Understanding potential environmental benefits of natural farming in Andra Pradesh: Ex-ante analysis

Using Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) for environmental and socio-economic impacts and generation of evidence for policy makers requires a thorough understanding of the numerous environmental and social factors. Simulations were done to assess the impacts of current practices on crop yields across fertility treatments namely, Chemical Plus, Partial and Full APCNF in West Godavari (WG) and Non-Chemical, Partial and Full APCNF in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR). Results show that current nitrogen (N) use efficiencies are lower than the national average which is 58 kg/kg of N (range 38– 68 kg/kg of N). For the WG site, N use efficiency of the Chemical Plus, Full and Partial APCNF treatments is 21, 34 and 58 kg/kg, respectively. This clearly shows a low response to the large amounts of chemical fertilizers being used. The low response can be attributed to depleting total soil organic carbon (SOC) as shown by the long-term (30-year) simulations which indicate a potential decline in yields with time for current crop production practices, especially under the Chemical-Plus and Non-Chemical practices. The long-term simulations, however, show a substantial increase in SOC under Full and Partial APCNF treatments in both sites. The increase in SOC is due to residue retention and manure applications practiced by the farmers. Building SOC enhances overall soil fertility, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and promoting sustainable farming practices, which in turn provides a buffer against extreme weather conditions, such as heavy rainfall and drought, by maintaining soil moisture and temperature stability.

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