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Zero budget natural farming

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    Economy
  • Published
    5th Dec, 2020
  • Zero budget natural farming (ZBNF) is a method of chemical-free agriculture drawing from traditional Indian practices.
  • It was originally promoted by Maharashtrian agriculturist and Padma Shri recipient Subhash Palekar.

What is Zero budget natural farming?

  • Zero budget natural farming (ZBNF) is a method of chemical-free agriculture drawing from traditional Indian practices.
  • It was originally promoted by Maharashtrian agriculturist and Padma Shri recipient Subhash Palekar.
  • He developed it in the mid-1990s as an alternative to the Green Revolution’s methods driven by chemical fertilizers and pesticides and intensive irrigation.
  • This is a fermented microbial culture that adds nutrients to the soil and acts as a catalytic agent to promote the activity of microorganisms and earthworms in the soil
  • A mixture, called bijamrita, is used to treat seeds.
  • The concoctions using neem leaves and pulp, tobacco, and green chillis are prepared for insect and pest management.
  • The ZBNF method also promotes soil aeration, minimal watering, intercropping, bunds, and topsoil mulching and discourages intensive irrigation and deep plowing.

What are the benefits?

  • Lesser cost of production
  • Protect the soil
  • Promote traditional methods of cultivation

Where it is being practiced?

  • Several States, including Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, have been aggressively driving a shift towards this model.

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