Principles of Natural Farming

Natural farming is the best nature based solution (NbS) for future food security of the world, conservation of biodiversity and mitigation of the global climate change crisis.

Natural farming is knowledge based agriculture. It is not an usual input based agriculture like conventional agriculture or organic farming. The principles of natural farming are based on the fundamental science of the traditional agricultural knowledge of the indigenous people.

Natural farming is a management science whose ultimate objective is to reduce cost and risk of farming close to zero and to increase crop and livestock diversification for maximising crop yield and to maximise profit of the farmer.

For the first time, all this traditional agricultural knowledge is classified and compiled into a textbook to assemble a complete theoretical framework of natural farming. The theories, principles, hypothesis and farmers observations collected in this book were supported with examples and practical applications

This book might be useful for agriculture students in colleges and universities as well as for agricultural research and extension workers all over the world.

PRINCIPLES OF NATURAL FARMING

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Fundamentals of agriculture, conventional agriculture, organic farming and natural farming

MICROORGANISM, PLANT AND ANIMAL BREEDING

Microorganism domestication, plant domestication, animal domestication, plant breeding and animal breeding. Farmers innovation management and farmers rights.

AGROECOSYSTEM HEALTH MANAGEMENT

Biogeophysical cycle management, temperature cycle management, wind velocity cycle management, light cycle management, sound cycle management, electricity cycle management, magnetism cycle management, hydrological cycle management.

Biogeochemical cycle management, carbon cycle management, nitrogen cycle management, phosphorus cycle management, potassium cycle management.

Soil health management, plant health management, animal health management and human health management.

AGROBIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT

Microorganism biodiversity, ecosystem services of microorganism biodiversity, microorganism biodiversity management. Plant biodiversity, ecosystem services of plant biodiversity, plant biodiversity management.

Animal biodiversity, ecosystem services of animal biodiversity, animal biodiversity management.

MARKETING MANAGEMENT

Principles of marketing management, SWOT analysis, options for direct marketing.

AGROECOSYSTEM ANALYSIS

Assessment of natural capital, abiotic and biotic components of the agroecosystem. Assessment of ecosystem services, provisioning ecosystem services, regulating ecosystem services and cultural ecosystem services.

Valuation of natural capital and ecosystem services.