According to a report “Climate impacts of natural farming: A cradle to gate comparison between conventional practice and Andhra Pradesh Community Natural Farming” per crop, Natural Farming fields see estimated emission reductions of 29.7% to 91.1% compared to chemical farming
As we approach World Environment Day, it is important to acknowledge that we are in a climate ‘poly-crisis’ – a series of interconnected and compounding crises across sectors. One of the biggest risks as part of this crisis has been the consistent land degradation and desertification across the globe. Land degradation affects almost 2 billion hectares of land worldwide. Every year, 24 billion tons of fertile soils are lost due to erosion and 12 million hectares of land are degraded each year (23 hectares per minute). By 2019, 30.50 million hectares was reported as degraded land i.e. 9.45% of total land in India.
Since COP26 in Glasgow, there has been a global recognition that climate change is intrinsically linked to food systems. The current agri-food system, dependent on conventional monocropping practices and synthetic fertilizers, has resulted in drastic soil degradation and desertification leading to the depletion of vital nutrients for plant growth, chemical ‘burns’ to crops and soil acidification.
In Andhra Pradesh in India, however, an alternate path has been traversed to address the impact of land degradation on farmer livelihoods and planetary health and reverse land degradation. The Andhra Pradesh Community-managed Natural Farming (APCNF) model - started in 2016 by Government of Andhra Pradesh has demonstrated that scaled, low-cost alternative systems, mimicking nature is the most powerful way forward to address the land degradation crises. Since 2016, over a million farmers across the state have engaged in Natural Farming, primarily anchored by the state’s women Self Help Groups and collectives.
Technology - 365 Days Green Cover
APCNF primarily advocates nine universal principles of Natural Farming which include: 365 days green cover, diverse crops, bio stimulants for activation of microbial biodiversity, minimal tillage of soil and no use of synthetic chemicals. This leads to better incomes for farmers, more nutrient dense food, and rejuvenation of soil. Farmers cover the soil, throughout the year with diverse crops from different crop families i.e. legumes, cereals, oil seeds, vegetables & creepers, spices & condiments, and they rotate the crops through 3 seasons. Natural Farming rejuvenates soil biology, eliminates the use of synthetic fertilisers, draws down atmospheric carbon into soil, enables better nutrient absorption, builds subsoil water reservoirs, prevents evaporation losses from the soil and keeps the soil cool.
There are many national and international studies attesting the various benefits of natural farming. The report, “Natural Farming Through a Wide-Angle Lens (2022): True Cost Accounting Study of Community Managed Natural Farming in Andhra Pradesh, India,” shows that farms using natural inputs saw an 11% average increase in yields and maintained higher crop diversity compared to other farming systems.
Farmer Parameswar Reddy from Anantapur district explains this model. “I sowed a variety of crops such as carrots, cluster beans, and leafy vegetables, using natural farming methods, which yielded positive results,” says Parameswar.
Phil Lee, Founder of Regenerate Earth Australia who conducted microscopy of soils in Srinivas Reddy’s field, opines plant diversity has regenerated soils and one could see bacteria and fungi in comparison to nearby chemical field. The soil temperature was also found to be 26 degrees in comparison to neighbouring chemical fields which recorded a high of 60 degrees, implying that it is helping him reverse the heat stress on his fields caused by climate change as well.
Srinivas Reddy from Pamidi village planted 10 intercrops alongside drumstick and orange trees in a 4-acre plot. “I saw the soil structure has improved, could save on fertilisers and pesticides and most importantly happy to see the return of birds into the farm,” says Srinivas Reddy.
According to a report “Climate impacts of natural farming: A cradle to gate comparison between conventional practice and Andhra Pradesh Community Natural Farming” per crop, Natural Farming fields see estimated emission reductions of 29.7% to 91.1% compared to chemical farming.
Reversing Land Degradation
Large-scale adoption of Natural Farming practices, with 365 days green cover enables greater soil carbon sequestration, faster rejuvenation of soils, reduced soil erosion through water and wind on account of continuous plant cover and greater organic matter binding the soil, reduced evaporation losses, reduced soil temperatures unlike barren lands. It reverses land degradation.
APCNF’s journey from 2015 to 2024 is a remarkable transition from ‘Practices’ to ‘Science,’ uncovering scientific principles and correlating them with empirical evidence. APCNF is unique because it is scalable, low-cost, and designed for small and marginal farmers. Through experiential learning (peer-to-peer extension) farmers themselves have perfected the technology, producing positive results in the first year itself. It is sustainable because it harnesses the power of women’s collectives, which is a strong feature of all the states in India.
(Vijay Kumar Thallam, retired IAS officer, the Executive Vice Chairman of Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS) and the Chief Architect of the APCNF model.)