INR 2481 Crore National Mission on Natural Farming Targets Sustainable Agriculture Growth
NEW DELHI, 1 April 2025: In a major boost to sustainable agriculture and organic farming practices in India, the Union Government has launched the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) — a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at promoting Natural Farming practices among 1 crore farmers across the country by the end of the 15th Finance Commission period.
The NMNF scheme, approved by the Union Cabinet on November 25, 2024, has an overall financial outlay of ₹2481 crore, with a funding pattern of 90:10 for Hilly and North Eastern States and 60:40 for other States between the Centre and State Governments.
As per the official release, the scheme guidelines were issued on December 26, 2024, and till date, Annual Action Plans (AAPs) of 33 States and Union Territories (UTs) have been approved. During the financial year 2024-25, ₹177.78 lakh has already been disbursed to the States and UTs for implementing the scheme.
Focus on Training and Farmer Empowerment
To build capacity at the grassroots level, the government has initiated training programmes at Centers of Natural Farming (CoNF) across India. As part of this effort, over 70,021 Krishi Sakhis — trained women farmers and rural resource persons — have been empowered with knowledge of Soil Health Management and Natural Farming Techniques to support and guide fellow farmers.
The NMNF scheme also envisages the development of Natural Farming Model Demonstration Farms and mass enrollment of farmers adopting chemical-free agriculture practices to promote soil health, reduce input costs, and ensure sustainable farming.
The scheme is seen as a transformative step towards achieving the government’s vision of climate-resilient agriculture, organic farming promotion, zero-budget farming, and soil health improvement in India.
This information was provided by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Ramnath Thakur, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha recently.
Image credit: wotr.org
