A few years ago, a documentary team from the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, which was moving around the Krishna delta region, chanced upon a banana plantation with the stems standing tall, while the other plantations in the region were flattened by heavy gales.
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ZBNF system
The team met the Kakani Sivannarayana, a progressive farmer from Annavaram in Kollipara mandal of Tenali revenue division and shot a two-and-a half-minute documentary featuring agroecology, a farming approach inspired by natural ecosystems by the farmer.
The methods is being promoted as Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) system in Andhra Pradesh.
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The documentary titled ‘When farmers become trainers in agroecology through farmer field schools’ was uploaded to a YouTube channel on last Friday, omnthe occasion of World Food Day. The documentary was featured as part of a global series on ‘Food Heroes’. The same has also got good reviews in Instagram as ‘Kakani’s story’.
‘Input cost reduced’
“I started using natural farming methods some three years ago, which has reduced my cost of cultivation from ₹20,000 an acre to ₹3,500. I earn a profit up to ₹70,000 per acre. Now, I also train other farmers as the internal cluster resource person,” says Mr. Sivannarayana.
Natural farming system is being encouraged to help farmers tide over the rising input costs of fertilisers, presicide and others in Andhra Pradesh.
More than 20,000 hectares divided into 10 organic clusters in the State have been identified by agricultural scientists for organic farming this year.
Training programme
More than two lakh farmers would be trained in the best farming practices, said T. Vijaya Kumar, a retired civil servant and head of Andhra Pradesh Rythu Pradhikaraka Samstha.
“It is estimated that 42% of arable land would be lost due to urbanisation. Organic farming can be a key to reducing the farm distress,” he said.