A roadmap for India’s natural farming ambitions

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Context

• In her budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman reaffirmed the Centre’s commitment to natural, chemical-free, organic and zero-budget farming.
• While the FM talked of promoting natural or chemical-free farming across the country, especially in a corridor in the Gangetic basin, no specific allocations have been made to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• In fact, currently-operational schemes such as the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and the National Project on Organic Farming did not find any mention in the budget.
• The Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, which has received a 4.2-times (year-on-year) larger allocation of Rs 10,433 crore, will earmark some funds for the on-ground implementation of chemical-free farming.

As the ministry plans the fund utilisation under RKVY, here are eight suggestions to scale up chemical-free farming.

1. Focus on promoting natural farming in rainfed areas beyond the Gangetic basin.
   • Rainfed regions use only a third of the fertilisers per hectare compared to the areas where irrigation is prevalent. The shift to chemical-free farming will be easier in these regions. Also, the farmers stand to gain as the current crop yields in these areas are low.
2. Enable automatic enrolment of farmers transitioning to chemical-free farming into the government’s crop insurance scheme, PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
   • Any transition in agriculture — crop diversification, change in farming practices — adds to the farmer’s risk. Covering such risks could enhance the appetite of the farmers to embark on the transition.
3. Promote microenterprises that produce inputs for chemical-free agriculture. An often-cited barrier by farmers in transitioning to chemical-free agriculture is the lack of readily available natural inputs.
   • To address this challenge, combine the promotion of natural farming with the setting up of village-level input preparation and sales shops.
4. Leverage NGOs and champion farmers who have been promoting and practising sustainable agriculture across the country. CEEW research estimates that at least five million farmers are already practising some form of sustainable agriculture and hundreds of NGOs are involved in promoting them.
   • Learning from peers, especially champion farmers, through on-field demonstrations has proved highly effective in scaling up chemical-free agriculture in Andhra Pradesh.
5. Beyond evolving the curriculum in agricultural universities, upskill the agriculture extension workers on sustainable agriculture practices.
6. Leverage community institutions for awareness generation, inspiration, and social support.
   • The government should facilitate an ecosystem in which farmers learn from and support each other while making the transition.
7. Support monitoring and impact studies. Such assessments would ensure an informed approach to scaling up sustainable agriculture.
8. Dovetail the ambition on millet promotion with the aim to promote sustainable agriculture.

Conclusion

India’s food system needs a holistic transformation in demand, production, and supply chains. Let’s hope 2022-23 is the inflection point when we convert intent into action in our journey towards achieving a chemical-free food system.

The Indian Express link

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/roadmap-for-india-natural-farming-ambitions-nirmala-fm-budget-7788054/

Question- What do you mean by Zero Budget Natural Farming? Give suggestions for smoother implementation of ZBNF across the country.