Zero-budget farming raises incomes but demands more labour and time: study

A staggering 87% of those using the method have not been able to get a better price for their produce than those who did not go for it

The good news is that crop yields of more than 90 per cent of farmers increased after they adopted Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), popularised by agriculturist Subhash Palekar. The flip side is that an overwhelming majority of those who practice the much-talked-about system (around 87 per cent) have not been able to get a better price for their produce than those who didn’t opt for it, while their requirement for manual labour and the time consumed have risen, a new study has found.

The study was conducted by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on the basis of focused group discussions