Union Budget 2024-25 announced push towards Natural Farming | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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Union Budget 2024-25 announced push towards Natural Farming

Posted 30 Jul 2024

2 min read

It announced that in next two years, 1 crore farmers will be initiated into natural farming supported by certification and branding. 

  • Its implementation will be through scientific institutions and willing gram panchayats. 
  • Also, 10,000 need-based bio-input resource centres will be established. 

Natural farming

  • It is a local low-input climate-resilient farming system that advocates the complete elimination of synthetic chemical agro-inputs.
  • It is considered as agroecology based diversified farming system which integrates crops, trees and livestock with functional biodiversity.
  • It aims at promoting traditional indigenous practices and is largely based on following principles:
    • Use of multi-cropping systems.
    • No synthetic agroinputs — fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.
    • Soil should remain covered at all times using cover crops or mulch.
    • Use of bio-stimulants to enhance microbial activity of soil. 
    • Minimal tillage. 
    • Use of cow dung-urine formulations (such as Bijamrit, Jivamrit, Ghanjivamrit etc.).
  • Practicing States: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand etc.

Significance

  • Improves yield and increases farmers’ income.
  • Ensures better health as food has a higher nutrition density.
  • Environment conservation with better soil biology, improved agrobiodiversity and much smaller carbon and nitrogen footprints.

Challenges

  • Skeptical farmers, non-availability of quality inputs, lack of adequate research and higher labour costs.

Initiatives taken for Natural farming

  • National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF): a separate and independent scheme from 2023-24.
  • National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture and Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana. 
  • State Initiatives: Push towards Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) in some states. 
    • Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) model, which recently won the 2024 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity.
  • Tags :
  • Natural Farming
  • National Mission on Natural Farming
  • Bijamrit
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