RySS aims to transform one million farmers
Guntur: “Transforming one million farmers into complete Natural Farming practitioners under the Seed-to-Seed (S2S) approach is our key target for this year,” said B Rama Rao, retired IAS officer and Chief Executive Officer of Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS). He was addressing a state-level training programme for Natural Farming staff held here on Wednesday. The programme was organised to strengthen field-level implementation and accelerate the expansion of Natural Farming practices across Andhra Pradesh. Rama Rao said that since 2016, the Andhra Pradesh Community-managed Natural Farming (APCNF) initiative has brought nearly four million farmers into the fold of Natural Farming across the state. He announced that 2026 has been declared the “Seed-to-Seed (S2S) Farmer Year,” underscoring the importance of supporting cultivators through the entire agricultural cycle—from seed selection to seed preservation. He directed staff working at every Rythu Seva Kendras (RSKs) to closely coordinate with Internal Community Resource Persons (ICRPs) to ensure effective grassrootsimplementation. Highlighting sustainable practices, the CEO stressed the importance of Pre-Monsoon Dry Sowing (PMDS), which helps maintain green cover on farmland throughout the year. Ensuring 365 days of soil cover improves soil fertility, enhances biodiversity, and strengthens long-term farm sustainability, he said, urging field teams to take the practice to every farmer.
Senior Consultant Dr DV Rayudu expressed concern that excessive chemical input use since the Green Revolution has led to declining soil fertility.
He called for promoting indigenous seed varieties as part of Natural Farming and noted that cultivating 10–12 intercrop varieties boosts’ soil carbon and improves productivity.
He also encouraged field staff to motivate farmers to adopt innovative approaches such as Any Time Money (ATM) and A-Grade models to better manage pest and disease challenges caused by monocropping.
The programme was attended by DDA Kalyan Kumar, DDH Prabhakar, and several RySS officials including Ramachandra Rao, Chandrasekhar, Chakravarthi, Gopichand, Rajeswara Rao, and Hema Sundar.
