Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF): A Comprehensive Review of Sustainable Crop Production, Soil Health, and Environmental Conservation

Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is an eco-friendly and sustainable agriculture technique formulated as an alternative approach to the current conventional agriculture practices that make intensive use of chemicals. ZBNF was introduced by Indian Agriculturist Subhash Palekar. ZBNF is an agricultural technique that seeks to minimize cost of cultivation, restore soil health, preserve biodiversity, and increase farmers' income through the discontinuation of dependence on artificial fertilizers and pesticides. The process makes use of natural biological processes, indigenous knowledge systems, cow-based bio-formulations, mulching, biodiversity and water conservation. Over the past few decades, there has been an excessive use of chemicals in agriculture leading to serious environmental degradation, decreased soil fertility, pollution of ground water, high costs of cultivation and increased farmer indebtedness. ZBNF was formulated in order to address these issues and has received wide acclaim as an innovative technique for sustainable agriculture, especially in India. The present article gives a comprehensive account of ZBNF in terms of its history, philosophy, science, practice, socioeconomic importance, ecological importance, problems, policies, and future prospects.