India, France, Mali... the promises of natural agriculture

On June 9, the FARM Foundation launched a new program called "South-North Meetings on Agricultural Transitions." The first issue focused on the promise of natural agriculture in India—in the state of Andhra Pradesh—where the world's largest agroecological project was launched six years ago. Watch the full program, as well as a summary of the discussions between our guests.

In IndiaIn the land of the Green Revolution, a huge agricultural challenge is about to be won. In 2016, the state of Andhra Pradesh launched natural farming, known as Zero Budget. This state is trying to rally more than 6 million farmers to a series of virtuous practices for the environment, natural resources, and producers: agriculture without fertilizers or pesticides. The objective is first and foremost to improve farmers' incomes, ensure food security for residents while restoring and conserving the soil.

More than six years after its launch, what is the status of what is being described as the world's largest agroecological project? Are its promises being kept? What are its limitations? Bruno Dorin, a research economist at CIRAD and the CSH in New Delhi, is very familiar with this subject.

During a presentation lasting about twenty minutes, Bruno Dorin told us about this boom in natural agriculture in Andhra Pradesh. Before 2016, the crisis (socioeconomic, health, environmental, etc.) gave way to new aspirations with sciences, technologies and communities that are more in harmony with nature.

An alternative socio-technical niche then emerged around an emblematic figure of local agriculture, Subhash Palekar (Maharashtra) and an ambitious program called ZBNF (Zero Budget Natural Farming), based on three elements:

• Mixed farming
• Minimum tillage
• Local seeds

Launched in 2016 and spearheaded by Vijay Kumar, a former senior civil servant and agriculture advisor to the Andhra Pradesh government, the ZBNF program has already borne fruit. By early 2020, 695,000 farmers in the state had enrolled in the program.

The benefits are visible according to Bruno Dorin:

• Increase in net income with reduction in the cost of inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, energy, etc.)
• No drop in yield (rice, sugar cane, etc.) or even higher (legumes, etc.)
• Better food for residents (nutrition, sanitation, etc.)
• Better animal nutrition

And elsewhere in the world, how are agricultural practices evolving? 

In France, many farmers have already integrated these similar practices. This is the case of Thierry Desvaux, farmer in Yonne and member of the network AFDI (French Farmers and International Development). It produces protein crops, rapeseed, sunflower, corn, hemp and wheat. “We rotate to be consistent with the harvests.” In 2009, with three other farmers, he decided to pool his skills and land. “This break was quite brutal at first, but the results in terms of soil regeneration were astonishing.”

While maintaining stable production (around 8 tonnes/hectare), Thierry Desvaux has made the soil more alive, even if it still remains vulnerable, particularly to pests. "We've removed nearly a third of our chemicals – which is still insufficient in our view – and we've cut our fuel consumption in half. These factors give us good economic and environmental results."

Among other avenues for improvement, Thierry Desvaux hopes to increase the adoption of biocontrol products on his farm. Alone or in combination with conventional products, these natural solutions combine effectiveness, practicality, and respect for the environment. “Natural agriculture is a tool for resilience in the face of soaring prices and problems linked to climate change., he cries. Farmers must take care of our ecosystems".

Another relevant perspective on this model of natural agriculture, that of Kalifa Traoré, director of the Institute of Rural Economy (IER) in Mali. Faced with this Indian example, this specialist in adapting agriculture to climate change believes that it has its place in Mali and in Africa from an ecological, but also economic, point of view. "For example, our cotton system uses too much fertilizer; we should try new methods, with less fertilizer, and therefore less expensive."

In the current context of significantly rising input prices across the world, exploring such solutions represents a clear advantage for securing farmers' incomes. But the transition to these forms of ecologically intensive agriculture must be supported by public authorities, development stakeholders, and agrifood sectors. However, as our guests pointed out, public aid—and support in general—are insufficiently targeted at the deployment and adoption of these solutions.