<p>Terrestrial ecosystems play a vital role in sequestering carbon dioxide (CO₂); however, growing both agri–horticultural intensifications can influence CO₂ sequestration potential. This study was conducted in an agri–horticultural-intensive ecosystem of Central India to investigate the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO₂, water (H₂O), and energy fluxes and assess the influence of meteorological factors using the eddy covariance datasets acquired from January to June 2024. The highest monthly mean diurnal CO₂ flux was recorded in January (−7.98&#xa0;µmol&#xa0;m⁻²&#xa0;s⁻¹), and the lowest was in June (−3.03&#xa0;µmol&#xa0;m⁻²&#xa0;s⁻¹), resulting in a cumulative CO₂ uptake of −94.5&#xa0;g C m⁻² half-year⁻¹. Evapotranspiration (ET) over the January-to-June period was recorded at 273.3&#xa0;mm, with sensible heat (<i>H</i>) dominating over latent heat (LE) flux, indicating water-stressed semi-arid ecosystem. Over the 6-month period, the ecosystem exhibited a net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of −177.59&#xa0;g C m⁻² half-year⁻¹, a gross primary productivity (GPP) of 567.13&#xa0;g C m⁻² half-year⁻¹, and an ecosystem respiration (Reco) of 389.54&#xa0;g C m⁻² half-year⁻¹. Despite agri–horticultural intensification, the ecosystem functioned as a strong sink for atmospheric CO₂. The findings provide critical insights into carbon, water, and energy exchanges in agri–horticultural landscapes and are essential for understanding the market-driven agri–horticultural intensification and developing sustainable land restoration strategies to address groundwater depletion, climate vulnerability and ecosystem functioning.</p>