Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Andhra Pradesh’s community-led natural farming programme has won the 2026 Food Planet Prize, one of the world’s largest environmental awards focused on transforming food systems. The prize worth $1.5 million, was presented in Båstad, Sweden, on June 2, 2026.
The Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming programme (APCNF), was recognised by the Curt Bergfors Foundation in Sweden for its work in promoting farming practices that reduce dependence on synthetic inputs and support climate-resilient agriculture.
The prize received more than 1,000 nominations from around the world. APCNF was among four finalists selected from a longlist of 35 initiatives across 19 countries and six continents, according to a press note by APCNF.
Launched in 2016 by Rythu Sadhikara Samstha, under Andhra Pradesh’s agriculture department, the programme was designed to help farmers shift to natural farming. It has since grown into what officials describe as one of the world’s largest community-led agroecology movements.
The programme now works with about 1.8 million farming families and 340,000 women’s self-help groups across Andhra Pradesh. Officials said more than 10,000 community resource persons support farmer-to-farmer learning, while farmer scientists and mentors help document and strengthen natural farming practices.
The award citation recognised APCNF’s work in showing that farming in harmony with nature could improve soil health, biodiversity and farm resilience while reducing input costs. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the recognition was a “first for India” and that the state aimed to become “100 per cent natural Andhra Pradesh by 2047”.
Reducing input cost
State Agriculture Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu said the programme had helped farmers reduce input costs and improve net incomes, adding that more than 60 per cent of community resource persons involved in training farmers were women.
APCNF’s methods are now being shared across 22 Indian states, as well as in Sri Lanka and Zambia, the note said. T Vijay Kumar, executive vice-chairman of Rythu Sadhikara Samstha, said the award was being accepted on behalf of 1.8 million farm families, 700,000 farmworker families and the women’s self-help groups driving the transition.
