What is Zero Budget Natural Farming? List out its advantages. Also highlight how India is gearing up to embrace the Zero Budget Natural Farming.
What is Zero Budget Natural Farming? List out its advantages. Also highlight how India is gearing up to embrace the Zero Budget Natural Farming.
Zero Budget Natural Farming:
- It is a natural farming technique in which farming is done without use of chemicals and without using any credits or spending any money on purchased inputs.
- ZBNF reduces the cost of production down to zero due to utilisation of all the natural resources available in and around the crops.
- Farmers use earthworms, cow dung, urine, plants, human excreta and other biological fertilizers for crop protection.
- It has been developed by Subhash Palekar.
ZBNF and India:
- States such as Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka and Kerala are promoting natural farming.
- Andhra Pradesh is the frontrunner among all states in implementing natural farming programmes at a mass scale. The Government of Andhra Pradesh has launched a scale-out plan to transition 6 million farms/farmers to 100% chemical-free agriculture by 2024.
- Karnataka recently initiated implementation of zero budget natural farming (ZBNF) on a pilot basis in 2,000 hectares in each of the 10 agro-climatic zones of the state.
- NITI Aayog has been suggesting states to adopt natural farming since 2018.
- The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoAFW) proposed ‘Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati’ (BPKP) as a new submission under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna (PKVY).
Importance of ZBNF:
- Inter-cropping for greater yield. (ex: Groundwater and millet)
- Use of Biofertilizers and Biopesticides and elimination of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
- Soil moisture protection through mulching and other relevant techniques.
- Replenishing local species of earthworms on the farm to increase the organic matter in the soil.
- Creating contours and bunds to preserve rain water
- Replenishing water bodies such as farm ponds to ensure water availability during dry spells.
Conclusion:
Hence the zero budget natural farming is vital for a New sustainable India.
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