The Uttar Pradesh government has prioritized the welfare of farmers and the promotion of sustainable farming practices.
Alongside expanding natural farming initiatives, the government provides substantial financial support and incentives to farmers, guiding them from seed to market.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath personally advocates for natural farming at every possible platform.
In a significant move, the government has decided to implement natural farming within a 5-kilometer radius on both banks of the Ganga and local rivers.
To facilitate this, 1,886 farming clusters will be established, with a dedicated budget of Rs 270.62 crore. This action plan was recently approved in a state-level Agriculture Committee meeting.
Additionally, the cabinet has sanctioned Rs1,191.51 crore for natural farming and the farm pond scheme, officials here on Saturday said.
The UP government’s latest budget has also allocated Rs 124 crore under the National Mission on Natural Farming to boost this initiative further.
The vision is to extend natural farming practices along the banks of all local rivers across Uttar Pradesh, ensuring a complete shift towards organic methods.
By replacing chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides with organic alternatives, the government aims to prevent harmful leaching into rivers, thus protecting water bodies from pollution.
Notably, under the Namami Gange Yojana, chemical-free farming is already being promoted in 27 districts along the Ganga, with natural farming currently practiced in over 1,000 villages. Furthermore, the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana is being implemented across 54 districts to support this transformation.
The government also envisions Bundelkhand—a region severely affected by stray cattle—as Uttar Pradesh’s hub for natural farming. Since the Yogi government 1.0, natural farming has expanded significantly, covering nearly 5,000 clusters and engaging over 18,000 farmers across 10,000 hectares.
Under Namami Gange, natural farming is practised on 6,500 hectares across 3,300 clusters, with more than one lakh farmers actively involved. As a result, the Indo-Gangetic plains—one of the world’s most fertile regions—now host the largest organic farming area in the state.
Experts at the Organic Farming Kumbh (2017), held at the India Expo Center and Mart, Greater Noida, organized by the Organic Farming Association of India, recommended designating the Ganga plains for organic farming, citing the region’s naturally replenishing soil fertility, enhanced annually by floods.
Taking this forward, Yogi Government 2.0 expanded organic farming across all districts along the Ganga, and now, the government is set to scale it up even further.