₹18,000 Crore to 9 Crore Farmers: The PM’s Natural Farming Pitch

On November 20, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at the South India Natural Farming Summit in Tamil Nadu, unveiled an ambitious vision to establish India as a global hub for natural farming. As part of this initiative, he transferred ₹18,000 crore under the PM-KISAN scheme, marking the 21st instalment aimed at small landholders—₹4 lakh crore has been disbursed since the scheme's inception. The announcement coincided with key policy interventions designed to institutionalize natural farming and reduce India's dependency on chemical agriculture.

Breaking Away From the Conventional Farming Model

India has long cherished its role as an agricultural powerhouse, but the recent pivot towards natural farming represents a deliberate departure from the Green Revolution paradigm, which privileged yields over ecological sustainability. Unlike earlier policy pushes for hybrid seeds and synthetic inputs, the Prime Minister’s commitment signals an attempt to blend indigenous knowledge with modern scientific validation.

This shift is not merely cosmetic. The government’s adoption of the 'One Acre, One Season' pilot model underscores the seriousness of transitioning farmers into natural farming practices on a manageable scale. If successful, the experiment could tackle criticisms that transitioning out of chemical farming is prohibitively disruptive. Additionally, the emphasis on integrating livestock with local biodiversity, as articulated under the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), seeks to tackle declining soil health holistically.

Yet, this moment diverges sharply from earlier movements towards organic farming. Organic farming, though environmentally motivated, remains tied to certifications, export orientation, and external inputs. By contrast, proponents of natural farming stress the elimination of external dependencies—a bold claim given India’s diverse agro-climatic challenges.

The Institutional Architecture Behind the Movement

The machinery supporting natural farming is multifaceted. Centrally, the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) embodies this shift, with ₹2,481 crore allocated until 2025–26 (₹1,584 crore from the Centre and ₹897 crore from States). Under the NMNF, states are tasked with promoting practices such as Jivamrita (a microbial solution from cow dung and urine), Bijamrita (seed treatments using cow products), mulching, and Wahpsa (moisture conservation).

State governments have also begun aligning their agricultural programs with these principles. Andhra Pradesh’s natural farming initiative under its Swarnandhra Vision explicitly integrates soil regeneration practices and crop diversification, while Kerala, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh have adopted similar models under the Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati (BPKP). Notably, Himachal Pradesh has leveraged natural farming to complement its mid-altitude horticulture systems—a contextual adaptation critical to ensuring success.

However, transforming rhetoric into reality requires navigating entrenched institutional hurdles. For instance, while schemes like the Kisan Credit Card have disbursed ₹10 lakh crore in assistance this year alone, financing transitions to natural farming remains unresolved. The NMNF’s ₹2,481 crore budget pales before the scale of agricultural reform India requires.

What the Data Reveals (and Conceals)

Official metrics paint an optimistic picture about natural farming’s potential, but scrutiny reveals gaps in evidence. According to NITI Aayog, natural farming promises reduced dependency on fertilizers and pesticides while doubling farmers' incomes. Yet, field studies point to mixed yields in high-demand crops like wheat and rice. Some states report comparable yields within two years of transition, but others cite initial drops of 10–30%, particularly in monoculture systems dependent on chemical nutrients.

A critical issue is market access. Without formal certification mechanisms like those available for organic farming, farmers practicing natural methods struggle to command premium prices despite lower input costs. Furthermore, absence of long-term data underpins agricultural skeptics' concerns. While the NMNF encourages region-specific studies, the scale remains insufficient for statistically robust policy recalibration.

Global comparisons also raise questions about India’s preparedness. Take South Korea, where a 2018 transition to low-input, diversified farming systems was backed by aggressive subsidy programs covering 50% of farmers' operational costs during the first three years. By comparison, India’s policy framework largely externalizes the financial burden of transition to farmers—a gap too significant to ignore.

Uncomfortable Questions Surrounding Implementation

The government’s framing of natural farming as a panacea oversimplifies real challenges. First, there’s the issue of capacity-building. India lacks the extension services necessary to scale natural farming expertise nationwide. While training programs exist, anecdotal evidence suggests uneven participation, particularly in states with smaller agrarian footprints.

Second, yield uncertainty during transition periods poses risks for subsistence farmers living on thin margins. Highlighting indigenous practices without scientific integration may attract ideological support but provides little reassurance to those risking food security. Much depends on the NMNF’s success in embedding multi-season resilience research into rollout strategies.

Finally, funding remains an Achilles' heel. The Centre’s ₹1,584 crore outlay under NMNF fails to account for state-level heterogeneity. States like Kerala or Himachal Pradesh, already adopting natural farming principles, may find alignment easier. But for regions like Jharkhand with acute food insecurity challenges, expecting farmers to adopt untested methods under financial duress is impractical.

A Global Anchor: South Korea’s Subsidy Model

South Korea’s 2018 pivot to ecological farming provides illuminating contrasts. Farmers transitioning to chemical-free agriculture received subsidies covering half of operational costs for three years, coupled with community certification programs to standardize practices and improve market confidence. India’s natural farming initiative, though ambitious, remains tied to rhetoric rather than systemic fiscal support. Until mechanisms incentivizing smallholders emerge, high rates of adoption seem improbable.

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