Seeding a greener future - an impetus to natural farming in A.P. Premium

Discover the transformative impact of natural farming in Andhra Pradesh, leading to sustainable agriculture and global recognition.

The rattled bones one gets from a wobbly tractor ride for 2 kilometres on a narrow mud road on a hot and sweaty day are worth the pain when the destination presents a visual treat of lush green fields in organised layouts.

The palpable shift from the cacophony of city life in Vijayawada to the serenity of cultivating crops in harmony with nature in agricultural fields on the outskirts of Tippanagunta village under Bapulapadu mandal of Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh seems a welcome change. 

“This patch of land is brought under the Pre-Monsoon Dry Sowing (PMDS) model with 32 varieties of crops,” says Atkuri Dhana Lakshmi, pointing to the farmland she has acquired on lease. Clad in a pastel pink cotton sari and her head covered with the loose end (pallu) of it, the 44-year-old tenant farmer from Tippanagunta village, along with others of her like, is growing pulses, vegetables and cereals on 2.5 acres of land.

Showing a bundle of freshly-harvested jeeluga, also known as dhaincha(Sesbania aculeata) , a leguminous green manure crop that fixes nitrogen in the soil, placed on the bund in a row of other crops like red gram and cereals, she says it is only recently that she stopped using chemical fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides and made the switch to natural farming.

“It took some time for me to get convinced about natural farming but no regrets whatsoever,” she says citing its multiple benefits like improved yield, increased income with a minimum cost of production, elimination of chemical inputs and reduced water consumption.

Natural farming got an impetus in the State with the intervention of Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS), a farmers’ empowerment cooperation, the implementing agency of the Andhra Pradesh Community-Managed Natural Farming (APCMNF).

“We encourage farmers to undertake the PMDS model as it provides green cover to the land for all the 365 days of the year. It also improves the soil fertility besides serving the bigger cause of environment conservation,” says R. Aruna, the Regional Project Coordinator of RySS.