Jaipur: Rajasthan has emerged as one of the leading states in implementing natural farming, ranking second in the country in the formation of natural farming clusters and third in farmer registration under the National Mission on Natural Farming, according to the state govt.A statement issued by the chief minister’s office (CMO) said more than 2.12 lakh farmers have adopted natural farming across over 91,000 hectares in the state, reflecting what the govt described as the impact of its policies to promote sustainable agriculture.The state govt said it aims to bring 2.5 lakh farmers under natural farming and expand the practice to one lakh hectares to improve soil fertility and encourage sustainable farming.According to official figures, Rajasthan has formed 2,380 natural farming clusters, the second highest in the country after Andhra Pradesh. A total of 2,12,346 farmers have been registered under these clusters, placing the state third after Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Natural farming is currently being practised on 91,166 hectares, while nearly Rs 49.97 crore has been spent on implementing the mission till 2025-26.Launched on Nov 25, 2024, the National Mission on Natural Farming aims to reduce dependence on chemical fertilisers, improve soil health and enhance farmers’ incomes. Besides financial assistance of Rs 4,000 per acre annually for two years from the Centre, the mission provides training, technical guidance, certification and marketing support through Krishi Vigyan Kendras, agricultural universities and centres of excellence.Citing a NITI Aayog evaluation, the state govt said around 91% of farmers who adopted natural farming reported higher production, while about 90% said their production costs had declined, along with improvements in soil health.
