Expansion Plan for Natural Farming With Best Practices of APCNF in TG

Vijayawada: A delegation of senior officials from the government of Telangana, along with several farmers and NGO representatives, visited natural farming fields in Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday. The visit was part of an initiative to expand natural farming in Telangana by adopting the best practices of APCNF (Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming).

Key officials from Telangana included Secretary to the Chief Minister G. Chandra Sekhar Reddy, Director of Agriculture Dr B. Gopi, Deputy Director of Agriculture K. Siva Prasad, Director (extension) Dr B. Jamuna Rani, and Principal Scientist, Agronomy, Dr A.V. Ramanjaneyulu. The team arrived to study the APCNF model with the aim of fostering collaboration between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for the broader implementation of natural farming practices, benefiting both farmers and the environment.

The Telangana delegation visited Erukulapudi village in Tenali Mandal in Guntur district, where they were introduced to the local community cadre who spearheaded the village's transition to natural farming. They observed the positive changes it has brought, including sustainable paddy cultivation methods at Vijayalakshmi, Rangaiah, and other farmers' paddy compact blocks. The team also gained insights into the application of natural farming practices to cotton crops during their visit.

Executive vice-chairmans of RySS T. Vijay Kumar, and Dr D.V. Raidu explained the journey of APCNF, which began with just 40,000 farmers and has now reached 1,000,000 farmers, supported by multiple funding sources from the government and philanthropists.

Vijay Kumar emphasised key global challenges, including the climate emergency and the degradation of planetary health due to current agricultural systems. He noted that natural farming offers solutions to these problems and aims to achieve a target of ₹25,000 net income per month per family, with land holdings ranging from 1.5 to 2 acres. He added that there are plans to develop 1 lakh such farmers in Andhra Pradesh over the next three years, with a goal of reaching 3 lakh farmers by 2029.