Chhattisgarh is primarily an agrarian state, with 70% of its population involved in agriculture. There are about 37.46 lakh farmers in the state, of which around 80% are small and marginal. Horticulture and animal husbandry also engage a sizeable share of the total population of the state. The total cultivated area is 4.78 million ha—about 35% of the total geographical area. The net irrigated area is 23% of the cultivated area, with red and yellow soil. The important crops sown are rice, wheat, millets, pulses, and oilseeds.
The state is divided into three agro-climatic zones:
- Chhattisgarh Plain(15 districts): Parts of Raipur, Garibandh, Baladbazar, Mahasamund, Dhamtari, Durg, Balod, Bemetra, Rajandgaon, Kabardham, Bilaspur, Munttli, Korba, Janjgir, Raigad and Kanker districts (Narharpur and Kanker Development Section).
- Plateau of Bastar(7 districts): Remaining parts of Jagdalpur, Narayanpur, Bijapur, Kondagaon, Dantewada, Sukma and Kanker.
- Northern Hill Zone: Remaining parts of Jagdalpur, Narayanpur, Bijapur, Kondagaon, Dantewada, Sukma and Kanker- Dharmajaygarh Tehsil of Sarguja, Surajpur, Balrampur, Korea, Jashpur and Raigad districts.
Schemes for promoting Natural Farming
The Government of Chhattisgarh has implemented the national scheme BPKP and taken the lead in improving organic farming. The total area under organic farming in Chhattisgarh was 71,000 hectare during 2019. However, the percent net shown area under organic farming was only 1.5%.
The Chhattisgarh government has decided to promote rural livelihoods with organic farming. It launched the Godhan Nyay scheme in July 2020, with the aim to increase farmers’ and cattle ranchers’ incomes, promote organic compost, reduce chemical fertilizer usage, and improve soil health. The scheme also proposed to purchase cattle dung at Rs 2/kg, convert it to vermi-compost and make it available to farmers at Rs 8/kg. The state has two ongoing schemes for the promotion of organic farming—PKVY and Jaivik Kheti Mission (state scheme). In organic farming, many farmers use the principles and practices of Natural Farming, such as Jivamrit, Beejamrit, and botanical pesticide, etc. Under PKVY, the area of organic farming is 500 hectare and under Jaivik Kheti Mission, it is 80 hectare.