Economics of Zero Budget Natural Farming in Purulia District of West Bengal: Is It Economically Viable?

Agriculture has been the backbone of the Indian economy for centuries. More than half of the country’s population at present depends on agriculture and allied services for their livelihoods (Tripathi et al, 2018). Over the last few decades there has been a major transformation in the Indian agricultural sector. With the introduction of ‘Green Revolution’ technologies, agriculture in India has transitioned from subsistence to commercial farming. However, in spite of the success, the input intensive ‘Green Revolution’ in recent decades has often masked significant externalities, affecting natural resources and human health, as well as agriculture itself. Besides, there is also the added impact of neo-liberal economic reforms. Policy measures such as the reduction or withdrawal of input subsidies, privatisation and marketisation of economic activities have adversely affected the Indian peasants’ community (Goswami et al., 2017). Moreover, the twin effects of the ‘Green Revolution’ and the neo-liberalisation of the Indian economy have led to a deep agrarian crisis. The smallholders1 have become its worst victim. The prevailing agriculture system in India is characterised by high production costs, high interest rates for credit, volatile market prices for crops, and rising costs for fossil fuel-based inputs and private seeds. As a result, Indian farmers (especially the smallholders) increasingly find themselves in a perpetual cycle of debt. More than a quarter of a million farmers have committed suicide in India in the last two decades (Parvathamma, 2016). In the light of these growing concerns about the sustainability of the current input intensive agriculture system, the need for an alternative farming system has arisen. Various forms of alternative low-input farming practices have emerged in different corners across the world, promising reduced input costs and higher yields for farmers, chemical-