India, June 19 -- This month, a farming programme run by the government of Andhra Pradesh was awarded the prestigious $1.5 million Food Planet Prize. The winner was the Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF), which the jury described as one of the most ambitious transitions to agroecology ever attempted. Over a decade, around 1.8 million farm families have adopted APCNF's natural farming practices across thousands of villages and nearly a million hectares. Organised through women's self-help groups and a network of farmer-trainers, the programme aims to reach all six million farmers in the state by 2030.

APCNF's zero budget natural farming method draws on farming innovator Subhash Palekar's prior work. It replaces synth...