Facts checked on 6 October 2026
One bulletin a week
The bulletin turns every Monday, so everyone reads the same one. Labels: Proven in trials Promising, being studied Traditional practice, not yet tested. A line marked Official record · no label quotes a scheme or an institution; it is not a claim that a practice works.
Bulletin 1 · Natural farming
What natural farming means, in the Government's own words
Before anyone argues for or against natural farming, it helps to read how the official sources define it.
The official natural farming portal describes natural farming as a practice of agriculture “based on locally available resources”.
Official record · no label
Source: https://naturalfarming.dac.gov.in/
A PIB release of 21 March 2023 describes natural farming as the “exclusion of all synthetic chemical inputs” that “promotes on-farm biomass recycling”, using cow dung-urine formulations, plant-based preparations and biomass mulching.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1909210
An ICAR article in Indian Farming (Vol. 75, No. 8, 2025) names five components: Beejamrit, Jivamrit, Acchadana (mulching), Whapasa and plant protection, with cow dung and urine as the main ingredient in all its bio-formulations. It reports three case studies of field trials.
Promising, being studiedfor the natural farming package
Source: https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/IndFarm/article/view/174013
Farmers' own variations of these preparations (local ingredients, timing, quantities) are passed from field to field. The library records them with respect, and asks a KVK to test them.
Traditional practice, not yet testedfor a farmer's own variation of a preparation
Source: https://kvk.icar.gov.in/
Think it through Which part of this definition could you check on a farm near you: the inputs, the mulch, or the cost?
Bulletin 2 · Natural farming
The National Mission on Natural Farming, in numbers
Approved by the Union Cabinet on 25 November 2024. The figures below are the Mission's targets, not results.
Total outlay of ₹2,481 crore: ₹1,584 crore from the Government of India and ₹897 crore from the States.
Official record · no label
Source: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2077094
The Mission aims to reach 1 crore farmers and to begin natural farming on 7.5 lakh hectares, in 15,000 clusters in Gram Panchayats over two years.
Official record · no label
Source: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2077094
Need-based 10,000 Bio-input Resource Centres are to be set up, so that farmers can get ready-to-use inputs.
Official record · no label
Source: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2077094
About 2,000 natural farming Model Demonstration Farms are to be set up at Krishi Vigyan Kendras, agricultural universities and farmers' fields: the places where results are measured.
Promising, being studiedfor the natural farming package on demonstration farms
Source: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2077094
Think it through A target is not a result. Where would you look, in two years, to see what the demonstration farms actually found?
Bulletin 3 · Village enterprise
Krishi Sakhis: women as para-extension workers
Knowledge travels best through someone from the same village. That is the idea behind the Krishi Sakhi.
The Krishi Sakhi Convergence Programme trains and certifies rural women as Krishi Sakhis, para-extension workers (PIB, 18 June 2024).
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2026015
Training runs for 56 days and covers agro-ecological practices, farmer field schools, seed banks, soil health, integrated farming, livestock basics, bio-input preparation and communication.
Promising, being studiedfor the bio-inputs and agro-ecological practices taught
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2026015
As on that date, 34,000 of 70,000 Krishi Sakhis had been certified as para-extension workers.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2026015
The National Mission on Natural Farming plans to deploy 30,000 Krishi Sakhis or Community Resource Persons for awareness, mobilisation and hand-holding.
Official record · no label
Source: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2077094
Think it through Who in your village already teaches others how to farm? What would make their advice easier to check?
Bulletin 4 · Soil health
The Soil Health Card: what your soil is telling you
A soil test turns guesswork into a measured recommendation, field by field.
The Soil Health Card Scheme was introduced on 19 February 2015 at Suratgarh, Rajasthan.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2104403
The card reports 12 parameters: N, P, K and S (macro-nutrients); Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn and B (micro-nutrients); and pH, electrical conductivity and organic carbon.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2104403
Samples are generally taken twice a year, after the rabi and kharif harvests, or when no crop is standing.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2104403
A 2017 National Productivity Council study, cited by PIB, reported an 8–10% fall in chemical fertiliser use and a 5–6% rise in yields where the card's recommendations were followed. It is an evaluation study, not a controlled trial.
Promising, being studiedfor fertiliser use guided by the card
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1603758
As of February 2025, 665 village-level soil testing labs had been set up in 17 States; the School Soil Health Programme ran in 1,020 schools in 2024.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2104403
Think it through Which of the 12 parameters could change in one season, and which take years?
Bulletin 5 · Biogas
GOBARdhan: turning cattle waste into wealth
Cattle dung and farm waste can become gas for the kitchen and manure for the field.
GOBARdhan stands for Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan; its portal is the unified registration portal for biogas plants.
Official record · no label
Source: https://gobardhan.sbm.gov.in/
Its aims include helping villages manage cattle and organic waste safely, converting cattle waste to biogas and fertiliser for rural use, and creating rural jobs and income.
Proven in trialsfor biogas from cattle dung
Source: https://sbm.gov.in/gbdw20/
The Government of India gives technical assistance and financial support of up to ₹50 lakh per district for the safe disposal of cattle and organic waste.
Official record · no label
Source: https://sbm.gov.in/gbdw20/
Think it through The portal shows how many plants are registered and how many are functional. Why might those two numbers differ?
Bulletin 6 · Biogas
A biogas plant for one family
Small plants are meant for a household or a small farm: cooking gas first, manure as a bonus.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy's biogas programme covers small plants of 1–25 cubic metres a day, and power plants of 3 kW to 250 kW, for 2021–22 to 2025–26.
Official record · no label
Source: https://mnre.gov.in/en/bio-gas/
Uses named by the Ministry: clean cooking fuel, lighting, and thermal and small power needs.
Proven in trialsfor biogas as a cooking fuel
Source: https://mnre.gov.in/en/bio-gas/
Central financial assistance for small plants ranged from ₹9,800 to ₹70,400 per plant, depending on size.
Official record · no label
Source: https://mnre.gov.in/en/bio-gas/
The Ministry says the digested slurry, “a rich source of manure”, can help farmers supplement or reduce chemical fertilisers. How much it replaces varies from field to field.
Promising, being studiedfor slurry replacing chemical fertiliser
Source: https://mnre.gov.in/en/bio-gas/
Think it through Biogas plants involve gas and closed tanks. Who in your area is trained to build and service them safely?
Bulletin 7 · Biogas
From village gas to transport fuel: compressed biogas
Cleaned and compressed, biogas can be mixed with natural gas. Gujarat already has working examples.
SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) was launched on 1 October 2018 to build an ecosystem for compressed biogas (CBG) from waste and biomass.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1989226
The CBG blending obligation is 1%, 3% and 4% of total CNG/PNG consumption for 2025–26, 2026–27 and 2027–28, and 5% from 2028–29.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1989226
On 19 April 2022 an organic manure and biogas plant at Dama, Banaskantha, was dedicated to the nation, and foundation stones were laid for four 100-tonne gobar gas plants at Khimana, Ratanpura-Bhildi, Radhanpur and Thawar.
Proven in trialsfor biogas and manure from cattle dung
Source: https://pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/pm-dedicates-to-the-nation-and-lay-the-foundation-stone-of-multiple-development-projects-at-banas-dairy-sankul-in-diyodar-banaskantha
Think it through Who should own a village gas plant: the dairy, a cooperative, the panchayat, or a company? Give one reason each way.
Bulletin 8 · Indigenous breeds
Desi breeds: suited to their own land
India's indigenous cattle evolved in particular regions, and are valued for how they cope there.
A PIB release of 28 July 2014 says indigenous cattle are “particularly suited to the climate and environment of their respective breeding tracts”, with “heat tolerance, resistance to diseases” and the ability to thrive under climatic stress and less than optimal nutrition.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=107580
The same release recorded 37 well-recognised indigenous cattle breeds and 13 buffalo breeds in 2014; more have been registered since by ICAR-NBAGR.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=107580
The Rashtriya Gokul Mission has run since December 2014 for the development and conservation of indigenous bovine breeds and higher milk productivity.
Official record · no label
Source: https://dahd.gov.in/schemes/programmes/rashtriya_gokul_mission
The Mission targets higher productivity through “identification and propagation of elite animals” and modern breeding technologies such as sex-sorted semen, IVF and genomics.
Proven in trialsfor genetic improvement through breeding
Source: https://dahd.gov.in/schemes/programmes/rashtriya_gokul_mission
Think it through Which breed belongs to your district? How would you find out from an official source?
Bulletin 9 · Indigenous breeds
Gir: a Saurashtra breed, described by NDDB
Gujarat's best-known dairy breed, in the words of the National Dairy Development Board.
Gir's main breeding tract is Amreli, Bhavnagar, Junagadh (including Gir-Somnath) and Rajkot districts of Saurashtra.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.nddb.coop/sites/default/files/Booklet-Development-of-Gir-Eng%20-low.pdf
About 80% of Gir animals are red; the head is heavy and convex, “like an inverted clay pot”, and its ears, around 30 cm, are the longest of all cattle breeds.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.nddb.coop/sites/default/files/Booklet-Development-of-Gir-Eng%20-low.pdf
NDDB calls Gir “an excellent dairy cattle breed”, known among milk producers for milk, good fertility, heat tolerance, easy maintenance, disease resistance and longevity.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.nddb.coop/sites/default/files/Booklet-Development-of-Gir-Eng%20-low.pdf
Sabarmati Ashram Gaushala runs a pedigree-selection project for Gir in about 150 villages of Amreli, Bhavnagar and Junagadh.
Proven in trialsfor genetic improvement by pedigree selection
Source: https://www.nddb.coop/sites/default/files/Booklet-Development-of-Gir-Eng%20-low.pdf
Think it through Why does a breeding project keep records of a calf's mother and father?
Bulletin 10 · Indigenous breeds
New tools for old breeds: sex-sorted semen, IVF and MAITRIs
From a PIB release of 1 April 2025 on the Rashtriya Gokul Mission.
58.67 lakh doses of sex-sorted semen had been produced; the technology gives female calves with up to 90% accuracy, and is to bring the price down from ₹800 to ₹250 a dose.
Proven in trialsfor sex-sorted semen
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2117330
22 IVF laboratories produced 25,895 embryos; 14,145 were transferred and 2,105 calves were born.
Proven in trialsfor IVF in cattle
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2117330
38,736 MAITRIs (multi-purpose artificial insemination technicians in rural India) had been trained and equipped.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2117330
Milk from indigenous cattle rose 69.27%, from 29.48 to 49.90 million tonnes, between 2014–15 and 2023–24.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2117330
Think it through 2,105 calves from 14,145 transfers: what does that ratio tell you about how hard IVF still is?
Bulletin 11 · Cattle care
Keeping herds healthy: the national vaccination drive
Preventing disease is cheaper and kinder than treating it. Ask your local veterinary officer about the next round.
The National Animal Disease Control Programme was launched in September 2019 against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis.
Official record · no label
Source: https://dahd.gov.in/schemes/programmes/nadcp
For FMD, the plan is to vaccinate all susceptible cattle and buffaloes, sheep, goats and pigs every six months; for Brucellosis, a once-in-a-lifetime vaccination of female calves aged 4–8 months.
Proven in trialsfor vaccination against FMD and Brucellosis
Source: https://dahd.gov.in/schemes/programmes/nadcp
The programme is 100% funded by the Central Government, with an outlay of ₹13,343 crore for five years.
Official record · no label
Source: https://dahd.gov.in/schemes/programmes/nadcp
Vaccinated animals are identified by ear-tags and registered on INAPH (Information Network for Animal Productivity and Health).
Official record · no label
Source: https://dahd.gov.in/schemes/programmes/nadcp
Think it through Why does a vaccination drive need every animal to carry an ear-tag?
Bulletin 12 · Dairy cooperatives
The cooperative way: from Anand to White Revolution 2.0
The cooperative idea that began in Gujarat is still being extended to villages without a dairy society.
The National Dairy Development Board was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Anand, Gujarat. Operation Flood ran for 26 years and its third phase ended in 1996.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.nddb.coop/about/genesis
In March 2019, 1,90,500 village dairy cooperatives, affiliated to 245 milk unions and 22 federations, procured on average 508 lakh kg of milk a day; 16.9 million farmers were members.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.nddb.coop/about/genesis
White Revolution 2.0 was launched by the Ministry of Cooperation on 19 September 2024; cooperative milk procurement is to reach 1,007 lakh kg a day by 2028–29.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2110942
PIB (11 March 2026): nearly 70% of the workforce in dairy farming is women; 75,000 new dairy cooperative societies are proposed in uncovered areas and 46,422 existing ones are to be strengthened.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2238399
Think it through If 70% of the work is done by women, who should sit on the dairy society's committee?
Bulletin 13 · Village enterprise
Farmer Producer Organisations: selling together
A small farmer sells alone; a producer organisation can bargain, store and brand together.
An FPO is a farmer-producers' organisation registered under Part IXA of the Companies Act or under a Co-operative Societies Act.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2106913
The scheme for 10,000 FPOs was launched on 29 February 2020 with a budget of ₹6,865 crore till 2027–28; the 10,000 mark was announced on 28 February 2025.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2106913
Each FPO can get ₹18 lakh towards management cost over three years, a matching equity grant of up to ₹2,000 per farmer member (up to ₹15 lakh), and credit guarantee for project loans up to ₹2 crore.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2106913
About 30 lakh farmers are connected to FPOs, around 40% of them women.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2106913
Think it through What could ten farmers in your village do together that none can do alone?
Bulletin 14 · Certification
Organic certification: PGS-India and PKVY
How does a buyer know a crop is organic? India has two routes: peer guarantee and third-party certification.
PGS-India is a participatory guarantee system: farmers in the same area inspect one another, built on trust and knowledge exchange. It is low-cost; third-party certification is costlier and aimed mainly at export.
Official record · no label
Source: https://pgsindia-ncof.gov.in/faqs
A PGS-India local group needs at least 5 members from the same or nearby villages. PGS-certified produce cannot be exported as organic.
Official record · no label
Source: https://pgsindia-ncof.gov.in/faqs
Under PKVY, since 2015–16, farmers in clusters get ₹31,500 per hectare over three years: ₹15,000 for organic inputs (by DBT), ₹4,500 for marketing, ₹3,000 for certification and residue analysis, and ₹9,000 for training.
Official record · no label
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2099756
PKVY has covered 14.99 lakh hectares through 52,289 clusters and 25.30 lakh farmers (PIB, 4 February 2025).
Promising, being studiedfor cluster-based organic farming
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2099756
Think it through Why might a farmer choose PGS-India over third-party certification, and when would third-party be worth the cost?