Stirring up the truth about ZBNF (It is unwise to mainstream ZBNF without scientific validation)

Excellent study material for all civil services aspirants - begin learning - Kar ke dikhayenge!

 Stirring up the truth about ZBNF (It is unwise to mainstream ZBNF without scientific validation)

---

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

---

• Justus von Liebig : Modern agricultural practices are criticised today, and a lot of  share goes to Justus von Liebig, a German scientist (1803 - 1873) who contributed to  agricultural chemistry. Liebig is called "father of fertilizer industry".
• Chemicalisation of agriculture : The latest criticisms of Green Revolution technologies are actually criticism of the chemicals used. Many claims are made that alternative non-chemical agri methods are possible.
• Organic farming : Slowly, "organic farming" term became the umbrella term for various non-chemical or less-chemical methods of farming. Three examples were given - (a) Rudolf Steiner's biodynamics, (b) Masanobu Fukuoka's one-straw revolution, and (c) Madagascar's  SRI (system of rice intensification).
• Indian alternatives proposed : Many farming methods were proposed, including Vedic /  Natu-eco / Agnihotra / Amrutpani. The latest is ZBNF - Zero Budget Natural Farming, by Subhash Palekar (Maha., Kar.). In the Budget 2019-20, the govt. mainstreamed the ZBNF.
• Palekar's anger : He finds all modern agri knowledge false, chemical fertilizers and  cross-bred cows 'demonic' and biotech and tractors 'demonic technologies'. Palekar finds  organic farming worse than an atom bomb. So, ZBNF is not organic farming, and it's  definitely anti-inorganic farming.
• Palekar's point : Soil has all nutrients plants need, and microorganisms are needed to  help plants take them up. He proposes 'four wheels of ZBNF' - Bijamrit, Jivamrit,  Mulching and Waaphasa.

1. Bijamrit - microbial coating of seeds with cow urine and dung
2. Jivamrit - enhancing soil microbes by inoculum of cow dung, urine and jaggery
3. Mulching - covering of soil with crop residue
4. Waaphasa - building up soil humus to increase soil aeration

• To contain pests, ZBNF uses different preparations using cow dung, urine, tobacco, green  chilli, neem etc.
• Taking ZBNF apart : 

1. It is not zero budget at all, as many ingredients have to be purchased! Costs of hired labour, imputed family labour and rent, cow costs and electricity costs exist.
2. No independent studies have verified its higher-yield claims. A scientific study has another 5 yrs before final reporting. We may be looking at LOWER yields of upto 30%, not higher.
3. Palekar is against "soil-testing" and applies one solution to entire India. But  Indian soils vary hugely in organic matter content - 59%, 49% and 48% are low in available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, respectively. Micronutrients vary hugely too - zinc, iron, managanese, copper, etc. Salinity and acidity of soils also varies.
4. He claims that plants take only 1.5% of needed nutrients from soil, and 98.5% from air/water/sunlight. This is unscientific. He wants to apply 10 kg cow dung and 10 litres cow urine per acre per month. For 5 months, that means 750 g nitrogen per acre per season (as dung as 0.5% N and urine 1% N). Indian soils need much more Nitrogen!
5. He claims that as ZBNF is spiritual, the farmers will stop drinking, lying, gambling, eating non-veg, etc. He wrongly claims India's cow population is falling, and shows sympathy for gau rakshaks.

• What we really need : We have to improve soil health, by checking wind/water erosion  of soils. We have to minimise fertility damage of saline, acidic, alkaline, toxic soils. Location-specific scientific interventions are needed. Chemical fertlizers may need to be reduced at some places, but increased at some others. Anti-science can hardly help. Govt. should not go ahead with ZBNF.
• Summary : The Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is an unproven and unscientific method, the  mainstreaming of which by govt. carries grave risks to crop production.

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

Join UPSC Self Prep course | Online Course (PT Gurukul)  | Covid Special Course | Join PT courses

* Content sourced from free internet sources (publications, PIB site, international sites, etc.). Take your own subscriptions. Copyrights acknowledged.