Natural farming was highlighted as crucial for safeguarding soil, water, the environment, and public health during a state-level seminar at the Gujarat Legislative Assembly complex in Gandhinagar. The seminar, held under the National Mission on Natural Farming, was overseen by Governor Acharya Devvrat and attended by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary, and Gujarat BJP President Jagdish Vishwakarma. A natural farming fair took place on the Assembly premises, where the Governor and Chief Minister visited stalls set up by practitioners before the formal proceedings.
Governor Devvrat, addressing legislators and participants, stressed the importance of natural farming in preserving water, soil, environment, and human health. He differentiated between organic and natural farming, highlighting the cultivation of micro-organisms in natural farming as opposed to the use of farmyard manure in organic farming. Devvrat also expressed concerns about public health, citing the rise in diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart attacks, even among children today.
Devvrat further discussed the impact of natural farming on soil fertility, mentioning the increase in earthworms and friendly insects through practices like jeevamrut and ghan jeevamrut. He raised alarm about soil degradation, noting the decline in organic carbon content from the Green Revolution era to the present, emphasizing the benefits of natural farming in improving soil health and water retention. The Governor advocated for the adoption of natural farming to reduce the expenditure on fertiliser subsidies and highlighted the successful implementation of the National Mission on Natural Farming in Gujarat under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guidance.
