Agriculture is known to provide various innovations from time -to -time , but in the process , we sometimes land in no man's land, and often try to take agriculture to backfoot so miserably in mad rush for improvement . Like that , there is one concept called Zero Budget Natural Farming , dont know , what is the base to advocate this concept, often under the garb of Organic Farming , though both are quite different concepts and work on entirely different premises. Here are some clarifications requested to our collagues for their responses :
* What is the working premise of zero budget natural farming ?
* What is the need of advocating such concept of farming amidst conventional farming?
* Are we not in a position to sustain the current trend of sustainability agriculture and need to bring such concept having hardly any scientific base?
* Has this concept been ever evaluated in a scientific and time frame manner?
* How do you see the future of zero budget farming ?
* Can it be conceptually sustainable?
Like that , you go on adding .....
Your repsonses, please....
Not familiar! But it suggests Not Low-input, but Zero-input system. If that is the case, then one is forced to trace the origin of Agriculture. Why did Agriculture begin? The most plausible reason for the origin of Agriculture is that hunting and gathering could not sustain population growth (demographic theories) or it could not support feasting (the feasting Model). How would a zero -budget farming; a close associate of hunting and gathering support the current global population?
All scientific effort should be directed at Sustainable Agriculture Practices to provide for current human needs.
Greetings
This is the first time I am hearing about this concept!! Thank you so much for bringing it to my attention. I sure will be adding more in near future. However, I am familiar with natural farming (which is believe started about 100 years ago in Japan), and really, I strongly believe that it can not contribute significantly to world population food needs. Eventhough, the food quality produced MIGHT be better than organic farming (which i doubt so), still it is good enough for a family's yearly food supply, and do not have even economic merits. I thing natural framing is a radical form of organic farming, and is not popular in global scale. Not much real research work have been done on that.
Good luck
Not familiar! But it suggests Not Low-input, but Zero-input system. If that is the case, then one is forced to trace the origin of Agriculture. Why did Agriculture begin? The most plausible reason for the origin of Agriculture is that hunting and gathering could not sustain population growth (demographic theories) or it could not support feasting (the feasting Model). How would a zero -budget farming; a close associate of hunting and gathering support the current global population?
All scientific effort should be directed at Sustainable Agriculture Practices to provide for current human needs.
Es una agricultura ecológica ancestral que es parte de la investigación y práctica y salvación de los países contra la pobreza, actualmente las tierras están agotadas y por cambios climáticos han originado la baja productividad por las nuevas plagas y esto implica mayores costos, y los productos sean muy caros por la financiación, pero esto se necesita ayuda técnica a los agricultores de las zonas que han implementado, políticas de parte de los ministerios que conducirían a la producción sana competitiva y alimentación saludable a la sociedad.
Dr. Anoop, could you please introduce a reference on this subject, which you think is good?
Sir, zero budget natural farming is best but it does not fulfill our proper requirements.
Dear friends, please fnd enclosed an interesting mansucript on zero budget natural farming.....
thank you , lets not hurry up in arriving at any conclusion in haste . Please find enclsoed another excellent policy paper to be read by everyone following this thread. Then , lets come for discussion .
Agricuture cant survive , if it is not sustainable .....but the question is whether or not , it deserves any serious consideration seeing these principles of zero budget farming....
In my view, zero budget natural farming is not realistic since even the services of the farmer to his own farm has value and should be quantified. Budget does not only mean the money intended for inputs. Farming is an enterprise wherein all types of capital should be given value.
Really is one interesting and motivating alternative in this expensive way of cultivation of agriculture.We too like to adopt it in our village and teach smallholder farmer so that they get benefited from it.Thanks sir Anoop Kumar Srivastava for this wonderful discussion on zero budgeting
Thank you for the useful references. I would like to share my opinion on this subject.
1- For sure, Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) introduced by Mr. Subhash Palekar, is a form of Organic Agriculture technology (such as permaculture, etc.)
2- It seems that the philosophy and technical concept of ZBNF is quite similar to another kind of organic farming, named Korean Natural Farming (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_natural_farming#History), or at least, influenced alot by Korean natural farming (KNF); which in my opinion, this is perfectly fine and acceptable.
3- However, contrary to KNF, which promotes the idea of reduced budget or input costs, ZBNF emphasizes on Zero budget after practicing a few year, which in my opinion, is not correct.
4- An important innovation of Mr. Subhash Palekar is that, having a lot of experience as Extension officer, he successfully presented the natural farming or KNF, for Indian farmers, in a way that they can relate to it easily and accept or at least, become interested to experiment it. Palekar made ZBNF attractive to Indian farmers by exhibiting his farm, offering training, choosing an attractive name (Zero budget!!), and introducing the concepts of organic farming and the organic fertilizers used with Indian names, which the farmers are familiar with and can easily relate to them. He also, emphasizes on Indian breeds of animals and microorganism, which indirectly creates a sense of national pride for the farmers (which is like and approve of).
Overall, I like the idea. My only dislike is the zero budget used as the name, which is think is not correct and in a way misleading; but is attractive to local farmers. I think ZBNF is an Indian version of KNF, which I think is just fine, because in this way it is more acceptable by Indian farmers. If the researches and scientific works has shown that organic farming can be productive and successful, then I think, ZBNF could be productive as well. Personally, I doubt that organic agriculture could produce sufficient food for world population, and it should be practiced along with conventional agriculture.
Thank you
I do agree with the views of Luz G. Asio . However, the main aim of zero budgeting in agriculture is to reduce the external inputs and enhance the locally available inputs including the cost involved on services of the farmers and farm family members.
- Zero budget natural farming is not suited to Indian conditions. As most of the soils are deficient in major and micronutrients and external application of nutrients through chemical fertilizers or organic manures is imperative to meet the crop nutrient requirement.
- Again the 69% of agricultural area is under dryland farming, investment on irrigation practices and mechanization is very much necessary.
- Increased incidence of weeds, pests and diseases and their management needs careful consideration to obtain the required output
- The increasing Indian population demanding more food production, so the large scale adoption of ZBNF may affect the future food security
- Integrated weed, pest and nutrient management is very much suited to Indian Agriculture system.
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