Andhra Pradesh’s community-managed natural farming programme has won Sweden’s Food Planet Prize 2026.
The Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) programme, implemented by Rythu Sadhikara Samstha, won USD 1.5 million, for leading one of the world’s largest transitions to natural farming. The award was presented in Bastad, Sweden, on Tuesday.
The prize, given by the Curt Bergfors Foundation, recognizes initiatives that could contribute to resilient, equitable and environmentally sustainable food systems within the next decade.
“The world’s largest environmental prize for food systems belongs to farmers. From the fields of Andhra Pradesh, millions of #NaturalFarming farmers are demonstrating that it is possible to grow food while restoring nature, improving health, and tackling climate change. The FoodPlanetPrize 2026 is a tribute to our women farmers, the youth, innovators, and climate warriors who are proving that #NaturalFarming can nourish both people and the planet,” APCNF said in a post on X.
Over the past 10 years, 1.8 million farmers in south India have joined what is now one of the world’s largest transitions to natural agriculture — and the numbers keep growing.
Launched by the Andhra Pradesh government, APCNF works through women’s collectives and a network of over 10,000 farmer trainers to help smallholders abandon synthetic inputs in favor of natural farming practices rooted in soil science and traditional knowledge. Year-round cover cropping and pre-monsoon dry sowing are among the methods being adopted across more than 8,000 villages.
“APCNF demonstrates how nature-positive farming can be implemented across entire communities and regions, providing a scalable pathway for millions of farmers while simultaneously improving livelihoods, resilience, and environmental outcomes,” Professor Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, co-chair of the Food Planet Prize jury, said.
“While transforming the way food is produced, APCNF has realized measurable reductions in dependence on synthetic agricultural inputs and enhanced resilience to climate shocks, droughts, and economic volatility,” she said.
The competition had received more than 1,000 nominations from around the world. APCNF was among four finalists selected from a long list of 35 initiatives across 19 countries and six continents, according to a press note by APCNF.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the recognition was a “first for India” and that the state aimed to become “100 per cent natural Andhra Pradesh by 2047”.
State Agriculture Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu said the programme had helped farmers reduce input costs and improve net incomes, adding that more than 60 per cent of community resource persons involved in training farmers were women.
APCNF’s methods are now being shared across 22 Indian states, as well as in Sri Lanka and Zambia.
