APCMNF Program

The Andhra Pradesh Community-Managed Natural Farming (APCMNF) program, which promotes sustainable and chemical-free farming practices, has gained significant recognition and success. The program recently won the 2024 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, highlighting its impact on agriculture and climate action.

What is Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) programme?

• The APCNF programme aims to increase the adoption of natural farming practices among the state’s farmers to help them escape the debt cycle caused by high input costs linked to conventional agricultural practices.
• Launched in 2016, it supports farmers to switch from chemically intensive agriculture to natural farming through practices such as:
  • using organic residues and minimising tillage to improve soil health
  • re-introducing indigenous seeds
  • diversifying crops including trees
• Implemented by:RythuSadhikaraSamstha (RySS), a not-for-profit body under the aegis of the Department of Agriculture.
• The APCMNF is aggressively promoting the Pre-Monsoon Dry Sowing (PMDS) Model, as it enables the farmer to take home three crops in a year, even in rainfed conditions in semi-arid areas.
  • This is a paradigm shift since, in normal conditions, farmers in rainfed situations grow only one crop and leave the land fallow for the rest of the year. This mode of agriculture is based on scientific principles and comes into play in the non-farming season or whenever there is no crop cover on the land.
• Coverage:Currently, the APCNF is implementing natural farming in 4,116 gram panchayats and 7,746 village organisations through 2.31 lakh SHGs across 662 mandals of Andhra Pradesh. The government aims to reach out to all the 8 million farmer households in Andhra Pradesh in the next 10 years and inspire the programme’s replication in other States too.
  • The model is already being incubated across 12 States in India. The programme receives funding from Central schemes like RashtriyaKrishiVikasYojana, ParamparagatKrishiVikasYojana and BharatiyaPrakritiKrishiPadhati. The recently announced National Mission of Natural Farming is also expected to provide funds from this year.

Success and Global Recognition

• Impact and Scale: The APCMNF has become the world’s largest agroecology program, covering over 500,000 hectares and involving more than a million farmers. It has generated environmental benefits such as soil carbon sequestration and increased biodiversity.
• Recognition and Awards: The program received the 2024 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, recognizing its contribution to climate action and sustainable agriculture. This award highlights the success of APCMNF in integrating scientific knowledge with traditional farming practices.
• Future Plans and Expansion: The APCMNF aims to expand its reach to all 8 million farmer households in Andhra Pradesh over the next decade. It also plans to replicate the model in other Indian states and internationally, with support from various donors and government schemes.