The concept of Zero Budget Natural Farming was first promulgated by Padma Shri awardee Subhash Palekar, in the mid-1990s as an alternative to the green revolution practices which are spearheaded by chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and intensive irrigation.
It came to the limelight when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlight it in the 2019-20 Budget speech as an approach to double farming income by 2022. In June 2018 the government of Andhra Pradesh launched a scale-out plan to transition 6 million farms to 100% chemical-free ZBNF by 2024.
Need of ZBNF
According to data from the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), more than half of all farmers are in debt because of rising prices for agricultural inputs like chemical pesticides and fertilizers. ZBNF promises to reduce the cost of cultivation by utilizing 50-60% less water and electricity for all the selected crops, it promises to reduce methane emission and has the potential to avoid residue burning by practicing mulching. Thus, significantly reducing farm expenses and eliminating reliance on farm loans.
Core Principles that drive ZBNF
The core of ZBNF remains not to use any external input whether chemical or organic for that matter, thus differentiating it from Organic farming. Use of Agroforestry farming, Intercropping, Mixed cropping, Mulching, and Water conservation measures are encouraged. It guides the farmers towards sustainable farming practices thus helping in retaining soil fertility, ensuring chemical-free agriculture, and ensuring low cost of production and thereby enhancing the farmer’s income.
Important pillars of ZBNF
Jivamrita
- Cow dung and cow urine are used to make Jivamrita. It is fermented microbial culture made from uncontaminated soil, untreated cow dung, urine, jaggery, and pulse flour. When applied to soil, this fermented microbial culture enriches the soil with nutrients and acts as a catalyst to encourage the activity of earthworms and microorganisms serving as a component of a plant’s diet
Bijamrita
Under this, seeds are treated with mixtures made from the native cow species’ dung and urine. That protects the seeds from soil-borne and seed-borne illnesses.
Acchadana – Mulching
- Mulching is the practice of covering the topsoil with cover crops, crop waste, or organic waste. Mulching degrades and produces humus that increases water retention capacity and decreases evaporation losses and controls weed growth.
Whapasa – Moisture
- Application of Jivamitra and Acchadana, increase the aeration of the soil, water availability, and water holding capacity making crop growth suitable particularly during dry spells.
Although some criticism of ZBNF had been coming from the Agricultural scientists’ community i.e. National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, terming ZBNF as promoting unproven technology bringing no incremental value gain to farmers and the consumer end. Viewing in a broader context, ZBNT serves as an alternative sustainable ecologically friendly platform as opposed to the chemical-intensive model of farming which is creating havoc for natural resources.
