A Comprehensive Review of Natural Farming: Principles, Ecological Mechanisms, and Global Sustainability Potential

Abstract

Natural farming has emerged as one of the most widely discussed alternatives to input-intensive agriculture, promoted variously as zero budget natural farming, agroecology, and community-managed farming systems across South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of Europe. This review synthesises the conceptual foundations, ecological mechanisms, and empirical evidence surrounding natural farming, situating it within the broader agroecological and organic farming literature. It traces the historical development of natural farming from its early philosophical roots to its present institutionalisation within state-led programmes, most notably the Andhra Pradesh Community-managed Natural Farming initiative in India. The review examines the soil microbial, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity mechanisms that underlie claimed productivity and resilience benefits, and it critically appraises the yield, income, biodiversity, and human health evidence base, including areas of continuing scientific disagreement such as yield stability, soil carbon sequestration potential, and greenhouse gas balances. Particular attention is given to the socio-economic dimensions of adoption, policy architecture, and the structural constraints that limit scaling across diverse agroecological and institutional contexts. The review concludes that natural farming offers a scientifically plausible, though heterogeneously evidenced, pathway toward more sustainable food systems, with outcomes strongly mediated by local soil, climate, crop, and market conditions rather than universally guaranteed. Future research priorities, policy implications, and methodological limitations of the existing evidence base are discussed.