Zero budget natural farming

Also called: ZBNF, Subhash Palekar Natural Farming · Topic: Environment and Sustainable Development · NCERT: Beyond NCERT

Meaning

Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is a chemical-free way of farming developed by Subhash Palekar. It uses only inputs made on the farm, mostly from cow dung and cow urine, together with natural processes, so the farmer has to buy almost nothing from the market.

It matters because it tries to fix two problems left behind by the Green Revolution:

• High input costs, which hurt farm income.
• Damage from chemical fertilisers and pesticides to soil, water and food.

India is now scaling it up through the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) [1].

Explanation

The idea behind "zero budget"

• "Zero budget": the farmer does not spend cash on bought inputs such as fertiliser, pesticide or seed treatment.
• All inputs are made on the farm from cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, pulse flour and crop residue.

• Lower cash costs mean a lower debt burden and higher net income for the farmer.

• Natural farming vs chemical farming:

• Chemical farming feeds the plant directly with bought fertilisers.
• Natural farming feeds the soil's microbes (tiny living organisms). The microbes then make nutrients available to the plant.

The four pillars

• Jeevamrutha: a microbial culture (a liquid full of useful microbes) made from cow dung, cow urine, jaggery and pulse flour.
• It adds useful microbes to the soil.

• It takes the place of chemical fertiliser.

• Beejamrutha: a seed treatment.

• It protects young roots from disease.

• Acchadana: mulching, which means covering the soil with crop residue.

• It keeps moisture in the soil.

• Whapasa: soil aeration, which means making the soil able to hold both air and water.

• Exam trap: vermicompost is not one of the four pillars.

Why it may not be truly "zero"

• Yields may fall in the first years while the soil recovers.
• Hidden costs: labour and the upkeep of cattle still cost money. So the budget is low, not actually zero.
• Food security risk: if very large areas switch at once and yields drop, total food output could fall.

Worked example: how natural farming is funded under NMNF

• NMNF is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (a scheme whose cost is shared by the Centre and the states) [1].
• Funding share: 90:10 for hilly and North-Eastern states and 60:40 for other states [1].
• For a ₹100 crore state plan, a normal state gets ₹60 crore from the Centre and pays ₹40 crore itself.
• A North-Eastern state gets ₹90 crore from the Centre and pays only ₹10 crore.

In India

• Path of scale-up:
• PKVY (Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana), 2015: the main scheme for organic farming. It works through clusters of 20 hectares [3].
• BPKP (Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati), 2020-21: a sub-scheme under PKVY that promotes natural farming.

• APCNF (Andhra Pradesh Community-managed Natural Farming): the best-known state model.

• National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF):

• Approved by the Union Cabinet on 25 November 2024 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme [1].
• Outlay: ₹2,481 crore [1].
• Targets: 1 crore farmers, 7.5 lakh ha, 15,000 clusters and 10,000 Bio-input Resource Centres (BRCs) [1][2].
  • BRCs are local centres that make and supply natural farming inputs to farmers who cannot make them at home.
• Time frame: up to the end of the 15th Finance Commission period [1].
• Krishi Sakhis (trained women farm helpers): over 70,000 deployed [2].
• Progress by July 2025: over 10 lakh farmers enrolled, 1,100 model farms and 806 training institutes engaged [2].

Don't confuse with

• Organic farming: organic farming may use bought organic inputs and usually needs certification to earn a price premium. Natural farming or ZBNF uses only on-farm inputs.
• Vermicomposting: this uses earthworms to turn waste into compost quickly. It is a separate practice and not a ZBNF pillar.
• Zero tillage: this means sowing seed into unploughed soil, and it belongs to conservation agriculture. The word "zero" in ZBNF refers to cost, not ploughing.
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM): IPM still allows need-based chemical pesticides as a last option. ZBNF is fully chemical-free.

Prelims Hooks

• ZBNF was developed by Subhash Palekar. Its four pillars are jeevamrutha, beejamrutha, acchadana (mulching) and whapasa (soil aeration). "Vermicompost" is a common wrong option.
• Jeevamrutha = microbial culture made from cow dung, cow urine, jaggery and pulse flour. Beejamrutha = seed treatment.
• NMNF: Cabinet approval on 25 November 2024, ₹2,481 crore, 1 crore farmers, 7.5 lakh ha, 15,000 clusters [1].
• NMNF Centre-state funding share: 90:10 for hilly and North-Eastern states and 60:40 for others [1].
• BPKP (2020-21) is a sub-scheme under PKVY (2015), not a separate mission.
• Natural farming uses no bought inputs, while organic farming can use bought organic inputs and needs certification.

Mains Points

• Farm income and cost argument:
• Cutting bought inputs lowers cash costs and debt, which helps raise farmers' net income.

• It also reverses Green Revolution harms: soil damage, polluted groundwater and chemicals in the food chain.

• Scale versus food security:

• NMNF's target of 1 crore farmers [1] must be weighed against yield loss in the first years and the fact that labour and cattle upkeep mean costs are not truly zero.

• A sensible path is to go step by step, cluster by cluster, with support from Krishi Sakhis and BRCs [2]. Market support such as certification and price premiums also helps.

• Sustainability link:

• Chemical-free farming that keeps soil healthy supports SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).
• It works alongside IPM, biocomposting and conservation agriculture.

Related concepts

• Traditional knowledge
• Vermicomposting
• Biopest control
• Integrated pest management
• Organic farming
• Organic food
• Natural farming
• Conservation agriculture
• Zero tillage
• Direct seeded rice

Read more

• Strategies II: traditional knowledge and sustainable agriculture