LUCKNOW, Nov. 4 -- Promoting regenerative agriculture, conserving soil and water resources and expanding clean energy use were among the key recommendations made by experts on the opening day of a two-day Regional Rural-India Summit on Regenerative Agriculture, Water, and Energy for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation in Lucknow on Tuesday. The summit was jointly convened by IIT-Kanpur, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (Vatican City) and the Indian National Science Academy, with institutional coordination through the Kotak School of Sustainability at IIT-Kanpur. Dinesh Pratap Singh, minister of state (independent charge) for horticulture, agricultural marketing, agricultural foreign trade and agricultural export, stressed the need to adopt scientific research, modern technologies and crop diversification amid shrinking landholdings. He said horticulture, food processing and better market linkages could help improve farmers' incomes. Jayendra Pratap Singh Rathore, minister of state (independent charge), department of cooperation, called for sustainable farming, protection of natural resources and greater use of clean energy, with development guided by scientific evidence. IIT-Kanpur director Prof Manindra Agrawal highlighted challenges such as shrinking landholdings, depleting water resources and pest management, saying the summit aimed to translate scientific knowledge into practical solutions for farmers. htc...