Zero Budget Farming

               

            

          Zero Budget Farming

                                                                                                           
                                                   
                                                                                                              - by Aman Mittal

Have you ever thought of " Zero budget Farming " . Yes , Now it can be possible

Mr Subhash Palekar , the person behind the success of Zero  Budget Farming and has written several books on the same in 60 different languages .



What is Zero Budget Farming?

 Using conventional techniques is like cancer to our soil and health . It will not make the soil barren but also the farmer goes under debt . Hence, the only way to deal with this rising problem is  "Zero Budget Farming" or "Zero Budget Natural Farming" (ZBNF) is basically a method that involves zero credits for agriculture and no use of chemical fertilisers. The prime objective of Zero Budget Farming is to diminish the farmer's burden by reducing several costs. 

It has attained wide success specially in southern parts of India mainly Karnataka . This movement is a collaboration between Mr. Subhash Palekar and the state farmers association Karnataka .




Mr. Subhash Palekar ,  the man behind the success of Zero Budget Farming and has written several books on the same in 60 different languages .I He was the first active farmer to receive  Padmashri Award .

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The basic “toolkit” of ZBNF methods was put together by Palekar. He is a former agricultural scientist .

Here we briefly list out some of the main practices of ZBNF. demonstrating the preparation of jivamruta

The four pillars of ZNBF :

1. Jivamrita/jeevamrutha - catalytic agent :

It is a fermented microbial culture. It provides nutrients, but most importantly, acts as a catalytic agent that promotes the activity of microorganisms in the soil, as well as increases earthworm activity; During the 48 hour fermentation process, the aerobic and anaerobic bacteria present in the cow dung and urine multiply as they eat up organic ingredients (like pulse flour). A handful of undisturbed soil is also added to the preparation,  Jeevamrutha also helps to prevent fungal and bacterial plant diseases. 


 The best thing is that Jeevamrutha is only needed for the first 3 years of the transition, after which the system becomes self-sustaining.

How to prepare jeevamrutha :

1. Put 200 litres of water in a barrel; Add 10 Kg fresh local cow dung and 5 to 10 litres aged cow urine.
2. Add 2 Kg of Jaggery (a local type of brown sugar), 2 Kg of pulse flour and a handful of soil from the bund of the farm. Stir the solution well and let it ferment for 48 hours in the shade.

Now jeevamrutha is ready for application. 200 litres of jeevamruta is sufficient for one acre of
land.

Jeevamrutha Application :

Apply the jeevamrutha to the crops twice a month in the irrigation 

2. Bijamrita/beejamrutha -seeds :

It is a treatment used for seeds, seedlings or any planting material.
Bijamrita is effective in protecting young roots from fungus as well as from soil-borne and seed-borne diseases that commonly affect plants after the monsoon period. It is composed of similar ingredients as jeevamrutha - local cow dung, a powerful natural fungicide, and cow urine, a strong anti-bacterial liquid, lime, soil.

Bijamrita Application as a seed treatment :

Add Bijamrita to the seeds of any crop: coat them, mixing by hand; dry them well and use them
for sowing. For leguminous seeds, just dip them quickly and let them dry.

3. Acchadana - Mulching:

 According to ZBF , there are three types of mulching:

a. Soil Mulch: This protects topsoil during cultivation and does not destroy it by tilling. It
promotes aeration and water retention in the soil. Palekar suggests avoiding deep
ploughing.

b. Straw Mulch: Straw material usually refers to the dried biomass waste of previous crops, but as Palekar suggests, it can be composed of the dead material of any living being (plants,animals, etc). Palekar's approach to soil fertility is very simple – provide dry organic material which will decompose and form humus through the activity of the soil 

c. Live Mulch (symbiotic inter crops and mixed crops): 
According to Palekar, it is essential to develop multiple cropping patterns of monocotyledons  and dicotyledons grown in the same field, to supply all essential elements to the soil and crops.

4. Whapasa - moisture: 

  Palekar challenges the idea that plant roots need a lot of water, thus
countering the over reliance on irrigation in green revolution farming. According to him, what roots need is water vapour. Whapasa is the condition where there are both air molecules and water molecules present in the soil, and he encourages reducing irrigation, irrigating only at noon, in alternate furrows ZBNF farmers report a significant decline in need for irrigation in ZBNF.

Other important principles of ZBNF and points to note

1. Inter cropping – This is primarily how ZBNF gets its “Zero Budget” name. It doesn’t mean that the farmer is going to have no costs at all, but rather that any costs will be compensated for by income from intercrops, making farming a close to zero budget activity. Palekar explains in detail the crop and tree associations that work well for the south Asian context.

2. Contours and bunds – To preserve rain water, Palekar explains in
detail how to make the contours and bunds, which promote
maximum efficacy for different crops.

3. Local species of earthworms - Palekar opposes the use of
vermicompost. He claims that the revival of local deep soil
earthworms through increased organic matter is most
recommended.

4. Cow dung- According to Palekar, dung from the Bos indicus (humped cow) is most beneficial and has the highest concentrations of micro-organisms as compared to European cow breeds such as Holstein. The entire ZBNF method is centred
on the Indian cow, which historically has been part of Indian rural life.



This is how a Zero Budget Farming can be done .
Now, I have a question for my Engineering Friends 

How Zero budget Farming concept be helpful in Civil Engineering ? It may be directly or indirectly .( give answer in comment section below )



                                       Thank you