Relevance (UPSC): GS-III – Agriculture, Environment

Himachal Pradesh is turning natural farming into a state-wide movement. The government reports that over 2.22 lakh farmers now practise chemical-free methods on about 38,437 hectares, after 3.06 lakh farmers received training across thousands of village councils. The state has paired this with assured prices for naturally grown produce. 

What the state is doing

• Under the Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana, farmers get hand-holding, local input recipes and market links; registration has been opened to speed up enrolment.
  
• The state has announced minimum support prices for natural produce—wheat ₹60/kg, maize ₹40/kg, turmeric ₹90/kg—and a transport subsidy to bring harvests to procurement points.
  

Why it matters nationally

• The Union Government’s National Mission on Natural Farming (operational guidelines issued December 2024) and Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati under the National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture offer a policy umbrella and funding channel for states. Himachal’s model shows how training plus price support can scale adoption.
  

Key terms

• Natural farming: low-cost, chemical-free farming using farm-made bio-inputs and mixed cropping.
  
• Minimum support price: an announced price at which the state procures specified produce.
  
• Model farm: a demonstration plot where neighbours learn the method step-by-step.
  

Exam hook

UPSC Prelims question
Q. With reference to natural farming in Himachal Pradesh, consider the following statements:

1. The state runs the Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana to train and support farmers.
   
2. Himachal has notified minimum support prices for select naturally grown crops.
   
3. The National Mission on Natural Farming provides a national framework backing such efforts.
   
4. Natural farming under the mission requires imported bio-inputs as a mandatory condition.
   Which of the statements given above are correct?
   Answer: 1, 2 and 3 only.
   

One-line wrap: With training, assured prices and village-level support, Himachal is showing that natural farming can scale without leaving small farmers behind.