India’s agricultural price support system, built during the Green Revolution to maximise grain output, has never recognised the ecological functions that farms perform. Guaranteed procurement prices and subsidised inputs have kept much of North India in rice-wheat cycles. These cycles reduce soil organic matter, drain aquifers, and simplify the biological communities that help control pests and support pollination. Crop diversification, now central to government strategy, will not reduce ecological risk unless the biophysical processes that underpin long-term productivity are recognised and supported alongside income measures. The views in the commentary are those of the authors.