Andhra Pradesh's Natural Farming Programme Receives Prestigious Food Planet Award 2026

Why in the News ?

• Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) has been awarded the 2026 Food Planet Prize. This award is considered one of the world's most prestigious environmental awards for promoting food systems transformation and sustainable agriculture.
• The award was presented at a ceremony held in Båstad, Sweden, on June 2, 2026. The award provides a sum of US$1.5 million (USD) to the winning initiative.

What is the Food Planet Prize ?

• The Food Planet Prize is established by the Curt Bergfors Foundation of Sweden.
• Its aim is to encourage initiatives that contribute to making global food systems more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and climate-resilient.
• More than 1,000 nominations were received from around the world for the year 2026.
• Of these, 35 initiatives from 19 countries and six continents were longlisted, with APCNF among the four finalists.

What is APCNF ?

• The Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming Programme (APCNF) was launched in 2016 by Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS), a charity under the Agriculture Department of the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
• The program aims to encourage farmers to adopt natural farming while reducing their dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
• Today, this initiative is considered one of the largest community-led agroecology movements in the world.

Key Features of the Program

• Approximately 1.8 million farmer families are involved in the program.
• 3.4 lakh women self-help groups (SHGs) are key partners.
• More than 10,000 Community Resource Persons (CRPs) are employed to support and train farmers.
• Farmer scientists and mentors play an active role in documenting and disseminating natural farming techniques.
• The program promotes sustainable agriculture by reducing dependence on chemical inputs.

Key Reasons for the Award

• The Food Planet Award jury honored APCNF for the following achievements:
  • Improving soil health.
  • Conserving biodiversity.
  • Making agriculture more resilient to climate change.
  • Reducing farmers' production costs.
  • Promoting conservation of natural resources.
  • Developing community-based agricultural models.

Andhra Pradesh Government's Response

• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu described this as a historic achievement for India, saying the state aims to achieve a "100 percent natural Andhra Pradesh by 2047."
• State Agriculture Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu said the program has significantly contributed to reducing farmers' costs and increasing their net income. He also pointed out that more than 60 percent of the community resource persons training farmers are women.

National and International Impact

• APCNF's agricultural practices are now being shared with 22 states in India.
• Countries such as Sri Lanka and Zambia have also shown interest in this model and are working towards adopting it.
• This program has the potential to give India global leadership in the field of natural farming.

Significance for Farmers

• This program has provided small and marginal farmers with the opportunity to adopt sustainable agriculture at low costs. Farmers are benefiting from chemical-free production, improved soil health, and stable income.
• According to Kuruda Radha, a farmer from Alluri Sitarama Raju district, natural farming has provided her family with chemical-free food and reduced her farming costs.

Conclusion

Andhra Pradesh's Community Managed Natural Farming Programme (APCNF) has emerged as a successful model for sustainable development, environmental protection, and farmer welfare in the agricultural sector. The 2026 Food Planet Prize is a testament to the fact that agriculture can be made more sustainable, profitable, and climate-resilient through community participation and natural farming practices. This initiative is an inspiring example not only for India but also for the world.