Andhra's 18 lakh farmers win Oscars of farming, other nations replicate model
For years, environmental awards, we heard, largely went to scientists, startups and conservation projects. This year, however, one of the world's biggest sustainability honours went
For years, environmental awards, we heard, largely went to scientists, startups and conservation projects. This year, however, one of the world's biggest sustainability honours went to an army of small farmers from Andhra Pradesh. The Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) programme, which now works with around 18 lakh farmers of the state, won the 2026 Food Planet Prize, often described as the world's largest environmental award focused on transforming food systems. The $1.5 million prize was presented to APCNF by the Curt Bergfors Foundation in Bastad, Sweden, on June 2. Read Full Story The moment of glory comes at a time when farming and food security are increasingly threatened by climate-driven weather anomalies. Droughts, floods, rising input costs, and dependence on chemical fertilisers, many of which are cancerous and banned in dozens of countries, have been the norm. Against this backdrop, Andhra Pradesh's 18 lakh farmers demonstrated that natural farming can make agriculture more resilient while reducing dependence on chemical fertilisers. According to APCNF, the approach is already being replicated in 22 Indian states as well as Sri Lanka and Zambia. The award aligns with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's ambition of making Andhra Pradesh a "100% natural farming state" by 2047. It's part of Naidu's Swarna Andhra@2047 or Viksit Andhra Pradesh-2047 roadmap and was launched in 2016 during his last term.
The jury in the Swedish summer resort town of Bastad said the programme of Andhra Pradesh had demonstrated how farming can become more climate-resilient while reducing dependence on synthetic inputs. An integral part of the model are women-led self-help groups, more than 10,000 farmer trainers and a community-driven approach to agricultural transformation, according to a statement from the APCNF. The CNF of the APCNF is Community-Managed Natural Farming. It's a farming model in which farmers, using community networks, grow crops using natural fertiliser and pesticides. WHAT IS THE FOOD PLANET PRIZE THAT APCNF WON? The Food Planet Prize is awarded annually by the Swedish Curt Bergfors Foundation to initiatives capable of transforming the global food system while reducing environmental damage. The 2026 edition attracted over 1,000 nominations from across the world. The APCNF emerged as the winner ahead of finalists from the United States and the Netherlands. The award carries a prize purse of $1.5 million. The jury called APCNF one of the most ambitious agroecology transitions undertaken anywhere in the world. Zimbabwean professor, Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, co-chair of the jury, said APCNF provides "a scalable pathway for millions of farmers" while improving livelihoods, resilience and environmental outcomes. She added that the programme showed how "the future of agriculture can be built by working with nature rather than against it," the APCNF said in a statement.
The BriefWire