Context: Transitioning to sustainable farming practices is critical for improving farmer livelihoods, protecting the environment, and promoting food security in the face of climate change.

Partners: Rythu Sadhikara Samstha; Agriculture Department of the Government of Andhra Pradesh; German Development Bank (KfW), and a number of philanthropic foundations including NOW Partern and Global Alliance for the Future of Food.
Duration: 2016 – ongoing
Location: Andhra Pradesh, India

Impact Achieved:

• APCNF is the largest transition to agroecology in the world, involving 800,000 farmers across 200,000 hectares. The programme aims to cover all the 6 million farmers, 8 million hectares and positively impacting 50 million consumers.
• Increased crop diversity with APCNF farms growing an average of 4 crops compared to 2.1 crops on conventional farms.
• An average increase of 11% in yields for prime crops (paddy rice, maize, millet, finger millet, and red gram) in APCNF villages.
• APCNF farmers experienced a 49% net increase in income due to a 44% reduction in input costs.
• Reduced health costs by 26% for APCNF farmers compared to those using chemically-intensive farming methods.
• Enhanced social capital in APCNF villages, promoting greater community cohesion, trust, support, and knowledge sharing.

Description:
The Andhra Pradesh Community-Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) program is a large-scale agroecological transformation initiative aimed at promoting sustainable farming practices among 6 million farmers over 6 million hectares in Andhra Pradesh, India. Initiated by the State Government of Andhra Pradesh in 2016-17, the programme hinges on the groundbreaking work of mobilising rural women into collectives from 1995. In order to understand Natural farming better, in 2020 GIST Impact with support from the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, commissioned the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for Agriculture and Food Systems (TEEBAgriFood) framework to evaluate the comprehensive economic, social, and health impacts of natural farming versus conventional methods. The study compared APCNF to three other farming systems: chemical farming, rainfed farming, and low-input tribal farming. Key activities included promoting natural farming practices that reduce reliance on chemical inputs, improve soil health, enhance biodiversity, and support sustainable water use. APCNF also focuses on increasing crop diversity, reducing input costs, improving farmer incomes, and fostering social capital through community engagement and mutual support networks of women and their federations. Importantly, this shows that natural farming and agroecological transitions can comfortably feed communities with better yields and crop diversity than conventional farming methods, with important insights for policy makers in India and globally.

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The Food Systems Call to Action is a global initiative that urges non-state actors and governments to take immediate steps to transform food systems by 2030. It highlights the urgent need for resilient, sustainable, and equitable approaches that support food security, protect nature, and address climate change. Through targeted actions and principles, the Call to Action emphasizes collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity—ensuring that farmers, frontline workers, Indigenous communities, and other key players are at the forefront of decision-making and implementation.