There is an unusual busyness in the air in India’s agricultural universities.

In December, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) decided to send out an end-of-the-year nudge to the 74 universities it oversees across the country. It urged the institutions to introduce natural farming as a part of their undergraduate course offerings as soon as possible.

Natural farming has become a “subject of national importance”, wrote the director general of ICAR, the top agricultural-research body, which also advises, accredits, and funds these institutions.........

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