Natural farming in Andhra Pradesh: An overview

The Community Managed Natural farming (CNF) is promoted and implemented since 2016 in Andhra Pradesh by Rythu Sadhikara Samastha (RySSj, Government of Andhra Pradesh. The study on the assessment of the impact of CNF on farming and farmers has been sponsored by RySS and initiated in the agricultural year 2018–19 and continued in 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, and further it will be continued for some more years as a longitudinal study. It has undertaken panel and best farmers’ surveys, besides cross-sectional surveys in all the crop seasons throughout the agricultural years. These studies have examined social, economic and environmental impacts of CNF. They have revealed: CNF is more inclusive of pure tenants and small landholders and it has increased soil fertility; improvement in soil fertility has resulted in higher crop yields; higher crop yields have been achieved by CNF farmers in relation to non-CNF farmers at lower costs of production of crop; and CNF has generated positive externalities in terms of adoption of some of the practices of CNF by non-CNF farmers in growing crops. These leads are pointers to the inclusive and sustainable nature of CNF.