Umiam, Ri-Bhoi: The Central Agricultural University (CAU), Imphal on Tuesday inaugurated the National Conference on “Natural Farming: Pathways to Self-Reliant Farming and Rural Prosperity (NCNF 2026)” at the College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences (CPGSAS), Umiam, Ri-Bhoi district.
The three-day national conference, being held from September 9 to 11, has brought together around 500 participants, including scientists, policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs, extension professionals, students and farmers from across the country to discuss the future of natural farming in India.
The inaugural session was attended by Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya as the Chief Guest, alongside NITI Aayog Member Dr. Joram Aniya, Vice-Chancellors of several agricultural universities, representatives of ICAR, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, RSS and senior officials from the agricultural sector.
Welcoming the delegates, CAU Vice-Chancellor Dr. Anupam Mishra said the conference aims to promote sustainable, self-reliant and farmer-centric agriculture through natural farming practices.
Addressing the gathering, Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya highlighted India’s traditional agricultural wisdom and stressed that the biodiversity-rich North East has the potential to become a hub for natural farming. He called for stronger value chains involving production, processing, packaging, branding and market access to improve farmers’ income under the “Local to Global” vision.
NITI Aayog Member Dr. Joram Aniya urged students and researchers to apply scientific knowledge to agriculture while preserving India’s farming heritage. She emphasized that healthy soil is the foundation of healthy food and a developed India under Viksit Bharat 2047.
Speakers throughout the inaugural session also stressed the importance of scientific research, region-specific farming practices, reduced dependence on chemical inputs, livestock integration and farmer-led innovations to make agriculture more sustainable and profitable.
During the event, the Assam Governor also released several publications on natural farming, including the Abstract Compendium, Poster Book and Media Chronicle.
NCNF 2026 is being organised in collaboration with ICAR, DST-NECTAR Shillong, RPCAU Pusa, RLBCAU Jhansi and Gujarat Natural Farming Science University, and features keynote lectures, technical sessions, exhibitions, panel discussions and stakeholder consultations on natural farming.
