Prime Minister Narendra Modi was set to promote it at a national conclave in Gujarat. And at an event in Varanasi, he called for the method to become a mass movement. The Centre has sanctioned support for converting four lakh additional hectares of cropland in eight States to using ZBNF techniques this year.
what is ZBNF
Zero budget natural farming is a method of chemical-free agriculture drawing from traditional Indian methods.
It was originally promoted by agriculturist Subhash Palekar, who cultivated it in the mid-1990s as an alternative to the Green Revolution’s methods that are driven by chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and intensive irrigation.
It is a unique model that relies on Agro-ecology. It aims to bring down the cost of production to nearly zero and return to a pre-green revolution style of farming. It claims that there is no need for costly inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, and intensive irrigation.
4 pillars of zero budget natural farming
Jeevamrutha: It is a mixture of fresh cow dung and aged cow urine (both from India’s indigenous cow breed), jaggery, pulse flour, water, and soil; to be applied on farmland.
Bijamrita: It is a concoction of neem leaves & pulp, tobacco, and green chilies prepared for insect and pest management, that can be used to treat seeds.
Acchadana (Mulching): It protects topsoil during cultivation and does not destroy it by tilling.
Whapasa: It is the condition where there are both air molecules and water molecules present in the soil. Thereby helping in reducing irrigation requirement.
Is ZBNF effective?
A limited 2017 study in Andhra Pradesh claimed a sharp decline in input costs and improvement in yields.
However, reports also suggest that many farmers have reverted to conventional farming after seeing their ZBNF returns drop after a few years, in turn raising doubts about the method’s efficacy in increasing farmers’ incomes.
ZBNF critics, including some experts within the central policy and planning, think tank NITI Aayog, note that India needed the Green Revolution to become self-sufficient and ensure food security. They warn against a wholesale move away from that model without sufficient proof that yields will not be affected.
Soon after Prime Minister praised ZBNF while addressing a United Nations conference on desertification, the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences wrote to Mr. Modi warning against promoting the method without sufficient research to assess its long-term impact.
Which are the States leading in ZBNF?
The Centre has sanctioned the programs of eight States for support under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana scheme this year. Andhra Pradesh has the biggest ambition to bring one lakh additional hectares of land under ZBNF under the scheme, followed by Chhattisgarh, with 85,000 additional hectares, and Gujarat, with 71,000 additional hectares.
Benefits of ZBNF
- The rising cost of external inputs (fertilizers and pesticides), which is the leading cause of indebtedness and suicide among farmers.
- At a time when chemical-intensive farming is resulting in soil and environmental degradation, a zero-cost environmentally-friendly farming method is a timely initiative.
- The ZBNF method promotes soil aeration, minimal watering, intercropping, bunds, and topsoil mulching and discourages intensive irrigation and deep ploughing.
- It suits all crops in all agro-climatic zones.
What Is Soil Aeration?
The process of soil aeration provides air supply underground by moving O2 and CO2 between the earth’s pores and the atmosphere. It helps avoid oxygen starvation in crops and reduces harmful carbon dioxide levels in the subsurface air if they rise too high.