NITI Aayog has published a report titled “Empowering Farmers: Natural Farming Training Toolkit & Best Practices Guide.”

About Natural Farming

• It is a chemical-free, livestock-based farming system rooted in ecological principles.
  • This method integrates crops, trees, and animals to maximise biodiversity, thereby maintaining environmental harmony. 
• It relies on the natural processes occurring within and around the farm, eliminating the need for external chemical inputs.
  • This distinguishes it from organic farming, which permits the use of externally sourced, certified organic fertilizers and bio-pesticides.

Benefits of Natural Farming:

• Economic Benefits: Reduces the paid-out cost of cultivation by at least 5-10% across major crops, and up to 20-55% in several cases. 
  • Diversified natural farms can earn 20-40% higher net incomes compared to monocropped conventional farms. 
• Environmental & Ecological: Lowers greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 55-85%. 
  • It significantly conserves resources, resulting in 50-60% savings in water and electricity.
• Soil Health & Resilience: Increases Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) by up to 45% and boosts beneficial soil microorganisms. 
  • Improved soil health leads to stronger root development.
• Health & Nutritional Security: Protects the health of farmers and consumers by completely avoiding synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.
• Livestock Integration: Makes livestock economically viable by integrating them directly into the agroecological farming system, where their by-products (dung and urine) are utilized for on-farm inputs.