India?s agricultural sector is undergoing a significant transition toward Natural Farming as a strategic response to rising input costs, deteriorating soil health, and climate-induced vulnerabilities. The evolution of Natural Farming policy in India, tracing the shift from early initiatives like the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY, 2015) and Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati (BPKP, 2020) to the institutionalization of the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF, 2024). Through a mission-mode approach, Natural Farming aims to reduce chemical dependency and enhance the economic viability of small and marginal farmers. A central pillar of this transition is the empowerment of women, who play a critical role in seed management and bio-input preparation through Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and decentralized Bio-Input Resource Centres. Natural Farming fosters socio-cultural transformation by integrating indigenous ecological knowledge with scientific validation, thereby strengthening community-led decision-making. Furthermore, the direct contributions of Natural Farming to household nutrition and food security through crop diversification and kitchen gardens. Using Odisha as a compelling regional model, the analysis demonstrates the effectiveness of adaptive zoning and community-centric implementation. It concludes that the convergence of robust policy frameworks, gender-responsive entry points, and local knowledge systems positions Natural Farming as a transformative pathway for achieving equitable, resilient, and sustainable agricultural development in India.

The soil?plant microbiome plays a vital role in enhancing plant growth, stress tolerance and soil health under changing climatic conditions. Beneficial microorganisms improve plant resilience to drought, salinity, temperature extremes and flooding through mechanisms such as nutrient mobilization, phytohormone regulation, antioxidant production and induced systemic resistance. They also contribute to soil fertility by driving nutrient cycling, improving soil structure and increasing organic matter. In addition, soil microbes aid in climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration and regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. Overall, microbiome-based approaches offer a sustainable strategy for improving crop productivity, reducing reliance on chemical inputs and supporting climate-smart agriculture.

Hydrogels are cross-linked, three-dimensional (3D) networks of polymers that can absorb and hold a lot of water. Loosely cross-linked hydrophilic polymers known as superabsorbent polymers (SAP) are capable of swelling, absorbing, and holding huge volumes of water or other biological fluids. Hydrogels are classified on various basis i.e. source, configuration, polymeric composition, cross linking, physical state, morphological and charge. Hydrogels have several properties such as mechanical, stimuli effect, self-healing, biodegradability. Hydrogels are used for drug delivery systems, tissue engineering, wound healing, gene delivery, electrical conducting, purification of water, agricultural sector, decontamination of organic waste, artificial skin. Hydrogel materials have various applications in biomedical and engineering applications, from wastewater treatment and soft robotics to regenerative medicine, due to their customizable characteristics and adaptable production techniques in textile industry. Lamination of hydrogel onto the fabric makes it fire retardant. Heavy metal removal/Dye removal from aqueous solutions is another application for smart Polymeric Hydrogel (PHG) materials. The global hydrogel market size is expected to be worth around US$ 37.98 billion by 2030 from at US$ 22.45 billion in 2021, growing at a CAGR of 6% during the forecast period 2022 to 2030.