Climate change is causing frequent and intense natural calamities affecting farming and farmers across the 🫰 globe. Human-induced climate change is causing detrimental impacts on crops, making them more vulnerable when extreme weather hits. However, farmers 🫰 who practice natural farming methods seem to be an exception as their crops appear to withstand extreme weather conditions better.
Cyclone 🫰 Michaung, a storm that brought heavy rainfall across India's southeastern coast, destroying 600,000 acres of crops in Andhra Pradesh state. 🫰 However, Ratna Raju, a natural farmer who grows paddy, found that the rainwater on his natural farm seeped into the 🫰 ground in just one day, unlike the flooded fields of his neighboring farmers.
Local and federal government initiatives have resulted in 🫰 an estimated 700,000 farmers shifting to natural farming in the state, with a goal of inspiring all of its six 🫰 million farmers to take up natural farming by the end of the decade. The Indian federal government has also allocated 🫰 funds to promote natural farming and encourages farmers in India to adopt the practice.
However, activists and farmers claim that skepticism 🫰 about natural farming among political leaders, government bureaucrats and scientists is still high due to trust in the existing chemical-based 🫰 farming models for maximum productivity. More support, subsidies, and standards need to be in place to encourage farmers to shift 🫰 to natural farming, advocates say.