: In Andhra Pradesh, women are taking a lead role in the transition to natural, sustainable farming #IndiaNEWS In front of her modest one-room house under the shadow of a neem tree, P Mary cuddles her

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In Andhra Pradesh, women are taking a lead role in the transition to natural, sustainable farming #IndiaNEWS
In front of her modest one-room house under the shadow of a neem tree, P Mary cuddles her six-month-old twin grandchildren. As the heat abates and the breeze picks up, Mary, who is in her 40s, along with husband Manohar and youngest daughter Sreelekha, walk over to the adjacent acre of land, past rows of banana saplings they had planted a few weeks earlier. Alongside serried lines of black drip-irrigation pipes, they begin sowing tomato and chilli seeds in long rows after coating them with beejamrutham, literally nectar for the seeds – a concoction of soil, cow dung, cow urine and lime. Since 2019 Mary and her family, who live in YSR district’s (earlier Kadapa) Vemula mandal (an administrative unit), have transitioned to natural farming. Earlier, they mostly grew cotton and groundnuts with chemical inputs. “The ground has
become soft, the produce stays fresh, and it is a healthier option,� says Mary, who has been farming for over 25 years.Mary is one among the six million farmers that Andhra Pradesh plans to move to natural farming by 2031. The Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming is implemented by the Rythu Sadhikara Samstha, a not-for-profit farmers’ empowerment group.The intent is to manage farm distress by reducing the high cost of cultivation that leads to indebtedness, while also...Read more

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