Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) in India: An Economic Perspective

According to a study, more than 10% of people worldwide (approximately 60% of India’s population) are expected to face food shortages by 2050 (Smith et al., 2020). In the pursuit of increased production, farmers are driven into a debt trap due to high input costs and volatile market prices. One of the major challenges of agriculture is to develop cultivation practices that are productive and environmentally sustainable. Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), pioneered by Subhash Palekar, is an eco-friendly and sustainable model in India (Devarinti SR, 2016). The aims of ZBNF are to exclude external inputs in the form of investment in agrochemicals and seeds, to bring farmers out of the debt cycle, and to produce crops using eco-friendly methods (Smith. J, 2020; Barucha, 2020). The recent case study on ZBNF in Andhra Pradesh observed a substantial increase in farmer economic profit mainly due to input cost reduction rather than yield increase (Berger et al., 2025). There are case studies in Karnataka on ZBNF (Khadse et al., 2017). This review focuses on various case studies and peer-reviewed research to examine the impact of ZBNF on input costs, and profitability. ZBNF appears promising in boosting the economy by reducing dependence on subsidized synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. This review discusses the few drawbacks of the ZBNF during the transition period and policies to make it more profitable.