Natural Farming Shields Crops From Cyclone

While Cyclone Murasu battered Prakasam district with heavy rain and gale-force winds of 100–110 kmph on November 3, crops raised through natural farming practices remarkably withstood the storm, emerging relatively unscathed compared with those cultivated using conventional chemical farming methods.

Field-level observations in Mundlamuru and Addanki mandals have revealed a striking difference in crop resilience, with natural farming plots surviving the extreme weather while neighbouring chemical farming fields suffered considerable damage.

In Purumetla village of Mundlamuru mandal, natural farmer Kanuku Nagabrahma Reddy's two-acre chilli crop (555 variety) remained intact, with not a single plant uprooted. In contrast, nearly 40 per cent of the Teja variety chilli crop raised by chemical farming farmer Marreddy Srinivas Reddy in the same village was flattened by the winds.

A similar contrast was observed in Chinna Kothapalli village of Addanki mandal. The one-acre 5204 variety paddy crop cultivated by natural farmer Mucchimuri Narendra Reddy withstood the cyclone, while nearly 70 per cent of the same variety cultivated across two acres by K. Anjireddy using chemical farming methods was flattened.

Interestingly, the contrasting outcomes were recorded in the same villages, involving the same crop varieties and similar weather conditions, highlighting the apparent resilience of natural farming fields.

District natural farming project manager Subhashini said practices such as liquid Jeevamrutham, solid Jeevamrutham and PMDS (Pre-Monsoon Dry Sowing), which promotes crop diversity, help improve soil and plant health and may contribute to greater crop resilience under adverse weather conditions.

With climate change, cyclones and extreme rainfall posing growing challenges to agriculture, the field observations offer encouraging examples of how natural farming practices could help reduce crop losses and strengthen farmers' resilience, she said.