Economic Viability of ‘Community Managed Natural Farming’ Model of Andhra Pradesh in a Comparative Perspective

The article seeks to assess the economic viability of Community Managed Natural Farming (CNF) model of Andhra Pradesh (AP) employing both cross-section data and (in a first) panel data, on paid-out costs/yields/net returns (C/Y/R), in respect of three crops, generated during field studies over six years. Employing cross-section data, it reaches the conclusion that, in the case of the three crops, CNF is associated with less cost, more yield and greater net return per unit of land, relative to conventional farming (non-CNF) at different points in time. The trends in C/Y/R under CNF exhibited by panel data of successive years are less sanguine, with unremunerative prices for CNF outputs playing a part in the less optimistic outcomes. However, the exposure of CNF farmers to Pre-Monsoon Dry Sowing (PMDS) – a system of cultivation of land in the summer months – enables them to secure, with the aid of experience, an increase in yields and net returns. One may, therefore, conclude that PMDS can be a game changer and seems to have a positive impact on the fortunes of the CNF farmers.