Zero budget natural farming | ZBNF

Zero budget natural farming :-

A chemical free agricultural method that uses locally available resources to minimize cultivation cost.

The term zero budget signifies that the costs of growing and harvesting crops are recovered through practices like inter cropping.

This practice was developed by subhash palikar.

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ZBNF is based on four main pillar or practices as follow :-

1. Jeevamrit

2. Beejamrit

3. Acchadana (mulching)

4. Waaphasa

1. JEEVAMRIT :- is the enhancement of soil microbes using an inoculum of cow dung, cow urine and jaggery.

2. BEEJAMRIT :- Beejamrit is the microbial coating of seeds with formulation of cow urine and dung.

3. ACCHADANA (mulching) :- mulching is the covering of soil with crops or crop residues.

4. WAAPHASA :- waaphasa is the building up of soil humus to increase soil avation.

ZBNF includes 3 methods of insect and pest management as follow :-

1. Agniastras

2. Brahmastra

3. Neemastra

Intercropping :- the practice of growing monocot and dicot crops on the same field compensate for the cost incurred on the main crop.

Cultivation of more than one or two crops of different family on the same piece of land.

ZBNF recommended practice like 5 layered farming to replicate forest like ecosystems, ensuring a regular flow of income for the farmers.

ZBNF :- The ZBNF package designed strictly opposes previous practices like farming, the use of genetically modified seeds.

ZBNF is labour intensive.

ZBNF LIMITS :-

1. Various farmers group as well as agricultural scientists have opposed ZBNF as it lacks scientific data,

2. ICAR - IIFSR following the three year study, concludes that ZBNF will especially reduces the output.

3. ZBNF opposes some modern farming system technologies such as uses heavy machines, hybrid seeds, but these practices are important according to our current population scenario for higher productivity.

4. With the current findings it suggest that the component of natural farming such as beejamrit, jeevamrit, ghanjeevamrit, etc. can be promoted for improving the soil productivity and sustainability in agriculture, but not as a substitute for fertilizer.

5. The information available in the public domain that one cow is enough for 30 acres under ZBNF, is not practical by any of the farmers who follow ZBNF.

6. If all the production zones of country were to adopt ZBNF with traditional varieties, there would be a significant drop in food grain production, and there will be significant food shortages.

CONCLUSION :-

1. We do not discard the potential of ZBNF or BPKP in the longer run, but according to current population scenario we can't shift immediately modern farming into ZBNF.

2. We need long term research and more data for improving natural farming.

3. Moreover the Sri Lanka crisis acts as a lesson for the entire world to take properly planned action like educating the farmers and consumers about the likely impact of the switch, creating proper infrastructure before banning the utilizing of inorganic fertilizers.

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