Bio-Input Resource Center (BRC)

Concept Note
February 2021

This document is a work in progress

National Coalition for Natural Farming

Introduction
Amongst the various crises that India is facing today; farmers’ distress, climate change
emergency, malnutrition, land degradation and loss of biodiversity concerns us deeply
about our relationship with nature. The Covid19 pandemic has furthered the need to
carefully nurture this relationship and like many, we too believe that an agroecology based
farming system is the only way forward.
However, with the onset of the green revolution, India has witnessed a systemic change over
the last few decades. For instance, easy availability of farm inputs which significantly
contributed to the spread of the green revolution has today created a behavioural change in
the Indian farmers. Our farmers today are more dependent on external agencies for even
the basic farm inputs. Hence, adopting agroecology based farming practices poses many
challenges for the farmers such a poor knowledge dissemination, increased efforts to
procure raw materials and prepare the farm inputs, amongst others.
Currently, India has more than a million farmers practicing agroecological farming but many
of them struggle in sustaining it and subsequently are seen using synthetic fertilisers and
chemical pesticides in the longer run. Evidently, there is a need for another revolution to
bring in another round of behavioural change and to make this transition easier we propose
the Bio-input Resource Centre (BRC).

Current Scenario
Currently, there are plenty of challenges which a farmer experiences in both transitioning to
agroecology based farming practises and sustaining it. And one of the biggest challenges is
the farm inputs due to the following reasons :

● Exposure to different bioformulations

BRC
As a for-profit enterprise, the Bio-input Resource Centre will make available locally prepared
products/ formulations specific to the agro-ecological zone, for purchase by farmers. These
formulations shall be biologically derived inputs or prepared from biological materials that
are useful for improving soil health, crop growth, pest or disease management and habitat
management. Similar centres shall be encouraged to be set up across the country as an
enterprise supported by an FPO, CSO or out of individual initiative. With the desire for a

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faster spread of these centres and their impact, a decentralised approach for their
implementation and dissemination is envisioned.

BRCs would support the local farmers through the following ways :

● Mother cultures that could be purchased by farmers for further multiplication

List of suggested inputs - Appendix I

Interventions
In addition to support for setting up business models, operational management, extension
services and end to end hand holding support for the initial phases, the BRCs would provide
the following interventions :
● Technical trainings and on-site technical support and knowledge transfer
● Sourcing of machines and raw materials (Mother culture, incubators, drums etc.)
● Technical support for a year by resource organisations
● Impact evaluation
● Establishing sources for procuring mother cultures and other such linkages
● Credit support, if required from the FPO or CSO helping in setup of the BRC
● Quality control inspections by a technical support organisation

Outcome
● Unhindered supply of natural inputs for farmers
● Increased adoption of natural farming inspired by peer learning and ease of adoption
● Increased soil health, better produce quality, reduced cost of cultivation, better
pricing, better marketing avenues, zero waste farm
● Contribution to grassroots economy and employment opportunities for youths

Implementation partners
In order to scale and make natural farming mainstream, we envision a decentralised
approach to the implementation of BRCs. For this we would work along with :
● Resource organisations - Quite a few organisations like KVK Yagantipalle, RySS,
WASSAN, Parbhani University, Thanal amongst others have worked on the idea of
BRCs across the country and their knowledge and support will be key in scaling BRCs.
Organisations could potentially be associated as technical knowledge partners or
capacity building partners.
● Field Organisations - Programme will be open to all the member organisations of NF
Coalition and their network partners.

List of potential resource partners - Appendix II

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Appendix I
Improving soil fertility and soil health
● Seeds of green manuring crops
● Vermiculture/compost
● Neem/karanj cake
● Cow dung/cow urine
● Microbial preparations like Jeevamrit, Ghana Jeevamrit, Waste Decomposer etc.
● Bio fertilizer formulations/ cultures : VAM, Azolla, Rhizobium, PSB, Azospirillum,
Azotobacter, Potash/Zinc Mobilizers etc.

Disease management
● Seeds/seedlings of trap crops
● Botanical decoctions
● Panchagavya/Dasaparni
● Neemastra/brahmastra/agniastra
● NSKE
● Bio-pesticides – Beaveria, Verticillium, Trichoderma, Pseudomonas, NPV
formulations/cultures, etc

Appendix II
Potential Resource Partners
● KVK Yagantipalle
● MANAGE
● NIPHM
● Parbhani University
● SRMIST
● RySS
● AKRSP-I
● WASSAN
● Thanal
● APMAS
● Lipok Social Foundation
● Green Foundation
● Khoj
● CSA
● Jagori
● Vrutti

References
AAP Drought Mitigation Project (APDMP), Department of Agriculture, AP - BIO RESOURCE CENTRE:
Concept Note

www.nfcoalition.in

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