Chemical Free & Natural Farming
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Contents
- Zero Budget Natural Farming
- Organic Farming Situation in India
- Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)
- Mission Organic Value Chain Development for NORTHEASTERN Region (MoVCD – NER)
- Allelopathy
1) ZERO BUDGET NATURAL FARMING
- Definition: What is ZBNF?
- ZBNF is a method of chemical-free agriculture drawing
from traditional Indian practices. It is a set of agricultural methods which doesn’t involve any credit, doesn’t spend any money on purchased inputs (zero budget), uses very less water (10%), doesn’t use any synthetic chemical fertilizer or pesticide (thus natural) and believes in natural growth of crops using inputs which are locally available.
- ZBNF is a method of chemical-free agriculture drawing
- Subhash Palekar, the original promoter of ZBNF, identifies four important Pillars of ZBNF.
a. Beejamrita/beejamrutha is the seed treatment using local cow dung, cow urine, lime and soil. This protests young roots from fungus and soil borne or seed borne diseases.
b. Jivamrita/Jivamrutha is a fermented microbial culture which is used as a base fertilizer. It is a fermented mixture of water, cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, pulse flour and a handful of soil from the bund of the farm. It provides basic nutrient, acts as catalytic agent to promote the activity of micro-organisms, and reduces fungal and bacterial infections.
c. Acchadana – Mulching activities to ensure favourable microclimate in the soil. Three kinds of mulching has been suggested: Soil Mulch, Straw Mulch and Live Mulch (symbiotic intercrops and mixed crops)
d. Whapasa – Moisture:- Palekar questions the idea that plant roots need a lot of water and therefore criticizes over reliance on irrigation in green revolution. According to Palekar, root needs water vapours.
- Whapasa is a condition where there is both air molecule and water molecule present in the soil and thus Palekar encourages reducing irrigation, irrigating only at noon, and in alternate furrows.
- In addition, ZBNF includes three methods of insect and pest management: Agniastra, Brahmastra, and Neemastra (all different preparation using cow urine, cow dung, tobacco, fruits, green chilli, garlic and neem).
- ZBNF – a movement at grassroot level
- It has emerged as a grassroot peasant movement and has spread to various states in India, especially becoming very successful in southern states. This movement could be running among millions of farmers according to ZBNF leaders. This success have been achieved without any formal movement organization, paid staff or even bank accounts. ZBNF has inspired a spirit of
volunteerism among its peasant, who are the main protagonist of the movement.
- It has emerged as a grassroot peasant movement and has spread to various states in India, especially becoming very successful in southern states. This movement could be running among millions of farmers according to ZBNF leaders. This success have been achieved without any formal movement organization, paid staff or even bank accounts. ZBNF has inspired a spirit of
- Benefits of ZBNF
- ZBNF has not only worked in agronomic terms. But, it has brought about a variety of social and economic benefits.
- Reduced Cost: Reduces Resource Utilization -> Higher income for farmers
- Sustainability:
- Seed Diversity: Rather than standard GM crops, it promotes local variety of seeds, their conservation and reuse.
- Water Conservation
- Biodiversity Conservation: ZBNF encourages the planting of diverse crops, inter cropping, and maintaining natural habitats on the farm. This promotes biodiversity, preserves native species, and supports the ecosystem balance.
- Reduced Pollution and GHG emissions: By avoiding synthetic chemicals in agriculture, ZBNF promotes soil conservation, reduces water pollution and also controls global warming.
- Food Safety due to less chemical use
- Household Food Autonomy, not dependent on MNCs for seeds and fertilizers
- Reduced Import Dependence as India is a net importer of fertilizers
- Reduced Subsidy burden for government -> More spending on other socio-economic sectors
- ZBNF has not only worked in agronomic terms. But, it has brought about a variety of social and economic benefits.
- Some Limitations: Unscientific – fertility reducing in long run
from traditional Indian practices. It is a set of agricultural methods which doesn’t involve any credit, doesn’t spend any money on purchased inputs (zero budget), uses very less water (10%), doesn’t use any synthetic chemical fertilizer or pesticide (thus natural) and believes in natural growth of crops using inputs which are locally available.2) ORGANIC FARMING SITUATION IN INDIA
- As per ESI 2022-23, India has 44.3 lakh organic farmers, the highest in the world, and about 59.1 lakh ha area was brought under organic farming by 2021-22.
- Area wise Madhya Pradesh has the highest area under organic farming in India, followed by MHA and RAJ.
- Sikkim voluntarily adopted going organic, and the process of getting total cultivable land of 58,168 hectares under organic farming commenced at ground level in 2010.
- It has become the first state in the world to be become fully organic.
- States like Tripura and Uttarakhand have also set up similar targets.
3) PARAMPARAGAT KRISHI VIKAS YOJANA (PKVY)
- Introduction
â–« PKVY has been launched by GoI to support and promote organic farming and thereby improving soil health.
â–« Encourage farmers to adopt eco-friendly concept of cultivation and reduce their dependence on fertilizers and agricultural chemicals to improve yield. - Clustered Approach: The PKVY supports organic farming via cluster approach.
â–« 50 or more farmers form a cluster having 50 acre land to take organic farming.
â–« Each farmer would be provided 20,000 Rs per acre in three years for seed to harvesting crops and to transport them to market.- Out of this 61% is provided directly through DBT for inputs bio fertilizers, bio-pesticides, organic manure, compost, vermi-compost, botanical extracts etc.
A) BHARTIYA PRAKRITIK KRISHI PADHATI (BPKP)
- BPKP is introduced as a sub-scheme of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna (PKVY) since 2020-21 for the promotion of traditional indigenous practices for encouraging all forms of ecological farming, including zero-budget natural farming.
â–« The scheme focuses upon capacity building, training, handholding, and on-field
demonstration of natural farming through champion farmers. - The scheme mostly emphasizes on exclusion of all synthetic chemical inputs and promotes on-farm biomass recycling with major stress on Biomass mulching; use of cow-dung formulations; plant-based preparations and time to time working of soil for aeration.
- Under BPKP, financial assistance of Rs 12,200/ha is provided for 3 years for cluster formation, capacity building and continuous handholding by trained personnel, certification and residue analysis.
- So far, 4.09 lakh ha of land have been brought under natural farming in 8 states.
4) MISSION ORGANIC VALUE CHAIN DEVELOPMENT FOR NORTHEASTERN REGION (MOVCD –NER)
- It is a central sector scheme and a submission under National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture. It was launched by MoA&FW in the north-eastern states (including Sikkim) in 2015.
- Farmers are given assistance of Rs 25,000/ha/3 years for, organic inputs including organic manure and bio-fertilizers etc.
- The scheme also provides an end-to-end support to the farmers from farm to fork including quality production, effective postharvest management, value addition through processing and direct marketing linkages to national and international markets.
- It is also aimed at developing certified organic products.
- Impact:
â–« During last five years, the scheme has covered 74,880 ha area.
â–« Government now targets 1.0 lakh ha area under 200 new FPOs over a period of 3-year period. (2021-2024) - Note: North-eastern region is not part of PKVY, since a dedicated scheme, MOVCD-NER was launched.
5) ALLELOPATHY
- Introduction
- Allelopathy is a biological phenomenon by which an organism produces one or more biochemicals that influence germination, growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms. These biochemicals are known as allelochemicals and can be released in air, water or soil. These may have beneficial or detrimental effects on target organisms and the community.
- It can play significant role in major cropping systems of irrigated agriculture:
- Increase nutrient availability which can improve crop yield.
- For e.g. wheatgrass can produce allelochemicals that can improve the quality of crops.
- Sustainable Agriculture: Allelopathy can contribute to sustainable agriculture by reducing the need for chemical inputs (like herbicides) and enhancing biodiversity.
- Controlling Weeds: For e.g. crop residue of rye when used as a cover crop in a no-till system, it releases allelochemicals and prevent growth of weeds.
- Pest and Disease Control: For e.g. Marigolds produce several allelochemicals in their roots and leaves. Hey are often planted in gardens and agricultural fields to deter various pests.
- Making Crop Rotation and Intercropping better: Better understanding of allelopathy can help us understand which crops will benefits each other in case of crop rotation or inter-cropping.
- Soil Health: Allelochemicals can influence the soil microbial community, affecting nutrient cycling, and soil fertility. They may either enhance or reduce soil health, depending on the type of allelochemicals involved.
- Increase nutrient availability which can improve crop yield.
- However, it has to be understood that lack of understanding of allelopathy can lead to several negative impacts. For e.g. Negative allelopathy can reduce crop yield if crops are grown in sequence or in combination with plants that produce inhibitory chemicals. They may inhibit germination, growth or reproduction.
» For e.g.- Mustard produces a chemical called allyl isothiocyanate, which can inhibit the growth of some plants, such as tomatoes.
- Peanuts produce a chemical called gossypol, which can inhibit the growth of plants like corn.