NATURAL FARMING FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN INDIA: CONSTRAINTS, OPPORTUNITIES AND PATHWAYS FOR SCALING WITH A PROVEN CASE-STUDY FROM RURAL LANDSCAPE OF BUNDELKHAND REGION

Abstract

Climate change, degradation of natural resources, declining soil health and rising costs of agricultural inputs have created an urgent need to transform conventional agricultural systems towards more sustainable and climate-resilient approaches. Agriculture is simultaneously a major victim of climate change and an important contributor to greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions. This paradox necessitates production systems that can sustain food security while reducing dependence on externally purchased inputs and protecting the ecological foundations of agriculture. Natural Farming (NF) has emerged as one such approach. Broadly, it promotes ecological processes, soil biological activity, crop diversity, recycling of biomass, local resources and reduced dependence on synthetic fertilisers and pesticides. In India, the evolution of Natural Farming has been influenced by traditional knowledge, Rishi Kheti, the work of Masanobu Fukuoka and, more recently, Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) and community-managed approaches such as Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF). However, the terminology and package of practices vary considerably across regions, and Natural Farming should therefore be understood as a context-specific ecological farming approach rather than a single uniform technology. This review examines the concept and historical development of Natural Farming, assesses available evidence regarding its effects on soil health, productivity, farm economics and resilience, and identifies the major constraints to its large-scale adoption in India. The literature indicates that Natural Farming can reduce cultivation costs, improve soil biological activity, enhance resource-use efficiency and, under appropriate agro-ecological conditions, provide competitive yields and better benefit-cost ratios. However, evidence also indicates that outcomes are highly location-, crop- and management-specific, and that transition periods may involve productivity risks. Major constraints include inadequate extension support, shortage of locally available bio-inputs, labour requirements, limited scientific standardisation, weak market incentives, inadequate transition support and insufficient long-term field research. Large-scale adoption therefore requires a science-based, farmer-centric and regionally differentiated strategy integrating research, extension, community institutions, market development and convergence of public programmes.