NITI Aayog organises knowledge sharing workshop on Natural Farming

What is the News?

Niti Aayog has organized a knowledge-sharing workshop on Natural Farming.

What is Natural Farming?

Natural Farming can be defined as “chemical-free farming and livestock-based”.

It is a diversified farming system that integrates crops, trees and livestock, allowing the optimum use of functional biodiversity. 

Natural Farming has many indigenous forms in India, the most popular one is practised in Andhra Pradesh called Zero Budget Natural Farming(ZBNF).

What are the components of Natural Farming?

What are the benefits of Natural Farming? a) Improves Yield b) Increased Farmers Income c) Minimize the cost of production d) Ensure better Health as less use of fertilizers and pesticides, reduces the incidence of non-communicable diseases e) Employment Generation f) Eliminate the application of chemical inputs f) Environment Conservation g) Reduce Water Consumption h) Rejuvenate Soil Health and i) resilience to the crops against weather extremities.

What is the scheme to promote Natural Farming?

Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati(BPKP): BPKP is a sub-mission under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana(PKVY) which falls within the umbrella of the National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture(NMSA).

Aim: To promote traditional indigenous practices, which give freedom to farmers from externally purchased inputs. 

Focus: It focuses on on-farm biomass recycling with major stress on biomass mulching; use of cow dung–urine formulations; and exclusion of all synthetic chemical inputs either directly or indirectly.

Source: This post is based on the article “NITI Aayog organises knowledge-sharing workshop on Natural Farming” published in PIB on 30th November 2021.