Chemical-intensive farming has degraded Indian soils over decades. Critically evaluate natural farming as a corrective strategy.

Q. Chemical-intensive farming has degraded Indian soils over decades. Critically evaluate natural farming as a corrective strategy. (15 marks, 250-350 words)

Decades of urea-skewed, chemical-intensive cultivation have left Indian soils with nutrient imbalance and declining organic carbon, prompting the government to treat soil as a strategic national resource [1]. Natural farming, mainstreamed through the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), is a genuine but partial corrective.

The degradation problem - Indiscriminate fertilizer use created skewed NPK ratios; the Soil Health Card Scheme (19 February 2015, Suratgarh) was launched precisely to give farmers crop-wise, soil-test-based nutrient recommendations [3]. - Over 25.89 crore cards have since been issued, confirming both the scale of the imbalance and of the corrective effort [1].

Merits of natural farming - Institutional backing: NMNF became a standalone Centrally Sponsored Scheme in November 2024, targeting 15,000 clusters, 7.5 lakh hectares, 1 crore farmers with a ₹2,481 crore outlay [4]. - Demonstrated expansion: coverage has reached 18,786 clusters over 8.80 lakh hectares [1]. - Cost and ecology: chemical-free, bio-input-based practice cuts input costs; 10,000 Bio-input Resource Centres and 70,000+ Krishi Sakhis build last-mile, women-led delivery [4]. - Extension push: the Khet Bachao Abhiyan (1–30 June 2026) delivered 96,227 field demonstrations on green manuring and bio-fertilisers through ICAR and the NAREES network [2].

Limitations - Coverage remains marginal against India's total net sown area — a demonstration, not yet a transition. - Transition-phase yield dip and absence of assured price premiums, certification and market linkages deter smallholders. - It is knowledge- and labour-intensive, dependent on an already thin extension machinery. - Campaign-mode outreach measures participation, not sustained adoption; the prevailing fertilizer subsidy structure still tilts incentives toward chemicals.

Natural farming is therefore best judged as a complement to, not a substitute for, soil-test-based balanced nutrition [3]. Pairing it with geospatial mapping and AI-based advisories [1], credible certification and market support can convert scattered clusters into a nationwide soil-restoration movement, advancing SDG-2 and SDG-15.

(~325 words)

Sources: 1. PIB Backgrounder: Saving Soil, Securing Farms (24 July 2026) — soil as strategic national resource; 25.89 crore Soil Health Cards; NMNF at 18,786 clusters/8.80 lakh ha; geospatial and AI advisories 2. PIB: ICAR Organizes 'Khet Bachao Abhiyan' (1–30 June 2026) — 96,227 field demonstrations on green manuring and bio-fertilisers via ICAR/NAREES 3. PIB: Soil Health Card Scheme helped India achieve surplus foodgrain production — 19 February 2015 launch at Suratgarh; soil-test-based crop-wise nutrient recommendations 4. PIB: Implementation of National Mission on Natural Farming — November 2024 standalone CSS; 15,000 clusters/7.5 lakh ha/1 crore farmers/₹2,481 crore; Bio-input Resource Centres and Krishi Sakhis