Paddy farmers in Andhra Pradesh embrace Zero Budget Natural Farming to conserve water

Paddy farmers of Andhra Pradesh are saving water, energy and money by adopting Zero Budget Natural Farming

AGRICULTURE IS both the cause and victim of water scarcity. Excessive use of water threatens the sustainability of livelihoods dependent on water and agriculture, says the Food and Agriculture Organization. In India, the Green Revolution had a phenomenal impact on India’s food production, but it also rendered the land infertile, led to extensive water consumption and aggravated groundwater loss. As per the

Central Water Commission, the country’s agriculture sector already consumes over 83 per cent of the available water resources. And the demand will grow.

In the recent past, there has been a global demand to shift to sustainable farming systems, such as Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF). India, too, introduced ZBNF in its Union Budget 2019-20. As the name suggests, it is the adaptation of an ancient practice

which reduces farmers’ direct cost and encourages them to use natural inputs, such as cow dung and cow urine. The inputs help manage soil nutrition, fertility, pests and seeds. The technology requires less tilling and completely rejects the use of inorganic fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides. It is also water-efficient. Of late, all these benefits have been popularised, but in 2019 a group of researchers tried to quantify it.

At the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), researchers conducted an exploratory study in Andhra Pradesh to compare ZBNF and non-ZBNF techniques in paddy, groundnut, chilli, cotton and maize farming. The comparison was made on six parameters— water, electricity and energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, yield and net revenue. The study was conducted in West Godavari, Prakasam, Vizianagaram and Anantapuramu districts during kharif season, ensuring variation in agro-climatic zones, farming techniques, production and social aspects.

The study, published in February 2020, found the maximum benefits of ZBNF in paddy farming, with a saving of 1,400 to 3,500 cubic metre of water per acre per paddy cropping period (one acre equals 0.4 hectare). This was accomplished by increasing the time interval of irrigation cycles—every eight to 10 days— unlike the conventional method which requires watering every five to six days. The water saving was attributed to multiple aeration practice. This water management method involves periodic aeration of the soil between watering periods.

Water consumption in paddy cultivation depends on the frequency and depth of irrigation. Paddy farms under ZBNF were irrigated with only 2.54 cm to 5.7 cm deep water while those under non-ZBNF had to be watered up to 12.7 cm. ZBNF advocates mulching of crop residues to promote moisture retention in soil and increase humus. It also involves waaphasa, or soil aeration, to reduce water consumption. The traditional flood irrigation is plagued with inconsistent spread of nutrients with excess water use, which can also drop crop productivity.

Although the study did not observe much impact on crop yield, multiple aeration and reduced water use showed other benefits. In just one crop season, electricity consumption of farms relying on groundwater reduced by 1,500-3,900 units per acre, and saved `6,000-16,000. Further, multiple aeration hinders microbial activity and cuts methane emissions by 88 per cent, compared to the conventional flooding practice. This leads to an additional saving of fossil fuels used for electricity generation and emissions reduction.

GROWING PADDY CAN SAVE WATER

If all of India’s paddy area—43-44 million ha—is brought under ZBNF, 150-400 billion cubic metre of water can be potentially saved. The volume is equivalent to storage potential of 40 to 100 Tehri dams, one of India’s biggest dams located in Uttarakhand. Additionally, ZBNF can address several on-ground challenges, such as groundwater-stress, water disparity in canal water usage, and overuse of resources (flooded irrigation).

In India, 70 per cent of the farms rely on groundwater, which depletes reserves. In waterstressed zones, tubewells have to be dug up to about 300 metres.

ZBNF can avoid the current drawing of groundwater by 50 to 60 per cent, ensure adequate groundwater reserve, improve water table and reduce financial and labour stress on farmers.

ZBNF farming can also solve disputes between farming communities where upstream farmers employ canal irrigation and end up guzzling more water, leaving downstream farms with insufficient volume.

ZBNF does show water-saving potential and can address India’s food and security in the long run, but deep investigation is required to ascertain if it can be replicated in the various agro-climatic zones across the country. As they say, Rome was not built in a day, similarly, ZBNF requires time and policy support so that the government provides monetary help for it to be adopted in all the states.

IN ONE CROP SEASON, ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION OF FARMS RELYING ON GROUNDWATER REDUCED BY 1,5003,900 UNITS PER ACRE (0.4 HA), SAVED `6,000-16,000. MULTIPLE AERATION HINDERS MICROBIAL ACTIVITY, CUTS METHANE EMISSIONS BY 88 PER CENT