Push for zero-budget pure farming, to be included in syllabus of agriculture universities

Building on the Modi authorities’s push for natural, zero-budget pure farming, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday mentioned in her finances speech that the agriculture universities within the nation will probably be inspired to incorporate these areas of their syllabus.
The Union authorities has began pushing the idea of zero-budget pure farming as an initiative that can work in direction of making the vocation of farming extra sustainable in addition to bettering the earnings of the farmers by decreasing prices of inputs, along with different areas reminiscent of higher market entry and improved product returns to the farmers.

On December 16 2021, whereas addressing the National Summit on Agro and Food Processing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised on pure farming in his speech as a ‘promising tool’ in bettering the state of affairs of the farmers.
Following this, Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), the apex physique for coordinating, guiding and managing analysis and training in agriculture, issued a round to all of the central and state universities to take initiatives to advertise pure farming.

On Tuesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned: “States will be encouraged to revise the syllabus of agricultural universities to meet the needs of natural, zero-budget and organic farming, modern-day agriculture, value addition and management.”
Dr Harihar Kausadikar, director (training), Maharashtra Council of Agriculture Education and Research (MCAER), mentioned that the curriculum of agriculture universities in Maharashtra is revised each 10 years. The final revision occurred in 2009-10 and the method of revising the syllabus is underway. The new syllabus could also be efficient from the upcoming tutorial 12 months scheduled to start in July–August 2022.

“As per the ICAR directives issued in December 2021, the syllabus for postgraduate programmes in agricultural universities must include areas of organic farming, zero-budget farming, and natural farming. The universities are also encouraged to start independent courses on the subject (for instance, MSc organic farming). The new syllabus will become effective from the upcoming academic year for all four agricultural universities in Maharashtra,” mentioned Dr Kausadikar.
According to Dr Kausadikar, the ICAR has constituted 19 BSMA (broad material space) committees with eminent agricultural scientists, lecturers, and material specialists to revise the syllabus.

Zero-budget farming emphasises on a shift of agriculture practices from mono-crops to a diversified multi-cropping system. Cow dung and urine are used to make natural fertilisers reminiscent of Beejamrit, Jivamrit and Ghanjivamrit.
Other conventional practices reminiscent of mulching the soil with biomass or preserving the soil lined with inexperienced cowl across the 12 months, even when water availability is low, are practices that guarantee sustained productiveness even from the primary 12 months of adoption, say consultants.