Insecticides are essential for enhancing agricultural productivity; however, their persistence in agro ecosystems poses significant environmental and human health risks. Persistence refers to the prolonged presence of insecticidal residues in soil, water, air and biota, commonly expressed through half-life values. Based on persistence, insecticides are classified as non-persistent, moderately persistent and highly persistent, with organochlorine insecticides exhibiting extreme stability, bioaccumulation and biomagnification. Environmental processes such as leaching, volatilization and adsorption redistribute insecticides rather than eliminate them, resulting in long-term ecological contamination. Persistent residues adversely affect soil organisms, aquatic life, wildlife and beneficial insects, while chronic human exposure is linked to neurological disorders, reproductive toxicity and developmental abnormalities. Past incidents, including the Endosulfan tragedy and Bhopal gas disaster, underscore the urgent need for safer pest management strategies and stricter regulatory control.

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the major public health problems especially in developing countries where relatively easy availability and higher consumption of medicines have lead to disproportionately higher incidence of inappropriate use of antibiotics and greater levels of resistance compared to developed countries (WHO, 1996). The use of medicines, especially antibiotics, in livestock and dairy animals is essential for disease prevention and treatment. However, excessive or improper use of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance, where bacteria become resistant to drugs, making infections harder to treat. This not only affects animal health but also poses serious risks to humans through residues in milk, meat, and the environment (Smith & Jones, 2019). Organic milk production plays an important role in reducing antibiotic resistance by strictly limiting the use of antibiotics in dairy farming. In organic dairy systems, routine, preventive, and growth-promoting use of antibiotics is prohibited (FAO, 2011; APEDA, 2023).

Regenerative agriculture has re-emerged as a transformative paradigm in response to intensifying climate change, widespread soil degradation, and the ecological limitations of conventional agricultural systems. Approximately one-third of global agricultural land is degraded, while agriculture contributes nearly 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Regenerative agriculture emphasizes ecosystem restoration, soil carbon sequestration, biodiversity enhancement, and farm resilience. This review synthesizes recent scholarly evidence (2022-2025), market assessments, and global case studies to evaluate regenerative agriculture?s environmental, economic, and climate-mitigation potential. Findings indicate that practices such as no-till farming, cover cropping, diversified rotations, livestock integration, compost application, and agroforestry can sequester up to 8.4 Mg C ha-1 yr-1, improve water-use efficiency by 20-30%, and reduce external input dependence by 20?50%. Case studies from the United States, Europe, and India demonstrate scale able transitions with co-benefits including carbon credits, drought resilience, and improved farmer livelihoods. Despite adoption challenges, policy incentives, carbon markets, and technological integration position regenerative agriculture as a critical pathway toward netzero and nature-positive food systems.