Budget Allocation for National Mission on Natural Farming

General Studies Paper -3 

Context: The Finance Ministry has allocated Rs 365.64 crore for the National Mission on Natural Farming for 2024-25.

What is Natural Farming?

• This farming approach was introduced by Masanobu Fukuoka, a Japanese farmer and philosopher, in his 1975 book The One-Straw Revolution.
• Natural Farming is a sustainable agricultural practice that emphasizes chemical-free farming, relying on indigenous cows and locally available resources.
• It avoids chemical fertilizers and pesticides, promoting traditional methods that free farmers from the need for external inputs. This approach focuses on:
• Biomass Mulching: Covering soil with organic matter to retain moisture, improve soil health, and suppress weeds.
• Desi Cow Dung-Urine Formulations: Using formulations made from the dung and urine of indigenous cows to fertilize the soil and manage pests.
• Natural Nutrient Cycling: Enhancing the natural processes that recycle nutrients within the soil.

National Mission on Natural Farming

• The Government has formulated National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) as a separate and independent scheme by up-scaling the Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati (BPKP) from 2023-24.
• To motivate farmers to adopt natural farming and to enhance the reach of natural farming, 1 crore farmers across the country will be initiated into natural farming supported by certification and branding.
• Implementation will be through scientific institutions and willing gram panchayats. 10,000 need-based bio-input resource centers will be established.

Challenges to Natural Farming

• Yields drop: India’s first organic state, Sikkim, has started seeing decline in its yields after a few years.
• Conviction among Policy Makers: As of now, policy makers fear for the food security of the nation and are non-committal on any major changes in the agriculture sector.
• Resistance by the Chemical inputs-based industry: The chemical-based farming has a strong backing in the form of multi-million-dollar agro-chemical industry, which has fought tooth and nail to sustain the application of chemicals in agriculture.
• Knowledge and Training: Farmers need specialized knowledge and training to implement natural farming techniques effectively. This includes understanding soil health, crop rotation, companion planting, and natural pest management strategies.
• Economic Viability: The economic viability of natural farming can be uncertain. Higher labor costs, lower yields, and the potential for crop failures impacts profitability.

Way Ahead

• Now is the time when India moves forward on the path of natural farming and takes full advantage of the global opportunities that are emerging.

Natural farming will reduce dependency on purchased inputs and will help to ease smallholder farmers from credit burden.