Subhash palekar natural farming - scope, efficacy and critics

Abstract

By 2050, India is expected to surpass China as the world's most populated country, with a population of almost 1.7 billion people. To feed this exponentially increasing population, the country must pursue a policy of vertical productivity growth, as the possibilities for additional horizontal expansion of cultivated land are rapidly diminishing. Furthermore, continual cropping depletes soil nutrient resources, necessitating the replenishment of soils with critical major and minor plant nutrients. The country cannot compromise with nutritional supply in order to end "Silent Hunger" and the immoral perpetuation of high concentrations of increasing number of malnourished children and anaemic moms. While the country is intending to restructure its agricultural production system, including R&D, to meet the needs of rising problems, the 2018-19 economic survey established a strong case for the widespread adoption of ‘Zero Budget Natural Farming' (ZBNF) to double farmers' revenue. As a result, crop productivity will remain low, and farmers will not be able to earn enough to double their income and get out of debt with this level of output. Also at the country level, we will not be able to meet the expanding populations food and nutritional demands and hence will fail to meet the sustainable goals of “Zero Hunger and Poverty Elimination” by 2030. Thus, with zero budget natural farming practices we can feed to the India and world, our emphasis is too elaborate all aspects.