The Uttar Pradesh government has made the welfare of farmers and the promotion of sustainable farming practices a top priority. In addition to expanding initiatives for natural farming, the government is offering substantial financial incentives and support to help farmers throughout the entire process—from seed to market.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath actively promotes natural farming on numerous platforms.

In a pivotal initiative, the government will implement natural farming within a 5-kilometer radius along both banks of the Ganga and other local rivers. This effort includes establishing 1,886 farming clusters with a dedicated budget of Rs 270.62 crore, which was recently approved during a state-level Agriculture Committee meeting. Furthermore, the cabinet has allocated Rs 1,191.51 crore for both natural farming and the farm pond scheme, as announced by officials last Saturday.

The latest budget also earmarks Rs 124 crore under the National Mission on Natural Farming to further this initiative. The overarching goal is to promote natural farming practices along the banks of all local rivers in Uttar Pradesh, facilitating a complete transition to organic methods. By replacing chemical fertilizers and harmful pesticides with organic alternatives, the government aims to prevent toxic runoff into rivers, thus safeguarding water bodies from pollution.

Notably, the Namami Gange Yojana currently promotes chemical-free farming in 27 districts along the Ganga, with natural farming practices already taking root in over 1,000 villages. The Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana is also being implemented across 54 districts to support this transformation.

The government envisions Bundelkhand as Uttar Pradesh’s center for natural farming—a region significantly impacted by stray cattle. Under Yogi Government 1.0, natural farming initiatives expanded considerably, involving nearly 5,000 clusters and over 18,000 farmers across 10,000 hectares.

Currently, under the Namami Gange initiative, natural farming is practiced on 6,500 hectares across 3,300 clusters, with participation from more than 100,000 farmers. As a result, the Indo-Gangetic plains, one of the most fertile regions globally, now boasts the largest area of organic farming in the state.

During the Organic Farming Kumbh in 2017 at the India Expo Center and Mart in Greater Noida—organized by the Organic Farming Association of India—experts recommended that the Ganga plains be designated for organic farming due to the region’s naturally replenishing soil fertility, enhanced annually by floods.

Building on this foundation, Yogi Government 2.0 has worked to expand organic farming across all districts along the Ganga, with plans for further scaling up these efforts underway.