changeadminAs it was presented in the Government of India’s Budget for 2024, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the launching of the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) as a standalone Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare.
The scheme is launched to promote natural farming in a mission mode across the country. The total outlay of the scheme is Rs. 2481 crore (Government of India share – Rs.1584 crore; State share – Rs.897 crore) till the 15th Finance Commission (2025-26).
Rooted in the traditional knowledge inherited from their forefathers, farmers will practise Natural Farming as chemical-free farming which involves local livestock-integrated natural farming methods, diversified crop systems, etc.
Natural Farming follows local agroecological principles rooted in local knowledge, location location-specific technologies and is evolved as per the local agroecology.
National Mission on Natural Farming aims to promote natural farming practices to provide safe & nutritious food for all. The Mission is designed to support farmers in reducing the input cost of cultivation and dependency on externally purchased inputs.
Natural farming will build and maintain healthy soil ecosystems, promote biodiversity and encourage diverse cropping systems to enhance resilience as suitable to the local agroecology are the benefits of natural farming.
National Mission on Natural Farming is launched as a shift to scientifically revive and strengthen agriculture practices towards sustainability, climate resilience and healthy food for farmer families and consumers.
In the next two years, the National Mission on Natural Farming will be implemented in 15,000 clusters in Gram Panchayats, which are willing, to reach 1 crore (10 million) farmers and initiate Natural Farming (NF) in a 7.5 lakh Ha area.
Preference will be given to areas having a prevalence of practising NF farmers, State Rural Livelihood Missions/Primary Agricultural Credit Societies/Farmer Producer Organizations, etc.
Further, a need-based 10,000 Bio-input Resource Centres (BRCs) will be set up to provide easy availability and accessibility to ready-to-use NF inputs for farmers.
Under NMNF, around 2000 NF Model Demonstration Farms shall be established at Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Agricultural Universities (AUs) and farmers’ fields, and shall be supported by experienced and trained Farmer Master Trainers.
The willing farmers will be trained in Model Demonstration Farms on the NF package of practices, preparation of NF inputs, etc. near their villages in KVKs, AUs and practising NF farmers’ fields.
18.75 lakh (1.875 million) trained willing farmers will prepare inputs like Jeevamrit, Beejamrit, etc. by using their livestock or procuring from Bio-input Resource Centres. 30,000 Krishi Sakhis/Community Resource Persons (CRPs) will be deployed for awareness generation, mobilisation and handholding of willing farmers in the clusters.
Natural Farming practices will help farmers reduce the input cost of cultivation and dependency on externally purchased inputs while rejuvenating soil health, fertility & quality and building resilience to climate risks like waterlogging, flood, drought, etc.
These practices also reduce health risks from exposure to fertilisers, pesticides, etc. and provide healthy and nutritious food for the farmers’ families. Further, through natural farming, a healthy Mother Earth is bequeathed to future generations. Through the improvement of soil carbon content & water use efficiency, there is an increase in soil microorganisms and biodiversity in NF.
Farmers will be provided with an easy simple certification system and dedicated common branding to provide access to market their natural farming produce. Real-time geo-tagged and referenced monitoring of NMNF implementation shall be done through an online portal.
Convergence with existing schemes and support structures of the Government of India/ State Governments/ National & International Organisations shall be explored for enhancing local livestock population, development of NF Model Demonstration Farms at Central Cattle Breeding Farms/ Regional Fodder Stations, providing market linkages at district/ block/ GP levels through convergence for local farmers’ markets, APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee) Mandis, Haats, Depots, etc.
Additionally, students will be engaged in the National Mission on Natural Farming through the Rural Agricultural Work Experience program and dedicated Undergraduate, Postgraduate & Diploma courses on Natural Farming.
Other Government schemes that promote Organic Farming in India
The government of India is promoting organic farming to improve soil health and water retention through the schemes of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) in all the States and Union Territories and Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER) exclusively for North Eastern States.
Both the schemes stress end-to-end support to farmers engaged in organic farming i.e. from production to processing, certification & marketing and post-harvest management training and capacity building.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research operates the All India Network Programme on Organic Farming (AINP-OF) with 20 collaborating centres covering 16 States and has developed an organic package of practices for 76 cropping systems.
The results showed improvement in soil physical, chemical and biological properties resulting in a better micro environment for crop growth and productivity, compared to conventional farming.
The government is implementing the Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) scheme in the Country under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), focusing on enhancing water use efficiency at the farm level through Micro Irrigation, namely, Drip and Sprinkler Irrigation systems.
Micro irrigation helps conserve water and reduces fertilizer usage through fertigation, labour expenses, other input costs and overall income enhancement of farmers.
To enhance the resilience and adaptive capacity of farmers to climate variability, 448 Climate Resilient Villages have been established in 151 climatically vulnerable districts under the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) programme. In addition, capacity-building programmes are being conducted for all the stakeholders on various aspects of climate change.
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