What is Natural Farming?
Natural Farming is not a technique but a view or a way of seeing ourselves as a part of nature rather than separating ourselves from it. It is also known as “the Fukuoka Method”- the natural way of Farming or “do-nothing farming.” The title does not refer to a lack of effort but to avoidance of manufactured inputs and equipment. Natural Farming is related to fertility farming, organic farming, sustainable agriculture, agroecology, agroforestry, eco-agriculture, and permaculture, but they are different.
However, when it comes to definition, Natural Farming may be defined as farming without chemicals which relies on the various farming system based on agroecology that integrates crops, trees, and livestock. Natural Farming allows the optimum use of functional biodiversity, which encourages the use of on-farm inputs prepared by the farmers. The indigenous breed of cow (Desi cow) plays a vital role in the natural farming system. In this process, other cattle dung and urine can also be used to prepare concoctions that build on natural or ecological processes in or around farms.
How Natural Farming is Done?
It is a diversified farming system that integrates crops, trees, and livestock, allowing the optimum use of functional biodiversity. If natural farming is done effectively, it can improve farmers’ income and enable them to reap many benefits, such as restore soil fertility and environmental health mitigate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Natural Farming builds on natural or ecological processes in or around farms.
In natural Farming, chemical or organic fertilizers are not added to the soil. The decomposition of organic matter by microbes and earthworms is encouraged right on the soil surface , which gradually adds nutrition to the soil. In natural Farming, plowing, tilting of soil, and weeding are not done. A healthy soil microbiome helps to retain and enhance soil organic matter. Such concoctions are necessary to improve the fertility of the soil.
According to natural farming principles, plants get 98% of nutrients from the air, water, and sunlight, and the remaining 2% can be fulfilled by good quality soil with plenty of friendly microorganisms. The soil is covered with organic mulch, which creates humus and encourages the growth of friendly microorganisms. Farm-made bio-cultures named ‘Jeevamrit, Beejamrit, Ghanjeevamrit’ are added to the soil instead of any fertilizers to improve the soil’s microflora. Jeevamrit and Beejamrit are derived from very little cow dung and urine from the desi cow breed. This system requires only cow dung and cow urine (Gomutra) of Indian-breed cows. Desi cows are believed to be the purest as far as the microbial content of cow dung, and urine goes. In natural Farming, the decomposition of organic matter by microbes and earthworms is encouraged right on the soil surface itself, which gradually adds nutrition to the soil. Natural, farm-made pesticides like Dashparni ark, Neem Astra, Agni Astra, and Brahmastra control pests and diseases. Weeds are considered essential and used as living or dead mulch layers.
Lastly, multi-cropping is encouraged over the single-crop method.
Benefits of Natural Farming
Natural Farming solves various problems, such as food insecurity, farmers’ distress, health problems arising from pesticide and fertilizer residue in food and water, global warming, climate change, and natural calamities.
Improve Yield: Farmers practicing Natural Farming reported similar yields to those following conventional Farming. In several cases, higher yields per harvest were reported.
Ensures Better Health: Natural Farming does not use synthetic chemicals. Thus, the process does not involve health risks. The food has higher nutrition density and therefore offers better health benefits.
Environment Conservation: Natural Farming ensures better soil biology, improved agrobiodiversity, and judicious water use with much smaller carbon and nitrogen footprints.
Increased Farmers’ Income: Natural Farming aims to make Farming viable and aspirational by increasing the net incomes of farmers on account of cost reduction, reduced risks, similar yields, and income from intercropping.
Employment Generation: Natural Farming generates employment on account of natural farming input enterprises, value addition, marketing in local areas, etc. The surplus from natural Farming is invested in the village itself.
Reduced Water Consumption: By working with diverse crops that help each other and cover the soil to prevent unnecessary water loss through evaporation, Natural Farming optimizes the amount of ‘crop per drop.’
Minimized Cost of Production: Natural Farming aims to drastically cut production costs by encouraging farmers to prepare essential biological inputs using on-farm, natural and home-grown resources.
Eliminates application of synthetic chemical Inputs: The overuse of synthetic fertilizers, especially urea, pesticides, herbicides, weedicides, etc., alters soil biology and soil structure, with subsequent loss of soil organic carbon and fertility.
Rejuvenates Soil Health: The most immediate impact of Natural Farming is on the biology of soil—on microbes and other living organisms such as earthworms. Soil health depends entirely on the living organisms in it.
Livestock Sustainability: The integration of livestock in the farming system plays an essential role in Natural Farming and helps restore the ecosystem. Ecofriendly bio-inputs, such as Jeevamrit and Beejamrit, are prepared from cow dung, urine, and other natural products.
What is the nation doing?
As natural farming systems are knowledge-intensive and require large-scale training, capacity building, and handholding, the Government of India has rolled out National Mission on Natural farming (NMNF).
There are several states practicing Natural Farming. Prominent among them are Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. Till now, 6.5 lakh ha. The area is covered under natural Farming in India. Whether its Andhra Pradesh Community-Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) implemented by Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS) or Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kissan (PK3) Yojana of Himachal Pradesh, all the policies of each one of the state tell their own story in their unique way but their hearts are at right places.
What are we doing?
In our country, Farming is the way of life; it’s needless to say. We did traditional agriculture, witnessed the Green revolution, and are marching towards modern agriculture while holding our origin through organic Farming and natural farming systems. Where like conventional Farming, Organic Farming still requires basic agro practices like plowing, tilting, mixing of manures, weeding, etc., to be performed, natural Farming says there should be no plowing, no tilting of soil and no fertilizers, and no weeding is done just the way it would be in natural ecosystems.
The Bureau of Indian Standards has already formulated two standards for Organic production systems covering crop and animal bases through IS 16550 (Part 1): 2016 and IS 16550 (Part 2): 2021. Now we have started working on the standardization of the natural farming production system and are working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), National Centre for Organic and Natural Farming (NCONF), Ghaziabad, and a diversified stakeholder group to formulate the right standard for the right people and at the right time.
Written by:
Debasish Mahalik
Scientist-B/ Assistant Director
Food and Agriculture Department
Bureau of Indian Standards
New Delhi