclusive value chain innovations promoting inclusion and circularity within food systems.

The future lies in research that treats farms as part of larger ecosystems, rather than isolated production units. Digital innovations—Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), the Internet of Things (IoT), and real-time integrated data dashboards—can accelerate research outcomes and power efficient decision-making. Innovations and appropriate business models, strengthening local food systems and urban agriculture, can improve nutrition outcomes and reduce emissions.

Policy Repurposing: Agriculture subsidies should be repurposed from unsustainable practices toward sustainable practices, climate-resilient infrastructure, and market-driven incentives for regenerative and nutritious food and agricultural production for domestic and export markets, complemented by innovative financing and direct income support. Policy reforms are needed to attract increased private investments into agricultural supply chains.

True cost accounting for heavily subsidised energy and water resources will help correct distorted production decisions. Eco-labelling and green credit systems can create market incentives for sustainable practices, making environmental stewardship economically attractive. The farmers must be compensated for the societal ecosystem services generated by agriculture.

Institutional Innovations: The transformation requires new institutional arrangements that navigate complexity and foster collaboration. Farmer-producer organisations/companies (FPOs/FPCs) and women’s SHGs (self-help groups), besides cooperatives, can become the vehicle of agricultural transformation; however, they need handholding in the initial years. Aligning FPOs/FPCs with agri-tech start-ups and anchoring them to the National Agricultural Research and Extension System (NARES) could be a changer in nurturing innovations. Agri-tech start-ups and agri-entrepreneurs who face inconsistent markets and high transaction costs need greater policy incentives like the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme and NARES’s support for domain knowledge. We need district-level and state-level task forces for agri-food systems that bring together farmers, researchers,extension, policymakers, processors, retailers, and consumers to coordinate local food systems. To mainstream the agri-food systems approach in planning an

Cross-sectoral Convergence: Food system transformation requires unprecedented coordination across government departments—from agriculture and water resources to power, rural development, food processing, fertilisers, environment and climate change, and nutrition sectors. This convergence extends beyond government to include private sector actors, civil society organisations, and research institutions. Breaking down silos is essential for addressing interconnected food system challenges. Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) could play the role of a catalyst in encouraging this cross-coordination.

Implementation Imperatives

Success requires robust monitoring systems that track carbon footprints, natural resource use, nutrition outcomes, and farmer incomes across value chains in real time. This data-driven approach enables evidence-based policymaking and helps navigate trade-offs between objectives.

Strengthening local food systems offers immediate benefits—reduced transportation costs, improved food freshness, and enhanced community resilience and nutrition. This involves developing local processing capabilities, digitally enabled market linkages, decentralised storage infrastructure, and distribution networks that efficiently serve local markets while reducing waste. Contextualised innovations and business models can strengthen local food systems, improve nutrition, and create employment opportunities across rural areas, addressing the income disparity where non-farm income is 2.5 times higher than farm income.

The “waste to wealth” approach transforms agricultural residues into valuable resources—biofuels, compost, or other products—creating additional income streams while reducing environmental pollution. Combined with good agricultural practices and robust food safety standards, this creates a virtuous cycle of sustainability and profitability.

The Path Forward

This transformation requires sustained political commitment, substantial investment in research and infrastructure, and active participation from stakeholders, including industry. The challenges are substantial—agriculture currently accounts for about 25% of emissions and faces escalating climate risks—but so are the opportunities. The proposed system’s science-driven approach can be well aligned with several government initiatives.

The PM Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana, being launched in a hundred districts, could be the best start to mainstreaming the agri-food systems approach.

A successful agri-food systems transformation can position India as a global leader in sustainable food production while ensuring nutritional security for all citizens. It can create millions of jobs across the food value chain while preserving natural resources for future generations. Most importantly, it can break the cycle where our food systems transformation can position India as a global leader in sustainable food production while ensuring nutritional security for all citizens. It can create millions of jobs across the food value chain while preserving natural resources for future generations. Most importantly, it can break the cycle where our food system contributes to rather than prevents malnutrition and environmental degradation.

As we work toward Viksit Bharat 2047, how we transform our food system will largely determine whether we achieve our vision of a developed, prosperous, and sustainable India. The choice is clear: continue with incremental changes or embrace a comprehensive transformation that our future demands. The time for systems thinking in agriculture is now. India’s agri-food revolution awaits.