Sustainable Agriculture in India Through Natural Farming – An Explorative Study

Purpose : The purpose of the study was to explore how natural farming (NF) could be adopted to counter the adverse effects of the green revolution implemented for the past few decades. This purpose stems from the current need for economies to implement sustainable agricultural practices. Methodology : The paper relied on the past literature and available data to critically analyze how NF has fared so far in the states that have adopted it. It analyzed how feasible it was to sustain yield as witnessed in conventional farming and what factors worked for and against its adoption. Findings : We have concluded that results from the adoption of NF are ambiguous since every state has different support mechanisms offered to the farmers. Although input costs were lower, yield could not be sustained for certain crops. The nascent stage of natural farming, small farmer cohort, and short periods were drawbacks in finding out the net benefits of this system. Practical Implication : Further research to determine which crops would be more suited for NF without endangering the country's food security, how much input costs can be lowered, and which states are most suited to adopt NF are some suggestions for the paper. Originality : The purpose of the paper was to investigate NF's feasibility. The study found that, despite popular assumption, there is still uncertainty regarding NF's capacity to address every problem that occurs in the Indian farm industry.