VIJAYAWADA: Socio Economic Survey 2021-22 has appreciated the Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS) agroecology initiatives in the State. The Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) incorporates the best agroecology practices for climate change adaptation. To name a few, regenerative agriculture, conservation agriculture, multistrata agroforestry, farmland restoration, nutrient management and farmland irrigation are the best agroecology practices.
The APCNF programme, formerly known as APZBNF was initiated in June 2015 by the agriculture department. The field level implementation had commenced from Kharif 2016 on a pilot basis in 704 villages with funding from the Centre and the State government through the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). In 2020-21, it has been expanded to 3,730 villages covering 4.80 lakh farmers.
According to officials, the programme has been implemented in 661 mandals, 3,720 gram panchayats bringing 5,92,089 farmers in 2,68,263 hectares area under natural farming. As many as 3,70,124 farmers adopted pre-monsoon dry sowing and dry sowing methods. In all, 45,201 farmers opted for 365 DGC model and gained year-long income.