Natural farming to be taken up by Karnataka's four agricultural varsities on 1,000 acre of land each

In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, the Karnataka government will focus on natural farming and will grow crops without using chemical fertilisers and insecticides on 4,000 acres, with 1,000 acre in each of the Krishi Vijnana Kendras attached to four Universities of Agriculture Sciences across the state. The decision has been taken as there is an increasing demand for vegetables and fruits without chemicals.

Starting this pre-monsoon, the government will take up the study on chemical-free farming in association with the four agriculture universities situated in Bengaluru, Dharwad, Raichur and Shivamogga. Once the yield is good, natural farming methods will be taught to farmers.

Agriculture Minister BC Patil told The New Indian Express that these universities have large tracts of land attached to them and natural farming will be taken up on 1,000 acres on each campus. The focus will be on region-based crops, he added.

Patil said farmers in the state grow various crops, including paddy, ragi, pulses, jowar, areca nut, fruits and vegetables. Each region grows different crops based on the climate and water availability. "Instead of chemical-based fertilisers and insecticides, scientists will use green leaves, neem, cow dung and other naturally available items to grow crops. Starting this April and May, which is the pre-monsoon season, we will start the cultivation at these universities. Once it is successful, we will ask farmers from those areas to practice natural farming," he added.

Experts said natural farming is economical for farmers as they don't have to spend money on chemical-based products. Srinivas Reddy, former director and scientific officer, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), said, "Indians practised natural farming for thousands of years with the help of age-old wisdom. With chemical-based farming, the flora and fauna, including insects and worms, that helped maintain a healthy soil have been killed. Natural farming can bring back the fertility of the soil and increase production. The carbon content has come down drastically. It is now or never."

Reddy said it is a good initiative to involve agriculture universities in taking up the study. "The major challenge will be to take the university research to farmers. Farmers will adopt it only if better results are shown," he added.