The government’s choice of partners has raised concerns.
In June 2018, the Andhra Pradesh government announced an ambitious programme to bring all 80 lakh hectares of its cultivable land under agroecological farming by 2024. Agroecology emphasises minimising external, artificial inputs by using resources available in the local ecosystem so as to make farming sustainable and environment-friendly.
Called Andhra Pradesh Climate Resilient Zero Budget Natural Farming, the programme seeks to wean away 60 lakh farmers from conventional chemical-based agriculture. It was launched after a three-year pilot project covering 700 villages.
With less than 3% of India’s cultivable land under organic agriculture, Andhra’s programme has attracted immense national and international interest and participation. Among its key backers and stakeholders is the United Nations Environment Programme, which has hailed ZBNF as “an unprecedented transformation towards sustainable agriculture at such a massive scale” and “a better deal for farmers, consumers, and the planet”.
Closer home, Niti Aayog has recommended Andhra’s programme as a model for other states, while Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath has called it a noble idea. Himachal Pradesh launched its own ZBNF programme in February 2018. Karnataka, in close consultation with Andhra, announced a pilot ZBNF programme in June 2018. Chhattisgarh is among a few other states closely studying the programme.
Yet, some of the programme’s partners and their records raise questions about the Andhra government’s claim that it’s farmer-centric. Its funding pattern and scale-out targets leave open the possibility of governments and/or corporations taking further control of agriculture. Together, they point at the challenges Andhra and other states contemplating similar programmes must contend with to ensure it is the average farmer that benefits.
Shopping for funds
In Andhra, statewide adoption of ZBNF by 2024 will cost $2.3 billion (Rs 17,000 crore at the current exchange rate). This excludes money that may be required for putting in place digital surveillance systems to track and monitor progress and ensure traceability.
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