Rythu Sadhikara Samstha
Women farmers in India are experiencing increasing pressure as climate change increases the risks, uncertainties and losses to farm families. RySS is engaging farm families with natural farming practices to reduce vulnerability.
RySS’s approach
Natural farming is 365 day green cover farming in harmony with nature. Natural farming delivers equal or better yields, more diverse, nutritive and improved climate resilient crops at lower costs, no chemical inputs and reduced water use. It improves nutrition, health; better crop resilience to droughts, floods, pests; improves soil health and carbon sequestration. Natural farming reduces costs, debt and improves wellbeing. It raises cropping intensity. RySS is engaging farm families through its natutal farming best practitioner champions, with women’s self-help groups and collectives in-charge. RySS is working to reach 4 million in next 5 years, from the current 1 million.
RySS’s impact
With our support, RySS has achieved the following:
People-level outcomes
1,037,617 farmers in Andhra Pradesh, covering 486,400 hectares of land, have
begun adopting RySS’s natural farming model. [407,617 since 2022]
231,618 natural farming practitioner farm families have achieved a 25% increase in
income. [154,618 since 2022]
Systems-level outcomes
230,000 women self-help groups are now helping spread natural farming in Andhra Pradesh.
RySS is seeding natural farming in 12 states as National Resource Organization, as recognized by the Government of India, and 3 countries (Indonesia, Zambia and Sri Lanka)
The Government of India has put in place a scheme, PMPRANAM, to share 50% of savings in
subsidy from reduced use of fertiliser (resulting from natural farming) with respective
state governments.
The Government of India has approved and is launching National Mission on Natural Farming to reach 10 million farmers and 750,000 hectares, with an outlay of $300 million.
Andhra Pradesh and national governments have collectively committed $172 million over the next five years to the implementation of natural farming.
Organization-level outcomes
A dedicated ‘Systems Change Office’ in RySS is integrating systems change, scaling and strategy in Andhra Pradesh and outside.
Increased the number of women in state team to 35% in the organization, while attaining 54% women staff at field-level.
The Indo-German Global Academy for Agroecology Research and Learning (IGGAARL, the Academy) is leading participatory, farmer-led research, evidence-based advocacy, and certified learning, as a global centre of excellence.
¹ https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/foreign-trade/indias-48-bn-input-subsidy-for-power-and-agri-raises-hackles/articleshow/110474015.cms?from=mdr
² https://assets.websitefiles.com/62131cb6f0c7fd0ea30abf4b/647f1d7684dd393f468dde17_20230606%20Smallholder%20Farmer%20and%20Climate%20Change_Final.pdf
³ Sapkota T.B. et al. (2019). Cost-effective opportunities for climate change mitigation in Indian agriculture.January 2025
