Prospect of natural farming

Dr. Vivak M Arya, Tamana Sharma
The Green Revolution witnessed the widespread use of inorganic fertilizers and chemicals, which is thought to have helped many industrialized and developing countries in maintaining food security. Its strategies paid off handsomely in India, with food grain production rising from 115.6 million tonnes in 1960-61 to over 281.37 million tonnes in 2018-19. In the same way, annual fertilizer use rose from 0.07 million tonnes in 1951-52 to more than 25.95 million tonnes in 2016-17. The Green Revolution, on the other hand, brought with it an excessive use of fertilizers, resulting in a soil health imbalance by eradicating beneficial soil microorganism.Innovative approaches like natural farming and organic farming were used by some scientists and farmers as an alternative to conventional agriculture to solve the issues of soil fertility loss, health, and short-term yield benefits.
Natural Farming
Natural farming is a type of sustainable agriculture that uses inputs from natural sources, follows the laws of nature, and respects the rights of crops and livestock.This strategy works in tandem with each farmed area’s natural biodiversity, allowing the complexity of living species, both plants and animals that shape each ecosystem to survive alongside food plants.Masanobu Fukuoka (1913-2008) invented natural farming, commonly known as “the Fukuoka Method,””the natural way of farming,” or “do-nothing farming.” The word was coined by Fukuoka, a Japanese farmer and philosopher, in his book The One-Straw Revolution in 1975.According to Fukuoka, farming was both a way of providing food and an artistic or spiritual approach to life, with the ultimate goal of “cultivation and perfection of human beings.”
Principles of Natural Farming
No Tillage:There will be no ploughing or turning of the soil. Farmers have assumed that the plough is necessary for cultivating crops for ages. Non-tillage, on the other hand, is vital to natural farming.Machines can only plough about 20 centimeters, whereas earthworms can dig up to 7 meters. The best soil is made by the excretions of earthworms.
No use of pesticides & herbicides: Pesticides and herbicide aren’t just for killing insects and herbs; they’re also damaging our ecosystem and biodiversity. It can do major harm to our body and even future generations if ingested. Growing disease- and pest-resistant crops in a healthy environment is the reasonable approach to disease and insect control.To control pests, utilize light, alcohol, scent, deadly plants, and other methods rather than toxic pesticide
No chemical Fertilizer :Chemical fertilizer isn’t used in natural farming. It also does not apply more than half of the fertilizer as base manure, as is standard practice. If crops are fed too much food at an early stage, they will become weak. Natural farming inputs like FYM, vermicompost, vermiwash, biofertilizers etc. are used to replace nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, and other components that are frequently delivered in the form of artificial fertilizer.
Natural Farming in India
In India, Mr.Subhash Palekar, a Maharashtrian agriculturist, and Padma Shri awardee promoted the technique of natural farming widely in Karnataka as zero budget natural farming (ZBNF). Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman stressed on zero-budget farming in her speech in the 17th Lok Sabha’s on July 2019. The term “Zero Budget Farming” came into spotlight at that time. A cultivating method for the natural development of yields without the use of material composts is zero budget farming. It is a one of a chemical-free method using agro-ecology. Yields are referred to as zero budget when it comes to manufacturing with zero net expenditure. ZBNF helps farmers save money by encouraging them to utilize natural fertilizers and indigenous seeds. It employs the application of biological insecticides. Farmers can employ cow manure, urine, human excreta, plants, natural fertilizers, and earthworms to safeguard their crops. It reduces the farmer’s investment while protecting the soil from degradation. The finest form of chemical-free farming is zero budget farming, which is based on traditional Vedic ways. According to the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), 70% of farmers spend more than they make, and the majority of farmers are in debt. One component being explored to accomplish the central government’s aim of doubling farmer income by 2022 is natural farming methods is zero budget natural farming.
Conclusions
Natural Farming (NF) is seen as one of the most promising crop farming approaches for lowering production costs by eliminating reliance on the market for crucial input purchases. It delivers a slew of ecological and social benefits as an agro-ecologically diversified farming approach. Through diversified, multi-layered cropping systems, it lowers farmers’ costs by eliminating external inputs and utilizing in-situ resources to renew the soil, while simultaneously improving incomes, restoring ecosystem/soil health, and increasing climate resilience. However, in country like India with a population of 1.3 billion to go for natural farming should be chosen with utmost care.
Hilly areas like J&K, H.P Uttrakhand, North Eastern states and Western and Southern Ghats are having immense potential for natural framing. Farmers and local population can utilize the method of natural farming which can fetch them more economic return as product produced under natural and organic farming are in great demand among public especially in metros among high end clientele of society. Our university (SKUAST-J) is having a dedicated organic farming research center (OFRC). Farmers and entrepreneurs who are interested can visit our campus at Chatha for on spot learning as the quote says “Seeing is believing ”
(The authors are from SKUAST-J and are working in the field of NRDM)

Follow our WhatsApp channel