AP’s natural farming model wins global award

A unique natural farming method followed in Andhra Pradesh for more than eight years has gained global recognition. Nagendramma Nettem, a farmer from Andhra Pradesh’s drought-prone Anantapur district, and Vijay Kumar, executive vice-president of state government agency Rythu Sadhikara Sanstha, received the prestigious Gulbenkian Award for Humanity in Lisbon (Portugal) on Thursday.

The award recognizes outstanding contributions to climate action and solutions that inspire hope and possibility.

For Nagendramma, a small-scale farmer from Ghantapuram village, turning to natural farming is not a fancy idea. With a daughter suffering from visual impairment, he realized the importance of abandoning chemical-based agriculture and taking up natural farming.

Once she saw the profits (she earns more than 50 percent of the average income of fellow farmers in the village), she never looked back. She even became a supporter of the natural farming methods promoted by the state government. She became the Champion Farmer Coach of Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) in 2019. His job is to win the hearts of more farmers. In 2023, she became a model master trainer and mentored other trainers across the district.

Vijay Kumar, a former bureaucrat who is leading natural farming initiatives in the state, is in Lisbon to receive the award along with Negedramma.

“APCNF helps small farmers switch from chemically intensive agriculture to natural farming. This includes practices such as using organic residues and reducing tillage to improve soil health; And re-introducing indigenous seeds,” he said.

Run by RySS, APCNF covers more than 10 lakh small farmers with total land holding of 5 lakh hectares in the state.

APCNF shares a cash prize of €1 million with eminent soil scientist Ratan Lal (US/India); and SECEM (Egypt). The cash prize helps them continue and expand their work for more secure and sustainable food systems.

The trio were selected from 181 nominations with nominees from 117 nationalities competing for the award. The award was established by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, a philanthropic organization that promotes the quality of life for all through the arts, charity, science and education.