Natural Farming

• Natural farming is a chemical-free farming system rooted in Indian tradition enriched with modern understanding of ecology, resource recycling and on-farm resource optimization .
• It is considered as agroecology based diversified farming system which integrates crops, trees and livestock with functional biodiversity.
• It is largely based on on-farm biomass recycling with major stress on biomass mulching, use of on-farm cow dung-urine formulations; maintaining soil aeration and exclusion of all synthetic chemical inputs.
• Natural farming is expected to reduce dependency on purchased inputs. It is considered as a cost-effective farming practice with scope for increasing employment and rural development.
• Natural farming offers a solution to various problems, such as food insecurity, farmers’ distress, health problems arising due to pesticide and fertilizer residue in food and water, global warming, climate change and natural calamities.
• It also has the potential to generate employment, thereby stemming the migration of rural youth.
• Natural farming aims at restoring soil health, maintenance of diversity, ensure animal welfare, stress on efficient use of natural/local resources and promote ecological fairness.
• Natural farming is an ecological farming approach where farming system works with the natural biodiversity, encouraging the soil’s biological activity and managing the complexity of living organisms both plant and animal to thrive along with food production system.

How to practice natural farming?

• Important practices, essential for adoption of natural farming includes:
  • No external inputs
  • Local seeds (use of local varieties)
  • On-farm produced microbial formulation for seed treatment (such as bijamrita)
  • On-farm made microbial inoculants (Jivamrita) for soil enrichment
  • Cover crops and mulching with green and dry organic matter for nutrient recycling and for creating a suitable micro-climate for maximum beneficial microbial activity in soil
  • Mixed cropping
  • Managing diversity on farm through integration of trees
  • Management of pests through diversity and local on-farm made botanical concoctions (such as neemastra, agniastra, neem ark, dashparni ark etc)
  • Integration of livestock, especially of native breed for cow dung and cow urine as essential inputs for several practices
  • Water and moisture conservation

What are the benefits of natural farming?

• Some of the benefits of natural farming are :
  • Improve yield: Farmers practising natural farming reported similar yields to those following conventional farming. In several cases, higher yields per harvest were also reported.
  • Increased farmers’ income: Natural farming aims to make farming viable and aspirational by increasing net incomes of farmers on account of cost reduction, reduced risks, similar yields, incomes from intercropping
  • Minimized cost of production: Natural farming aims to drastically cut down production costs by encouraging farmers to prepare essential biological inputs using on-farm, natural and home-grown resources.
  • Reduced environmental impact: Natural farming helps in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving soil carbon sequestration, enhancing water use efficiency and biodiversity conservation.
  • Improved food quality: Natural farming ensures chemical-free food production which can enhance the nutritional value and taste of food products.
  • Enhanced resilience: Natural farming can help in coping with climate change impacts such as droughts, floods, pests and diseases by improving soil health, crop diversity and agroecosystem stability.

What are some success stories of natural farming in India?

• One of the most successful examples of natural farming in India is the Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) initiative in Andhra Pradesh .
• ZBNF is a set of natural farming methods developed by Subhash Palekar, a farmer from Maharashtra. It is based on four principles: jivamrita (a fermented microbial culture), bijamrita (a seed treatment), mulching (covering the soil) and waaphasa (moisture management) .
• ZBNF was adopted by the Andhra Pradesh government in 2015 as a flagship programme to transform the lives of 6 million farmers by 2024. The programme aims to promote climate-resilient agriculture, enhance farmers’ incomes, reduce input costs and improve food security .
• According to a study by CEEW (Council on Energy Environment & Water), ZBNF has shown positive impacts on crop yield, soil health, water use, income, expenditure, health and well-being of farmers.
• The study found that ZBNF farmers had 22% higher yields, 23% lower costs, 40% higher net incomes, 19% lower water use and 55% lower greenhouse gas emissions than non-ZBNF farmers.
• The study also found that ZBNF farmers had better access to markets, higher consumption of nutritious food, lower incidence of diseases and higher satisfaction levels than non-ZBNF farmers.
• ZBNF has been recognized as a best practice by various national and international agencies such as NITI Aayog, UNDP, FAO and World Economic Forum .

How can modern farm mechanization help in natural and sustainable farming?

• Modern farm mechanization can help in natural and sustainable farming by:
  • Reducing drudgery and labour requirement: Farm mechanization can reduce the physical work and time required for various farm operations such as land preparation, sowing, weeding, harvesting and post-harvest processing. This can improve the efficiency and productivity of farmers and reduce their dependence on hired labour.
  • Enhancing precision and quality: Farm mechanization can improve the accuracy and quality of farm operations such as seed placement, fertilizer application, pest management and crop harvesting. This can reduce the wastage of inputs, increase the crop yield and quality and minimize the environmental impact.
  • Facilitating diversification and value addition: Farm mechanization can enable farmers to diversify their cropping systems and add value to their produce by providing them with tools and equipment for processing, storage and marketing. This can increase their income opportunities and reduce their vulnerability to market fluctuations.
  • Promoting conservation agriculture: Farm mechanization can support the adoption of conservation agriculture practices such as minimum tillage, residue management, cover cropping and crop rotation. These practices can improve the soil health, water conservation, carbon sequestration and biodiversity in the farm.

Conclusion

• Natural farming is a holistic approach to agriculture that respects the natural processes and resources and aims to achieve sustainability, resilience and prosperity for farmers and consumers.
• Natural farming is based on the principles of using local seeds, on-farm inputs, biomass recycling, diversity management, livestock integration and water conservation.
• Natural farming has multiple benefits such as improving yield, income, cost reduction, environmental protection, food quality and well-being of farmers.
• Natural farming has been successfully implemented in various states of India such as Andhra Pradesh where ZBNF has transformed the lives of millions of farmers.
• Natural farming can be complemented by modern farm mechanization which can enhance the efficiency, precision, quality and value addition of farm operations.

1. NITI Aayog launched a national mission on natural farming to promote chemical-free farming across India. The mission aims to cover 2 million farmers in 10 states by 2022-23.

2. Andhra Pradesh government adopted ZBNF as a flagship programme to transform the lives of 6 million farmers by 2024. The programme has shown positive impacts on yield, income, cost reduction, water use, greenhouse gas emissions and well-being of farmers.

3. Subhash Palekar developed a set of natural farming methods based on four principles: jivamrita (a fermented microbial culture), bijamrita (a seed treatment), mulching (covering the soil) and waaphasa (moisture management). He popularized these methods among farmers through his books and workshops.

4. Indian farmers have been practicing natural farming for centuries based on traditional indigenous knowledge and wisdom. They used local seeds, cow dung-urine formulations, botanical concoctions, biomass mulching and mixed cropping to maintain soil health and crop diversity.

Natural Farming: NITI Initiative | NITI Aayog

Concept - naturalfarming.dac.gov.in

National Mission on Natural Farming - Press Information Bureau

Explained: What Is Natural Farming? - IndiaSpend