Zero-Budget’ Natural Farming (ZBNF) is a holistic agroecological alternative to high cost chemical inputsbased agriculture that addresses the impacts of climate change, reduces input costs and creates sustainable farming livelihoods in ways that are rooted both in science and Indian tradition.
Agriculture, which drives the region’s economy, has become increasingly water intensive and expensive. As the water table drops, the costs of extraction rise, as does the risk of eventual failure of ground water.
In recent years, poor farmers in this arid region have been drilling deeper and deeper in search of water to support cultivation of thirsty, high-value crops promising greater returns but involving greater risks.
RySS, the corporation for farmers’ empowerment, is a non-profit organization established by the government of Andra Pradesh in 2015 to promote ‘Zero-Budget’ Natural Farming, which is now practiced in 13 districts by 354,000 farmers from 3,015 villages in 662 mandals (administrative blocks), on 260,000 hectares of land. ZBNF is a government-supported farmers’ movement, for farmers, to farmers.
ZBNF trainers and extension workers are known as Community Resource Persons (CRPs), and are among 4,568. Their lives have been transformed by implementation of ZBNF in their own fields, enabling them to communicate the ZBNF principles and practices to new farmers.
Farmers use four treatments to enhance productivity at low cost: Bijamrita (Seed treatments using local cow dung and urine); Jiwamrita (soil inoculant made of cow dung and urine); Mulching (ensure favourable microclimate soil); and Waaphasa (soil aeration).
These treatments are chemical-free agriculture at lowest/zero-cost and enhance the incomes of farmers. ZBNF utilises the existing institutional
