Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF)

Context

• PM at Conference of Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification mentioned that India is focusing on ZBNF.

About

• Zero budget natural farming (ZBNF) is a method of chemical-free agriculture drawing from traditional Indian practices.
• ZBNF movement was first started in Karnataka and promoted by Maharashtrian agriculturist and Padma Shri recipient Subhash Palekar, who developed it in the mid-1990s as an alternative to the Green Revolution’s methods driven by chemical fertilizers and pesticides and intensive irrigation. Later it spread to other states.
• The rising cost of the external inputs was a leading cause of indebtedness and suicide among farmers, while the impact of chemicals on the environment and on long-term fertility was devastating.
• According to National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data, almost 70% of agricultural households spend more than they earn and more than half of all farmers are in debt.
• To double farmers income by 2022, natural farming methods such as the ZBNF which reduce farmers’ dependence on loans to purchase inputs is promising.

• Four pillars of ZBNF:
  • Jivamrita/jeevamrutha is a fermented microbial culture. It provides nutrients, but most importantly, acts as a catalytic agent that promotes the activity of microorganisms in the soil, as well as increases earthworm activity.
  • Bijamrita/beejamrutha is a treatment used for seeds, seedlings or any planting material. Bijamrita is effective in protecting young roots from fungus as well as from soil-borne and seed borne diseases that commonly affect plants after the monsoon period.
  • Acchadana (Mulching): This protects topsoil during cultivation and does not destroy it by tilling. It promotes aeration and water retention in the soil.
  • Whapasa (moisture): Palekar challenges the idea that plant roots need a lot of water, thus countering the over reliance on irrigation in green revolution farming. According to him, what roots need is water vapor.
• The ZBNF method also promotes soil aeration, minimal watering, intercropping, bunds and topsoil mulching and discourages intensive irrigation and deep ploughing.

Concerns about Natural Farming

• Unproven Technology: National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), India’s premier academic body of agricultural scientists maintained that Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), as an “unproven” technology bringing no incremental value gain to either farmers or consumers.
• Marketing: A particular challenge is marketing. Many farmers sell their natural produce as if were chemically grown, to private traders or at government wholesale yards, with no price differential. Other farmers rely on their own local marketing networks, such as to some organic shops and individual customers.

Conclusion

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is studying the ZBNF methods and evaluating their impact on productivity, economics and soil health.