Andhra Pradesh's Natural Farming Model for Sustainable Agriculture in India

Context

The unpredictable weather and monsoon is driving the nation to adopt more sustainable models of agriculture and to adopt a zero- budget natural agriculture.

What is Natural Farming?

• Natural farming is a type of organic farming that is based on the elimination of chemical inputs and promotes the use of locally available resources to reduce farmers' input costs and in making agriculture remunerative.

Need to adopt the Natural Farming

• Distress: Farmer distress, suicides, and mass protests are increasing due to the high production costs, unremunerative prices, depleting natural resources and increasingly unpredictable weather.
• Water depletion: Over half the aquifers in India have seen depleting water levels and around 90% of groundwater is used for irrigation.
• Land degradation: 30% of land area and topsoil has been degraded.
• Vulnerability: India is ranked as the most vulnerable country in the world to extreme weather events induced by climate change.
• Significance: It will help in
  • in conserving the natural resources
  • in reducing greenhouse gas emissions
  • potentially reduce cost of production and climate-related risks for farmer
  • to reduce the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides,

About the Andhra Pradesh Natural Farming Model

• Community managed: The Andhra Pradesh Community managed Natural Farming (APCNF) was previously known as AP Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) programme.
• Aim: APCNF aims to convert the entire state to chemical-free, low-input “natural farming” by 2030.
• Role of university and departments: The publicly funded agricultural universities and the state departments of agriculture has also supported the program.
• A farmer-centric approach: APCNF has put farmer livelihoods at the centre of its approach.
• Allied program: The programme is also experimenting with allied livelihood activities to create additional sources
• Women Participation: Women’s self-help groups are also part of the APCNF’s implementation, and a point of entry into new villages.