Natural Farming

Why the Shift Towards Natural Farming?

The Green Revolution, while ensuring food security, led to input-intensive agriculture, especially water.

• As per Central Water Commission, agriculture consumes over 83% of India’s available freshwater.
• Excessive irrigation aggravated groundwater depletion, soil degradation, and farmer indebtedness.

👉 This triggered the search for low-cost, low-water, ecologically resilient systems, giving rise to Natural Farming and ZBNF.

What Is Natural Farming?

Natural Farming is a chemical-free, traditional, sustainable farming system that:

• Avoids manufactured inputs and heavy machinery
• Works with nature, not against it

Its philosophical foundation comes from Masanobu Fukuoka, articulated in his 1975 book The One-Straw Revolution.

This approach is often called:

• Fukuoka Method
• “Do-nothing farming” (meaning minimal human interference, not neglect)

Benefits of Natural Farming

(a) Economic Benefits

✔ Low cost of production
✔ Minimal equipment
✔ No chemical fertilisers or pesticides

(b) Health Benefits

✔ Food with higher nutrient density
✔ Completely chemical-free

(c) Environmental Benefits

✔ Reduced chemical residues and carbon emissions
✔ Agroecology-based diversified system integrating → Crops, Trees, Livestock, Functional biodiversity

(d) Water Efficiency

✔ Efficient use of soil moisture
✔ Avoids over-extraction of groundwater common in commercial farming

How Natural Farming Promotes Soil Health

Conventional chemical farming:

• Depletes macro-nutrients, micro-nutrients
• Reduces soil organic carbon
• Damages the rhizosphere microbiome

Natural farming, in contrast:

• Encourages earthworms
• Enhances soil enzymes
• Increases microbial biomass
• Leads to soil regeneration, not just maintenance

Challenges of Natural Farming

Despite its promise, natural farming faces real-world constraints:

1. Initial Yield Decline
   • Example: Sikkim, India’s first organic state, experienced yield drops post-transition
   • Some farmers reverted to conventional methods
2. Shortage of Natural Inputs
   • Natural preparations are not always readily available
   • Time lag affects farm profitability during transition
3. Resistance from Chemical Input Industry
   • Capital-intensive fertiliser and pesticide industry discourages large-scale transition

Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF)

Origin and Philosophy

• Introduced in Union Budget 2019–20
• Propagated by Subhash Palekar (Padma Shri, 2016)
• Aimed at debt-ridden farmers affected by Green Revolution inputs

What Does “Zero Budget” Mean?

• No expenditure on external inputs
• Cost of the main crop is offset by income from intercrops
• Relies entirely on locally available natural inputs

👉 ZBNF is neither chemical-loaded nor organic in the conventional sense—it is input-eliminative.

Core Components of ZBNF

ZBNF promotes:

✔ Soil aeration
✔ Minimal watering (saves electricity)
✔ Intercropping
✔ Bunds and topsoil mulching

ZBNF discourages:

• Intensive irrigation
• Deep ploughing
• Vermicompost (Palekar opposes it)

Instead, it focuses on:

• Reviving native deep-soil earthworms
• Increasing organic matter naturally

ZBNF Preparations

(a) Jeevamrutha

• Fermented microbial culture
• Enhances microbial activity and earthworms
• Helps prevent fungal and bacterial diseases

(b) Bijamrita

• Seed treatment solution
• Protects young roots from:
  • Soil-borne diseases
  • Seed-borne diseases

(Both prepared using desi cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, etc.)

(c) Acchadana (Mulching)

• Protective biomass layer on soil
• Conserves moisture and soil carbon

(d) Whapasa (Soil Moisture Concept)

• Ideal soil condition with both air and water molecules
• Achieved by:
  • Reduced irrigation
  • Irrigating only at noon
  • Alternate furrow irrigation

(e) Natural Pest Control

• Agniastra
• Brahmastra
• Neemastra
  (preparations using cow urine, cow dung, neem, chilli, garlic, tobacco, fruits)

Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati (BPKP)

Scheme Profile

• Launched in 2020–21
• By Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
• Sub-scheme of PKVY

Focus Areas

✔ Complete exclusion of synthetic chemicals
✔ On-farm biomass recycling
✔ Biomass mulching
✔ Cow dung-urine formulations
✔ Plant-based preparations
✔ Periodic soil aeration

Financial Assistance

• ₹12,200 per hectare for 3 years
• For:
  • Cluster formation
  • Capacity building
  • Continuous handholding
  • Certification and residue analysis

Organic Farming vs Natural Farming (ZBNF)

Similarities

✔ Both are chemical-free
✔ Promote sustainability
✔ Use local seeds and non-chemical pest control

Key Differences

Aspect	Organic Farming	Natural Farming (ZBNF)
Philosophy	Managed agro-ecosystem	“Do-nothing” / minimal intervention
Inputs	Compost, vermicompost, manures	On-farm natural formulations
Ploughing & Weeding	Allowed	Mostly avoided
Cost	Can be capital-intensive	Extremely low / zero
System Type	Input substitution	Input elimination