National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF)

News: The Union Cabinet recently approved the launch of the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF).

About National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF)

Background

• NMNF is an improved version of the  Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhti (BPKP), launched under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna (PKVY).
• The Centre also promoted natural farming in a five-kilometre belt along the Ganga River under the Namami Gange scheme in the financial year 2022-23.
• In her 2024-25 Budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a plan to enroll one crore farmers in natural farming over the next two years.

About

• It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
• It aims to promote natural farming nationwide, targeting one crore farmers over the next two years.
• This initiative will involve certification, branding, and the creation of 10,000 bio-input resource centers, to be carried out through scientific institutions and gram panchayats.

Mission Objectives

• Build an ecosystem for sustainable natural farming in the country.
• To establish scientifically backed standards and farmer-friendly certification procedures for chemical-free produce.
• It also plans to create a single national brand for chemical-free, naturally grown products.

Coverage under natural farming

• Current coverage includes 22 lakh hectares of land under natural farming, with 34 lakh farmers involved nationwide.
• Target for expansion: Increase natural farming coverage by 7.5 lakh hectares.

Infrastructure and Implementation

• In the next two years, NMNF will be rolled out in 15,000 willing Gram Panchayat clusters.
• Preference will be given to areas having prevalence of practising NF farmers, SRLM / Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) / Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), etc.
• Under NMNF, about 2,000 NF Model Demonstration Farms will be set up at Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Agricultural Universities (AUs), and farmers’ fields, supported by trained Farmer Master Trainers.
• Willing farmers will be trained at Model Demonstration Farms near their villages, learning NF practices, input preparation, and more, at KVKs, AUs, and NF farmers’ fields.
• 10,000 bio-input resource centers will be set up to provide ready-to-use natural farming inputs.
• Special focus will be given on districts where fertiliser use exceeds 200 kg/hectare.It also includes a 5 km-wide area along the main stem of the Ganga River.