11,000 Ryots to Be Trained in Natural Farming in Andhra Pradesh Under Rythu Sadhikara Samstha

The government of Andhra Pradesh is launching a programme to train 11,000 farmers over five years to promote natural farming and raise awareness about it among other farmers in the region. Under the initiative, one farmer scientist will be appointed to each of the 10,800 Rythu Bharosa Kendras in the state to help make villages climate-resilient and encourage fellow farmers to switch to natural farming. Initially, 200 mentors from the farmer community have been selected for training, and they will in turn train 50 model farmers in each village.

The farmer scientists will be chosen from among those who have cleared their intermediate education and will undergo an undergraduate course in natural farming. The course will be for four years and two months, with eight semesters. The farmer scientists will be evaluated on their theory, practicals, and research before being deployed to villages to promote natural farming and raise awareness about its benefits.

The programme is being developed to fight climate change and will be supported by the Indo-German Global Academy for Agroecology, Research, and Learning (IGGAARL) in Pulivendula, which is sponsored by the German government. The German government has sanctioned a grant of €20m to IGGAARL, the largest grant ever given by the German government to a single institution to develop farmer scientists.

The initiative is set to be launched on July 7, which marks the first anniversary of the institute. It is hoped that farmers will earn between Rs 25,000 and Rs 50,000 per month from natural farming, making their villages more climate-resilient. The course will teach natural farming in the field as well as in classrooms and will also include experiments in the agriculture field.

RySS senior consultant G Muralidhar explained that IGGAARL is currently training mentors in Guntur for seven days, after which they will be given immersion and theoretical training at the Pulivendula campus. Another RySS senior consultant, Dr KS Varaprasad, added that the course will cover research methodology and that the initiative is trying to tie up with universities in Europe, Australia, and the US to strengthen the concept.

source-The New Indian Express

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