Centre Lists Clusters For Natural Farming

New Delhi: The central government has finalized the geographical regions prioritized for the Rs2,481-crore National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF). It will be implemented in the priority districts which are: the Namami Gange area of a 5-km corridor along Ganga; districts on the banks of major rivers as decided by the State concerned; districts with high fertilizer input sale; districts with low fertilizer input sale; districts with tribal areas; and districts with strong presence of farmer producer organizations (FPOs), primary agricultural credit societies (PACS), community-based organizations (CBOs), etc.

Preference will also be given to the areas that have practicing natural farming (NF) farmers, official sources told Bizz Buzz.

The NMNF will work in selected 15,000 clusters across the identified districts from the priority areas, reaching 7.5 lakh hectares. The district will identify Gram Panchayats (GPs) in suitable blocks for NMNF. In each selected GP, cluster (s) of contiguous areas cumulative to 50 hectares and approximately 125 farmers will be developed as NF clusters based on their willingness to implement NF within the identified GP.

The cluster size may be reviewed and appropriately set for the Himalayan and other hilly states and areas with difficult terrain by the respective State Level Executive Committee (SLEC). Each farmer will be encouraged to start in a small landholding. In case a cumulative contiguous area of 50 hectares could not be found in one GP, the cluster can be formed in adjoining GPs (not more than three GPs), the sources said.

To encourage the spirit of competition, States will be encouraged to take up programmes to mobilize the interest of GPs to adopt NF. The District Level Monitoring Committee shall identify and onboard GPs that are willing to take up NF from within the NMNF priority regions.

Such GPs may also be encouraged to pool their own funds or mobilize other resources for the promotion of NF in a landscape approach.