Farmyard manure in natural farming leads to higher yields than the conventional method

Farmyard manure in natural farming leads to higher yields than the conventional method

Subject :Environment

Section :Agriculture

Context:

• Natural farming practices alone could not yield as much as conventional farming, but supplemented with farmyard manure (FYM), crop yields were invariably higher than those from conventional or chemical farming.

Details:

• This was established in a field survey done in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra during February-May 2019 by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad.

Study findings:

• The study has examined the adoption pattern of different components of natural farming and estimated the crop yield and farm income under these practices as compared to existing farming practices.
• Intercropping is a major recommended practice in natural farming as it reduces soil stress by reducing the mining of only specific nutrients from the soil, as in the case of a solo/mono-crop.
  • Only 26 per cent, 45 per cent and 17 per cent of farmers who have adopted natural farming in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra, respectively, practice inter / mixed crops.
  • The low percentage was due to the fact that paddy is the major crop in the study area and is preferably cultivated as a single crop.
  • Karnataka (at 45 per cent) had the highest rate of inter / mixed cropping among the study states.
• Another important component of natural farming- mulching– was found to be followed by farmers, depending on the crop and availability of mulching material.
• A substantial reduction in the input cost of natural farming as compared to non-natural farming due to the non-use of expensive agrochemicals was found.
• The study also pointed out several challenges in natural farming adoption.
  • Natural farming was also perceived to be more labour intensive and regular monitoring by farmers was required.
  • The farmers also expected higher prices for the natural farming produce, considering it is free from chemicals.
  • Hence, the non-availability of designated markets for natural farming produce (as in the case of organic produce) has driven reluctance towards natural farming adoption.

Natural Farming:

• It is defined as “chemical-free farming and livestock based”.
  • Soundly grounded in agroecology, it is a diversified farming system that integrates crops, trees and livestock, allowing the optimum use of functional biodiversity.
• It holds the promise of enhancing farmers’ income while delivering many other benefits, such as restoration of soil fertility and environmental health, and mitigating and/or reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• This farming approach was introduced by Masanobu Fukuoka, a Japanese farmer and philosopher, in his 1975 book The One-Straw Revolution.
• Internationally, Natural Farming is considered a form of regenerative agriculture—a prominent strategy to save the planet.
• In India, Natural farming is promoted as Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati Programme (BPKP) under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY).
  • BPKP is aimed at promoting traditional indigenous practices which reduce externally purchased inputs.