VIJAYAWADA: Amidst the harsh realities of erratic vagaries of nature, soil degradation, and dwindling farm incomes, a woman farmer from Chevuturu village in G Konduru mandal of NTR district has emerged as a symbol of resilience and achieved success through Natural Farming. K Ramadevi, once disillusioned by repeated crop failures, has built a sustainable livelihood using methods that require minimal water and chemical inputs.
For years, Ramadevi and her husband Srinivas Rao struggled with mono-cropping cotton on their 2.30-acre land. “The soil had turned hard as stone due to excessive use of fertilizers. We had no borewell and depended on neighbours for irrigation water just to keep our 42 mango trees alive,” she recalled.
After facing repeated crop failures, the family abandoned farming for nearly five years. A turning point came in 2018 when Ramadevi attended a natural farming awareness session by the Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF), implemented by Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS). As the leader of a local Self-Help Group, she began experimenting with a kitchen garden.
Speaking to TNIE, Ramadevi said “The vegetables tasted better, stayed fresh longer, and the health of my family improved. That gave me confidence to try Natural Farming on our entire mango orchard,”
Appointed as an Internal Community Resource Person (ICRP) by RySS in 2019, she adopted Pre-Monsoon Dry Sowing (PMDS), introduced crop diversity, and used natural inputs like Jeevamrutham and Neem-based repellents. Her fields bounced back to life with the return of earthworms and soil moisture retention. Her cotton crop withstood the Budameru floods of 2024, while neighbouring chemical farms suffered heavy damage.
Recently, a delegation from Kerala led by the State Agriculture Minister P Prasad, visited her farm and noted a Brix value of 15%, an indicator of plant health and nutrient content, far higher than in chemical farming fields.
Ramadevi’s income has seen a turnaround. She now earns Rs 64,000 from cotton and Rs 38,000 from intercropping. Her “Any Time Money” (ATM) vegetable model on 30 cents yields Rs 10,000 per month. “Natural Farming brought stability to our lives. I no longer fear drought or pest attacks,” she says.
Today, as a District Model Mandal Trainer and Unit In-charge for Mylavaram Division, Ramadevi trains other farmers, especially women, in sustainable farming. Her journey is a inspiration for hundreds looking to transform adversity into opportunity.
