Make Cotton Sustainable

NEWS REPORT / FINANCIAL CHRONICLE

Andhra's Journey To Sustainable Farming




A project to empower women farmers in Andhra Pradesh, India is on the roll. With some women self-help groups supporting it, the project hopes one day to bring about a change by which over 60 per cent of the land in the state is cultivated by organic means, says a report in the Financial Chronicle.

Over a million farmers in the state have adopted better crop management practices under the Community Managed Sustainable Agriculture project directed at maintaining yields while reducing the dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. As a direct consequence, the net income of farmers has gone up due to the savings on pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Crops being cultivated under this program include cotton, paddy, redgram, groundnut and chilies.

The project was launched to reduce the cost of cultivation of the farmer.  DV Naidu, state project adviser, Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty explained, "If a farmer raises cotton on one hectare through sustainable farming, he could potentially save $250 a year in pesticide cost alone. This is 56 per cent of his annual income.”

Rs 35-crore has been allotted by the government for the project and the National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture in India wants to implement the practice on a national level.

Video Courtesy: World Bank
To read the full story: Andhra sows seeds of new revolution in agriculture