National Mission on Natural Farming (Agriculture)
National Mission on Natural Farming (Agriculture)
Why In News:
The Government reviewed progress under the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), a flagship scheme promoting chemical free, ecosystem based farming rooted in Indian traditional knowledge, as part of a broader climate resilient agriculture push.
Source: PIB, 24 July 2026
About the Scheme
Approval and Nature: Approved in November 2024 as a standalone Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
Financial Outlay: Rs 2,481 crore till the 15th Finance Commission period (2025-26), comprising a Centre's share of Rs 1,584 crore and a states' share of Rs 897 crore.
Predecessor Scheme: A restructured and scaled up version of the Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati (BPKP), which operated under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) from 2020-21 to 2022-23.
Targets: Covers 7.5 lakh hectares across 15,000 clusters, benefiting about 1 crore farmers.
The Natural Farming Cycle: Key Terms
Jeevamrit: A fermented microbial culture prepared from cow dung, cow urine, jaggery and pulse flour, used to enrich soil microbial activity.
Beejamrit: A cow based seed treatment solution used to protect young roots from soil borne diseases.
Mulching: Covering the soil surface with crop residue or organic matter to conserve moisture and suppress weeds.
Waaphasa: The concept of maintaining optimal soil moisture and aeration rather than continuous irrigation, a core principle of natural farming.
Implementation Architecture
Bio Input Resource Centres (BRCs): 10,000 such centres are being set up for easy availability of natural farming inputs.
Krishi Sakhis: 30,000 trained community resource persons deployed for farmer mobilisation, awareness and handholding.
Model Demonstration Farms: About 2,000 farms being established at Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and Agricultural Universities to train willing farmers.
Certification and Branding: A simple certification system and a common national brand for naturally grown, chemical free produce are being developed.
Key Facts for Prelims
Distinct from Organic Farming: Natural farming avoids all externally purchased inputs, including market bought bio fertilisers, relying instead on on-farm resources and livestock.
Related Scheme: Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), which promotes cluster based organic farming through Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) certification.