Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF): Principles and the Andhra Pradesh Model

Concept and Rationale

ZBNF emerged as a response to the rising cost of cultivation, farmer indebtedness, and ecological degradation associated with chemical-intensive farming under the Green Revolution. The core philosophy is that nature already provides everything required for plant growth through soil micro-organisms, and external chemical inputs disrupt this natural balance. By using farm-based inputs prepared from cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, and pulse flour, farmers can drastically cut input costs while improving soil health over time.

The Four Pillars

• Jeevamrutham: a fermented microbial culture made from cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, pulse flour, and soil, applied to the field to boost microbial activity and nutrient availability.

• Beejamrutham: a treatment applied to seeds and seedlings before sowing, using cow dung, cow urine, lime, and soil, to protect against soil-borne and seed-borne pathogens.

• Acchadana (Mulching): covering the soil with crop residue, straw, or living plants to conserve moisture, regulate temperature, and add organic matter as it decomposes.

• Whapasa: maintaining an optimal mix of air and moisture in the soil rather than continuous flooding, since Palekar argues that plant roots need both water vapour and oxygen, not saturated soil.

Andhra Pradesh's Adoption and Scaling

Andhra Pradesh launched ZBNF in 2015-16 as a livelihood and climate-resilience initiative, implemented through RySS with support from the state agriculture department, the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, the UK's University of Reading, the World Agroforestry Centre, and the FAO. The state's 2018-19 Economic Survey projected ZBNF as a means to double farmer incomes while reducing dependence on costly inputs and credit. Over time the programme was rebranded as APCNF to emphasise community-led implementation through women's self-help groups and farmer field schools, moving beyond Palekar's original formulations to a broader natural farming framework that also draws on agroecology principles.

Important Concepts/Subtopics

• Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati (BPKP): a sub-scheme under the Centrally sponsored Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana that promotes traditional indigenous practices, including ZBNF-type natural farming, across states.

• National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF): a more recent dedicated mission to scale up natural farming nationally, with dedicated funding for input resource centres (Bio-Input Resource Centres) and farmer training.

• ZBNF vs. Organic Farming: organic farming permits certified external organic inputs and certification-based market access, whereas ZBNF emphasises on-farm input preparation and zero monetary cost, though in practice the two approaches overlap considerably.

• Scientific Debate: critics, including some agricultural scientists and economists, have questioned the absence of rigorous, peer-reviewed, multi-location trial data on yields under ZBNF compared to conventional and organic systems, and have cautioned against a one-size-fits-all national rollout without further evidence.

• Subsidy Mismatch: farmers shifting to natural farming often forgo fertiliser subsidies linked to chemical inputs, which can act as a disincentive unless natural farming inputs are similarly supported.

Current Relevance

Natural farming has become central to India's climate adaptation and sustainable agriculture discourse. The APCNF model's 2026 Food Planet Prize win has renewed national and global attention, with the model being shared across roughly 22 Indian states and exported to countries such as Sri Lanka and Zambia. It aligns with broader policy goals – reducing fertiliser subsidy burden, improving soil health, climate-resilient agriculture (relevant to India's NDC commitments), and farmer income enhancement. The approach is frequently referenced in discussions on sustainable agriculture, input cost reduction, and women-led rural institutions (self-help groups) under GS Paper 3.