What Happened
- A state minister in Andhra Pradesh stated that natural farming can transform agriculture into a profitable and sustainable occupation, offering twin benefits of improved income and better health for farming communities.
- The minister particularly highlighted the potential for economically weaker section (EWS) farming communities to increase profitability by significantly reducing chemical input costs through natural farming methods.
- The statement comes in the context of Andhra Pradesh's established leadership in community-managed natural farming and the Union government's National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), a centrally sponsored scheme under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare.
- Andhra Pradesh's natural farming programme, implemented through the Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS), has expanded to cover over 7.5 lakh farmers across approximately 1 lakh hectares.
Static Topic Bridges
National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF)
The National Mission on Natural Farming was launched as a standalone Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare. It seeks to scale up natural farming practices across India through farmer clusters at the gram panchayat level, reducing dependence on chemical inputs and lowering the cost of cultivation.
- Total outlay: ₹2,481 crore (Government of India share: ₹1,584 crore; State share: ₹897 crore) up to the 15th Finance Commission cycle (2025-26)
- Target: 15,000 clusters in willing Gram Panchayats; reach 1 crore farmers; cover 7.5 lakh hectares under natural farming
- Leading states: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala
- Administered by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare (DAC&FW)
Connection to this news: The minister's statement reflects the vision of NMNF — that natural farming reduces input costs and improves farmer incomes simultaneously, making it both economically and ecologically attractive.
Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) and the Subhash Palekar Method
Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is a set of farming practices conceptualised by agronomist and Padma Shri awardee Subhash Palekar in the mid-1990s. ZBNF proposes eliminating all external inputs — including chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and even organic compost — and relying instead on locally available biological preparations derived from cow dung and cow urine (jeevamrit, bijamrit), shade management, and soil moisture conservation.
- Jeevamrit: a fermented microbial solution prepared from cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, and pulse flour; enriches soil microbiology
- Bijamrit: a seed treatment using similar cow-based preparations to protect seeds from fungal infections
- ZBNF eliminates all paid-for external inputs, hence "zero budget" in input cost
- Distinction from organic farming: organic farming allows organic inputs (compost, bio-fertilizers) but ZBNF eliminates all external purchases
Connection to this news: Andhra Pradesh's success with ZBNF — through the APCNF (Andhra Pradesh Community-managed Natural Farming) programme under RySS — underpins claims about profitability, since eliminating input costs directly improves net farm income.
Andhra Pradesh Community-Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) and RySS
Andhra Pradesh pioneered large-scale state-sponsored natural farming beginning in 2015 under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). The state government set up the Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS) — a non-profit company under the Department of Agriculture — as the dedicated implementing organisation. RySS has since become a globally cited model for community-based natural farming at scale.
- RySS was formally designated by Government Order in 2016 as the implementing organisation for ZBNF rollout
- APCNF has been studied in collaboration with University of Reading (UK), World Agroforestry Centre (Nairobi), and FAO
- Andhra Pradesh's goal: convert all 80 lakh hectares of agricultural land to natural farming by 2027
- The programme extends to women-led self-help groups and farmer producer organisations
Connection to this news: The minister's statement is grounded in actual outcomes from the APCNF programme, where reduced input costs have demonstrably improved profitability for smallholder and EWS farmers.
Key Facts & Data
- NMNF outlay: ₹2,481 crore (Centre + States) up to 2025-26
- NMNF targets 1 crore farmers across 7.5 lakh hectares through 15,000 gram panchayat-level clusters
- Andhra Pradesh: 7.5 lakh farmers and farm workers on ~1 lakh hectares under natural farming as of 2024-25
- ZBNF inputs: jeevamrit (soil enrichment), bijamrit (seed treatment), mulching, waaphasa (moisture management)
- RySS established in 2014; designated implementing agency by state GO in 2016
- Key distinction: natural farming (ZBNF) = zero external inputs; organic farming = allows organic inputs
- Andhra Pradesh among top performers in NMNF; state has long-term target of 80 lakh ha by 2027