A Review on Natural Farming in Horticultural Crop Production

Abstract

Producing enough food to feed a growing population has been the world's top priority since independence. While the combination of high-yielding farming methods has contributed to the world's food abundance, it has also raised concerns about environmental contamination and soil health. Natural farming is a chemical-free farming method with Indian roots that has been enhanced by contemporary ecological knowledge, resource recycling, and on-farm resource optimization. It is regarded as a varied agricultural system based on agroecology that incorporates animals, trees, and crops with functional biodiversity. With a focus on biomass mulching, using on-farm cow dung-urine formulations, keeping soil aerated, and avoiding synthetic chemical inputs, it is primarily centered on on-farm biomass recycling. It's anticipated that natural farming would lessen reliance on commercial inputs. It is regarded as an economical agricultural method with potential to boost rural development and jobs. India's horticulture industry is dealing with a variety of issues. One solution to these issues is a mixed farming system, which increases production and offers farm owners larger revenue returns. The crop-livestock, crop-forestry, crop-horticulture, fish-pig, fish-duck, and paddy-fish are some examples of mixed farming. Increased revenue and productivity, lower production costs per unit area, and lower farmer risk are all benefits of mixed farming systems.