A farmer in Andhra Pradesh spends less on urea this year than she did five years ago. Not because prices fell — they didn’t — but because her field doesn’t need as much of it anymore. She switched to natural farming three seasons back, and the change in her input bill is the first thing she mentions when neighbors ask what’s different.
Stories like this are becoming common enough that the central government has backed a dedicated natural farming scheme with real money behind it: the National Mission on Natural Farming, or NMNF. Approved by the Union Cabinet in November 2024, it’s the most significant push India has made toward chemical-free agriculture at national scale.
This guide covers what the natural farming scheme actually offers, who qualifies, how the money and training work, and where farmers commonly get tripped up when applying. If you’re weighing whether to join, or just want to understand what your neighbor signed up for, this should answer it.
Table of Contents
What Is the National Mission on Natural Farming?
The Basics
NMNF is a standalone, centrally sponsored natural farming scheme run by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare. It grew out of an earlier program — the Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati (BPKP) — which had operated as a sub-scheme under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) since 2019-20. The government decided BPKP’s results justified giving it independent status and a much bigger budget, and NMNF was the result.
The total outlay is ₹2,481 crore, split between the Centre (₹1,584 crore) and states (₹897 crore), running through the 15th Finance Commission period ending 2025-26. The mission’s targets are specific: 15,000 farming clusters covering 7.5 lakh hectares, and outreach to roughly 1 crore farmers nationwide.
What “Natural Farming” Actually Means
Don’t confuse this with organic farming, though the two overlap. Natural farming, as practiced under NMNF, avoids synthetic fertilizers and pesticides entirely and instead relies on farm-generated inputs — mainly formulations made from desi cow dung and urine, combined with jaggery, pulse flour, and soil microbes. Two terms you’ll hear constantly: jeevamrut, a fermented liquid used to boost soil microbial activity, and beejamrut, a seed treatment made from the same base ingredients.
The philosophy traces back to Masanobu Fukuoka’s 1975 book on minimal-intervention farming, though the Indian adaptation is less extreme — it still involves active soil and pest management, just without purchased chemical inputs. The core idea is that a farm can largely produce what it needs internally: biomass mulching, livestock integration, and diversity-based pest control replace the fertilizer bag and the pesticide sprayer.
A third term worth knowing is whapasa, referring to the balance of air and moisture in the soil that natural farming practitioners aim to maintain through mulching rather than heavy irrigation. Practitioners argue this reduces water use significantly compared to conventional flood irrigation, though results vary by soil type and region. This is one of the reasons the natural farming scheme pairs well with water-stressed districts, where reducing irrigation dependency matters as much as cutting chemical costs.
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Who Runs It on the Ground
Each cluster under the scheme includes at least 50 farmers across roughly 50 hectares, and can span a single village or two to three neighboring villages within the same gram panchayat. Two Krishi Sakhis — trained community resource persons — are deployed per cluster to guide farmers through the transition and answer day-to-day questions. Over 70,000 of these Krishi Sakhis have already been trained and deployed nationally.
The natural farming scheme also coordinates with several other government programs rather than operating in isolation — Rural Development, Food Processing, Panchayati Raj, AYUSH, Cooperation, and Animal Husbandry departments are all listed as convergence partners. In practice, this means a Krishi Sakhi working under NMNF might also help a farmer connect with a livestock scheme or a rural livelihoods program, since the natural farming model depends heavily on having a cow or buffalo on hand.
How the Natural Farming Scheme Works — Eligibility, Money, and Registration
Who Can Join
Eligibility is intentionally broad. Every category of farmer qualifies — small, marginal, and large landholders alike — though the financial support itself is capped. Support is available for up to one acre per farmer, regardless of how much land they actually own. A farmer with five acres can still register the whole holding in the cluster but will only receive the incentive on one acre.
The Financial Support
The incentive works out to ₹4,000 per acre per year, paid over two years, and it’s structured as an output-based payment rather than a lump sum. This matters practically: the money is meant to support the actual transition — building on-farm infrastructure for preparing jeevamrut and other inputs — not simply handed out for signing up. If a farmer stops practicing natural farming partway through, the remaining installments are withheld.
Alongside the direct farmer incentive, the natural farming scheme is also funding 10,000 Bio-Input Resource Centres (BRCs) — local hubs where farmers can access the raw materials and guidance needed to prepare their own inputs, rather than sourcing everything from scratch on their own farm. Roughly 2,000 NF Model Demonstration Farms are being set up at KVKs and agricultural universities so farmers can see the practices working before committing their own land.
Step-by-Step: How to Register
Check if a cluster exists in your area. Contact your local Krishi Vigyan Kendra or Agriculture Extension Officer to find out if your gram panchayat has an active or planned cluster under the natural farming scheme.
Register as a cluster member through the local implementing agency, typically coordinated at the block or district level.
Attend the initial training — usually delivered through KVKs, agricultural universities, or NF Model Demonstration Farms, covering input preparation, land conversion, and pest and soil management basics.
Begin implementation on your registered land, up to the one-acre support limit, with guidance from your cluster’s Krishi Sakhi.
Get certified through the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS-India), managed by the National Centre for Organic & Natural Farming. This certification is what allows produce to eventually carry the scheme’s common branding for naturally grown, chemical-free products.
Track your progress — the natural farming scheme monitors farm-level indicators through geo-tagged data on an online portal, and this monitoring is also tied to your incentive disbursement schedule.
Rollout pace varies by state, since implementation depends on how quickly district agriculture departments identify and register clusters. Farmers in states with an existing organic farming push — Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, and parts of Madhya Pradesh among them — often find clusters already active, while newer regions to the natural farming scheme may still be setting up their first cohort. If there’s no cluster nearby yet, raising it directly with your district agriculture office is usually more effective than waiting for it to reach your village on its own.
Training and Ongoing Support
Training doesn’t stop after the first session. KVKs and partner agricultural universities run continued sessions on preparing beejamrut, managing pest pressure without chemical sprays, and using intercropping and biomass mulching to keep soil covered year-round. As of the latest available figures, over 800 training institutes are engaged with the mission, and enrollment has already crossed 18 lakh farmers across more than 18,000 clusters covering close to 8.8 lakh hectares.
Costs and Time Involved
Setting up the basic infrastructure for jeevamrut and beejamrut preparation — usually a simple drum, some storage space, and access to a desi cow or buffalo for dung and urine — costs relatively little compared to a season’s worth of chemical fertilizer and pesticide. The ₹4,000/acre incentive is specifically meant to offset this setup cost during the two-year window.
The bigger investment is time and learning curve, not money. Preparing jeevamrut takes roughly a week of fermentation before it’s ready to apply, and farmers typically need one to two seasons before their soil biology adjusts enough for yields to stabilize at pre-transition levels.
Key Benefits of the Natural Farming Scheme (NMNF Scheme)
Lower cultivation costs once the transition period is over, since inputs are farm-generated rather than purchased.
Reduced health risk from handling synthetic pesticides, a real concern for farm laborers who apply chemical sprays directly.
Improved soil biology over time, since the mission’s core inputs are designed to build microbial activity rather than just supply nutrients.
Access to certification and branding through PGS-India, which can open better-paying niche markets for chemical-free produce.
Structured support network — Krishi Sakhis, BRCs, and KVK training mean farmers aren’t figuring this out alone.
A Real Example Worth Knowing
Sikkim converted its entire agricultural sector to organic and natural methods years ago, and it’s often cited as India’s flagship success story. But the transition wasn’t without cost — several Sikkim farmers reported a real decline in yields during the shift, and some reverted to conventional methods afterward. The lesson for anyone considering the natural farming scheme is straightforward: go in with realistic expectations about the adjustment period, rather than assuming yields hold steady from day one. States and clusters that plan for this dip, with income support or diversified crops to fall back on during the transition, tend to see farmers stick with the program longer than those who don’t.
Common Challenges
Initial yield dip. Most farmers see some drop in output during the first one to two seasons as soil microbial life rebuilds. Budget for this rather than being caught off guard.
Access to a desi cow. The core inputs depend on cow dung and urine, ideally from a local/indigenous breed. Farmers without livestock access need to plan for this before registering, either through their own animal or a cluster-level arrangement.
Market access for certified produce. Certification only pays off if there’s a buyer willing to pay a premium for chemical-free produce nearby — check this before assuming the branding alone will raise your income.
Labor-intensive input preparation. Making jeevamrut and beejamrut regularly takes hands-on time that a fertilizer bag or pesticide sprayer doesn’t. Factor this into your labor planning, especially during peak season.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Registering more land than you can actually manage under natural methods in year one — start small and scale up.
Skipping the KVK training sessions and trying to prepare jeevamrut or beejamrut from memory or hearsay.
Assuming the ₹4,000/acre incentive alone will cover a full season’s costs — it’s meant for transition infrastructure, not as replacement farm income.
Ignoring pest pressure in the first season instead of actively using diversity-based pest control from day one.
Not lining up a market for certified produce before assuming the premium price will materialize automatically.
Safety Tips When Preparing Natural Inputs
Store fermenting jeevamrut in a covered container away from direct sunlight, and stir it daily during the fermentation period — improperly stored mixtures can attract flies and produce a strong odor.
Wash hands thoroughly after handling raw cow dung and urine formulations, even though they’re natural, since untreated animal waste can carry pathogens if hygiene is neglected.
Keep prepared inputs away from drinking water sources during storage and application.
1. What is the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF Scheme)? It’s a central government natural farming scheme approved in November 2024, offering training, infrastructure support, and a direct farmer incentive to help transition away from chemical fertilizers and pesticides toward farm-generated natural inputs.
2. How much money do farmers get under the natural farming scheme? Farmers receive ₹4,000 per acre per year for two years, capped at a maximum of one acre of support per farmer, regardless of total landholding.
3. Who is eligible for the natural farming scheme? All farmers are eligible, including small and marginal landholders. There’s no landholding-size exclusion, though the incentive itself only applies to one acre.
4. Do I need a cow to join the natural farming scheme? Access to desi cow dung and urine is central to preparing jeevamrut and beejamrut, the scheme’s core inputs. Farmers without their own cattle typically arrange access through their cluster or a neighboring farmer.
5. Will my yields drop if I switch to natural farming? Many farmers see a temporary yield dip during the first one to two seasons as soil biology rebuilds. This is common and usually stabilizes, though it’s worth planning for financially rather than assuming zero disruption.
6. How is natural farming different from organic farming? Both avoid synthetic chemicals, but natural farming under NMNF Scheme specifically emphasizes on-farm input generation (like jeevamrut and beejamrut) using livestock, rather than allowing purchased organic-certified inputs, which organic farming often permits.
7. How do I register for the natural farming scheme? Contact your local Krishi Vigyan Kendra or Agriculture Extension Officer to check for an active cluster in your gram panchayat, then register through the local implementing agency and attend the initial training session.
The natural farming scheme (NMNF Scheme) isn’t a subsidy you sign up for and forget about — it asks for real commitment, a learning curve, and patience through a season or two of adjustment. But for farmers tired of rising fertilizer bills and soil that seems to need more input every year for the same output, the structure is genuinely there: training through KVKs, local support through Krishi Sakhis, infrastructure funding through BRCs, and a certification path that can open better markets.
Start by checking whether your gram panchayat already has an active cluster. If it does, sit in on a training session before committing land — it’s the fastest way to know if this fits how you want to farm.
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