Advancing sustainable rabi crop production through organic and natural farming: Current status and future prospects

Rabi (winter) crops - wheat, chickpea, lentil, field pea, barley and rapeseed–mustard - anchor India's food, protein and edible-oil security, yet their production remains locked into input-intensive green-revolution practices that have degraded soils, depleted aquifers and raised the carbon footprint of Indian agriculture. Organic farming and, more recently, natural farming (including Zero Budget Natural Farming, ZBNF) have emerged as competing and complementary paradigms for reorienting this winter production system toward sustainability. This review critically synthesizes 73 verified peer-reviewed and official sources (2012–2026) on the agronomic, edaphic, economic and environmental performance of organic and natural farming in rabi cropping systems, with particular emphasis on the Indian evidence base and the contribution of Indian scientists. Global meta-analyses converge on an organic yield penalty of 9–25%, moderated by diversification, legume inclusion and best management; Indian long-term experiments and recent field studies show that organic and natural farming can narrow or even close this gap in wheat-based systems while rebuilding soil organic carbon, microbial biomass and aggregate stability. Evidence from Andhra Pradesh's community-managed natural farming programme indicates yield advantages over organic and parity with conventional systems for several crops, but biophysical modelling warns that ZBNF-type systems can supply only 52–80% of the nitrogen currently applied as fertilizer, implying risks under high-input cereals. Policy momentum - from the National Programme for Organic Production to the 2024 National Mission on Natural Farming - contrasts with persistent deficits in certification credibility, market infrastructure, and crop-specific agronomic protocols. Priority research needs include long-term rabi-specific factorial trials, nutrient-budget modelling, standardized evaluation of cow-based formulations, and socio-economic assessment of transition pathways for smallholders.