Zero Budget Natural Farming

Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is a set of farming methods that uses only natural and locally available inputs.

‘Zero Budget’ means farmers need not spend any credit on buying inputs.

Input-intensive farming has resulted in reduced productivity, high input costs, increased dependence on credit to purchase seeds, insecticides and pesticides, lowering of groundwater levels and decline of local agro-biodiversity

ZBNF aims to generate a sustainable ecosystem that protects soil fertility, plant growth and fertility. It came to the forefront in India due to the efforts of Subash Palekar.

Zero Budget Natural Farming: Four Pillars

Zero Budget Natural Farming: Models in India

Karnataka Model:

• ZBNF was started as a grassroot movement in Karnataka by the efforts of Subhas Palekar and Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS).
• It started as a rural movement among middle and small landholding peasants.
• It developed independently without the support of large NGOs or donors.
• It has led to yield improvements, reduction in input costs, rise in farm incomes, etc.

Andhra Pradesh Model:

• Andhra Pradesh’s programme on ZBNF is led by Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS) , which was established by the
• It will be supported by the Sustainable India Finance Facility (SIFF) – a partnership between UN Environment, BNP Paribas, and the World Agroforestry
• The government has set a target to transition 6 million farms/farmers cultivating 8 million hectares of land from conventional agriculture to Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) by 2024.
• It will make Andhra Pradesh India’s first 100 percent natural farming

Zero Budget Natural Farming: Features

Zero Budget Natural Farming: Benefits

Economic Benefits:

• Improve farmer’s income by reducing input costs which increases disposable income of the farmer.
• Energy Efficiency is improved as it reduces the demand for fertilizers and also extraction of ground water which saves electricity consumption.
• Rural Employment is generated to create a robust agriculture value chain in production of natural fertilisers, maintenance of local water bodies etc.
• Food and nutritional security is ensured as it promotes intercropping with variety of crops.
• Reducing reliance on loans as local inputs are used, it helps in breaking the debt cycle and dependence on informal money lenders

Ecological Benefits:

• Water Security is restored as there is reduction in groundwater extraction and improves the quality of ground water.
• Decrease in carbon dioxide emissions as use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides is eliminated.
• ZBNF makes agriculture climate resilient as it ensures water use efficiency and helps farming in drought prone areas.
• Environment friendly practices such as use of agriculture waste as natural fertilisers, crop residues used for mulching.
• Plays pivotal role in landscape restoration and prevention of biodiversity loss.

Social Benefits:

• Reduces gender gap in ensuring access to agricultural inputs as ZBNF promotes natural inputs, thus leading to gender empowerment.
• ZBNF is a zero budget farming method, where farmer is not dependent on crop loans, credit. This would help bring down farmer suicides.
• Improved human health is a result of ZBNF as it reduces the incidence of non-communicable diseases which are associated with chemical fertilisers.
• Preserving traditional knowledge by following local farming techniques and inputs.

Zero Budget Natural Farming: Costs

• Scientific validation of ZBNF is a concern as there is no independent assessment is available in public domain. NITI Aayog has suggested that multi-location studies are needed to ascertain its viability.
• Non-inclusive nature of ZBNF, a case study by La Via Campesina (LVC) mentioned that only middle peasantry is involved and small/marginal farmers are excluded.
• Scalability is a concern, ZBNF model is yet to be tried out as a large scale food production model.
• Profitability issue as the yields start to drop after few years which forces the farmers to input intensive farm practices.
• Systemic challenges such as agricultural marketing, land ownership, value addition remain unresolved even with ZBNF.
• Not really zero input as farmer is assumed to have a cow and availability of water. It is not a low-cost farming system as it is claimed to be. For instance, Andhra Pradesh has provided a fund of Rs. 17,000 crore for its Climate Resilient Zero Budget Natural Farming Programme.
• Lack of a coherent national policy to boost ZBNF has prevented its adoption on a large scale.

Zero Budget Natural Farming: A way ahead

Zero Budget Natural Farming holds the potential to rejuvenate the rural economy, break the debt-cycle for farmers and help agricultural families to allocate greater resources for education, health and financial security.

The Central government is promoting ZBNF under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana(PKVY) and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana(RKVY)

It should be complemented by a more focused approach to bring in more public and private investment into agriculture and resolving the agri-market challenges.

ZBNF will ensure that agriculture serves as an engine of rural economic growth.