Zero Budget Spiritual Farming (ZBSF)
Abstract
According to the most recent WHO reports, more than 50% of foods contain natural carcinogens [11]. This allays a grave worry in the agricultural sector. Despite of the fact that pesticides used to boost agricultural Development, are known to modify human chromosomes, they are still utilized rapidly and in excessive amounts only to generate income. But at the end of the day, it becomes mandatory for a novice farmer to share a meal with his family members in these times of rising inflation. Only in India, 200k farmers committed suicide in 2016 as a result of the heavy debt loads, they were forced to take on to pay for the pricey and lethal crop growth enhancers. After witnessing the detrimental consequences of chemical farming, recently avery effective agricultural practice is getting quite trendy among the farmers known as Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), also known as Zero Budget Spiritual Farming. In Southern India, especially in Karnataka, where it was initially developed, it has achieved widespread success [7]. It is currently expanding so rapidly and actively across India.
Keywords
Download Options
Introduction
The philosophy of natural farming is working inclose proximity with nature to produce nutritious food, keep ourselves well,and maintain the health of the land. Everything in nature has a use and a function within the larger system of life. This practice is also known as "do nothing farming" because the farmer is merely seen as a facilitator for Nature, who does the actual labor. This farming technique involves no tillage and cultivation without the use of pesticides, inorganic fertilisers, and herbicides. In this case, compared to other farming techniques, actual physical work and labour have been observed to decrease by up to 80%. Avoiding the use of organic amendments like FYM and vermicompost is something that makes natural farming very different from organic farming. Fukuoka pioneered natural farming in Japan by experimenting with nature and by using natural methods of crop multiplication. Without soil erosion, he produced yields comparable to those obtained with chemical farming [1,6,9]. The key to natural farming is reducing the external inputs that harm the natural soil composition on the farm. Initially, he had to produce natural insecticides like pyrethrum, which comes from chrysanthemum roots, and sprayed them on his veggies to stave off pests like cabbageworm and cabbage moths because there wasn't a habitat for many of the insects. The name "Zero Budget Natural Farming" refers to a farming technique where the cost of cultivating and harvesting the plants is zero. As a result, farmers are freed from the expense of purchasing fertilizers and pesticides to maintain the healthy growth of their crops. The technique calls for using readily available, locally produced, naturally biodegradable materials combined with cutting-edge technology and traditional farming techniques based on biological processes that occur naturally. Shri Subhash Palekar brought this idea to light, for which he was awarded the Padma Shri in 2016. [2]. He was born on February 2, 1949, at Belora, a small village in the Amravati district of Maharashtra, India. He graduated from Nagpur with a B.Sc. degree in Agriculture. After graduating, he experimented because he was committed towards improving the farms in his village and found that regular use of chemicals had left the farm area arid. So, he made the decision to seek out the best answer. The natural systems that operate in forests, have the capacity to develop and nourish them while sustaining many healthy ecosystems, according to Palekar's1986–88 research on forest vegetation. And after putting in a lot of work in the field, he finally provided the ZBNF equations. Additionally, he published other works, including “The Philosophy of Spiritual Farming and Five Layer Palekar Models”.
Conclusion
The injudicious use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers can endanger the ecosystem and soil. Numerous studies have demonstrated the negative impacts of changes in soil characteristics, soil contamination, groundwater pollution, and declines in soil microflora, among other things. Studies have shown that natural farming, with least amounts of external inputs and by adding supplements like Jeevamrutha, improves soil fertility by boosting the amount of accessible nutrients and soil microflora. This approach promotes diversity in micro and macro flora as well as multiple cropping. Production and labor costs are kept to a minimum.
As a result, many may consider it to be sustainable and eco-friendly. However, these studies are still in the early stages, and more research must be done to confirm the advantages for all crops and the effectiveness of native insecticides like Neemastram, Brahmastram, etc., and how long it will take to enrich the contam-inated soil. In conclusion, there have been significant cost savings on seeds, fertilizers, and plant protection chemicals. The new system has released the farmers from their debt trap and given them newfound confidence to turn farming into a financially viable endeavour. There is little doubt that Palekar's Zero Budget Natural Farming has permanently changed Indian agriculture. This method has substantially benefited more than 40 lakh farmers around the nation, and this number will undoubtedly rise dramatically in the upcoming years.
