On December 5, 2022 i.e. on the occasion of World Soil Day (WSD), and on the lines of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the National Conclave on Soil Health Management for Sustainable Farming 2022 was inaugurated at New Delhi, Delhi by the Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) as its Chief Guest.
Organizers:
It was organized by the NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog in collaboration with GIZ (German Agency for International Cooperation) affiliated to the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany.
WSD 2022:
It should be noted that WSD 2022 was held on the campaign ‘Soils: Where food begins’ to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems by addressing the challenges in soil management, increasing soil awareness, and improving soil health.
Highlights of Conclave:
i.During the conclave, panel discussions were held for sustainable soil management by promoting natural farming.
ii.Panelists highlighted various governance strategies from the globe involving a vertical & horizontal integration of policies.
iii.Panelists also laid down a blueprint for future actions after considering the ideas for the roadmap ahead.
Why do we need to promote natural farming? A Rs 1,584cr National Mission on Natural Farming:
Due to the chemical farming, the soil fertility is getting eroded. Also, climate change (among other factors) is declining the organic carbon in the soil. So, in order to meet these serious challenges, we have to promote natural farming, which is beneficial for the environment.
The Central Government is already making efforts towards this, and has re-adopted the Indian Natural Farming System for Agriculture which is an ancient technique used by farmers for farming. Now, during the conclave, a National Mission on Natural Farming as a separate scheme with an expenditure of Rs. 1,584 crores was approved by the Government. The details of the scheme are yet to be released.
Efforts promoting Natural Farming:
i.Andhra Pradesh (AP), Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh (HP), Odisha, Madhya Pradesh (MP), Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh (UP), Tamil Nadu (TN) etc. have made many innovations to promote natural farming.
ii.In 2021, an additional area of 4.78 lakh hectares has been brought under natural farming in 17 States.
iii.Under the Namami Gange programme, the project of natural farming is going on along the banks of the Ganges.
iv.The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and all Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Central and State Agricultural Universities and Colleges are also making efforts to promote natural farming.
v.In two phases, more than 22 crore Soil Health Cards have been distributed to farmers across India.
vi.Under Soil Health Management Scheme, different types of Soil Testing Laboratories are also being set up.
- So far, 499 permanent Soil Testing Laboratories, 113 Mobile Soil Testing Laboratories, 8,811 Mini Soil Testing Laboratories and 2,395 Village-level Soil Testing Laboratories have been established.
Participants:
NITI Aayog CEO Parameswaran Iyer; Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, Suman Berry, among other scientists, policymakers and stakeholders
Recent Related News:
i.Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the first dedicated Greenfield farm machinery plant (non-tractor) of Mahindra & Mahindra Farm Equipment Sector (FES), a part of the Mahindra Group, at Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh(MP).
ii.On 3rd November 2022, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, launched the NMNF portal (National Mission On Natural Farming (NMNF) Management And Knowledge Portal) during the first steering committee meeting of the National Natural Farming Mission held at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi, Delhi.
About Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW):
Union Minister– Narendra Singh Tomar (Constituency- Morena, Madhya Pradesh)
Minister of State (MoS)– Kailash Choudhary (Constituency- Barmer, Rajasthan)
