Jharkhand PRADAN, MSSRF Teams Study Natural Farming Practices in AP
PRADAN and MSSRF teams visited natural farming fields in Vizianagaram and Prakasam districts to study sustainable agricultural practices under Andhra Pradesh’s community-managed natural farming programme.
Teams from PRADAN (Professional Assistance for Development Action), a non-governmental organisation involved in rural development initiatives in Jharkhand, and the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) visited fields practising natural farming in Vizianagaram and Prakasam districts on Tuesday. They studied the sustainable agricultural practices under the Andhra Pradesh Community-managed Natural Farming (APCNF) programme.
The programme, being implemented by Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS), promotes natural farming, crop diversification, health and nutrition, and sustainable farm management.
In Vizianagaram district, a team of PRADAN farmers visited the Jonnavalasa village on Tuesday to understand the preparation and application of natural farming bio-inputs, the nine universal principles of APCNF, and the Any Time Money (ATM) and A-Grade natural farming models.
The visit included theoretical sessions and field demonstrations in the presence of district project manager G. Vijaya Kumar. The team from Jharkhand gained practical insights into natural farming techniques and their application at the field level.
In Prakasam district, the seven-member Swaminathan Foundation team visited natural farming fields under the supervision of district project manager Subhashini.
At Kanduluru village, the team observed farmer Katragadda Lakshmi's A-Grade red gram model. The members learnt about cultivating nine biodiversity crops, seed pelletisation techniques, and generating additional income through cucumber intercropping.
The team visited farmer Dasaiah's mango orchard to study intercropping methods, crop management practices, and opportunities to improve farm income through diversified cultivation.
Further, MSSRF members interacted with women's self-help groups to understand the links between natural farming, health, and nutrition; and the associated benefits for rural communities.
Direct interaction with farmers and observation of successful farming models enabled the visiting teams to gain practical knowledge about diversified cropping systems, bio-input preparation, and sustainable agricultural practices.
The visits provided a platform for sharing experiences, strengthening institutional collaboration, and encouraging the wider adoption of natural farming among farming communities.
Members of the visiting teams included Dr. Israel Oliver King, director, Biodiversity Programme, Dr. R. Gopinath, Lead, MIS and Data management, Dr. Meera Sundararajan, Lead, Monitoring and Evaluation, Nandeesh, Development Coordinator from M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Sonamai Jonko, project coordinator, Sazid Amin, project coordinator, and Buland Iqbal, block anchor from PRADAN NGO.
