National Mission on Natural Farming to empower stakeholders

Guntur: Natural farming offers a sustainable solution to environmental challenges while ensuring economic and health benefits for farmers and consumers alike, said B Rama Rao, CEO of Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS).

He was speaking at the state-level three-day training on Wednesday here as a part of National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF). Rama Rao expressed concern over growing degradation of soil due to excessive chemical inputs, contamination of water resources and the rising health concerns associated with chemically grown food.

The training, funded by MANAGE and organised by Andhra Pradesh Community-managed Natural Farming (APCNF) under the aegis of RySS, brings together key officials from the agriculture department (DDAs, ADAs, AOs) and SERP representatives (DPMs, APMs) to enhance their knowledge and implementation strategies for natural farming.

Rama Rao stressed that natural farming practice in need of the hour and requested the departmental officials and SERP officials to support the promotion of natural farming.

Dr D V Raidu, advisor to RySS, said that adopting natural farming can restore soil fertility, improve biodiversity, and enhance farmers’ resilience against climate change.

He urged officials to focus on grassroots-level implementation and policy support to scale up natural farming across AP. He delivered an in-depth presentation explaining the scientific basis of natural farming and its long-term impact on agriculture. He explained how plants and microbes share a symbiotic relationship, aiding in nutrient absorption and soil fertility.

N Venkateswarlu, Guntur district agricultural officer, Gopichand, L Ishwarya, G Padmavathi, director, Livelihoods from SERP, and senior officials from RySS Dr Zakir, Chandrasekhar, Suresh, Raj Kumari, district project manager, APCNF, Ramachandram and Rajeswar participated in the training programme.