ICAR studies natural farming under All India Network Programme; findings on yields, soil health and incentives under Mission
ICAR’s network study reports field-level evidence on natural farming, soil health, crop productivity, and output-based incentives under Mission on Natural Farming
- The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has used multi-location trials to compare natural farming with organic farming and integrated crop management.
- The study reports improvement in soil organic carbon and microbial diversity in natural farming plots over time.
- The Mission on Natural Farming links farmer support to practice, training, livestock upkeep, and input preparation through an output-based incentive.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has expanded evidence on natural farming through its All India Network Programme on Natural Farming. The programme matters for UPSC because it connects agricultural sustainability, farm profitability, and soil health in a single policy discussion.
The network study began in 2020-21 and works through 20 cooperating centres across 16 States. It covers 8 major cropping systems and also aims to develop package of practices for natural farming while evaluating cropping systems under organic farming.
Background and earlier position
UPSC can ask about natural farming as a model of sustainable agriculture, its trade-offs with productivity and soil health, the role of Indian Council of Agricultural Research in validating farming systems, and the design of output-based incentives under Mission on Natural Farming.
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