Seeding Champions

From the Green Revolution to the Natural Farming Revolution.

After watching Groundswell Film, Kiss the Ground and Common Ground this summer, I thought the final frontier for farming lay in organic and regenerative practices.

Then I spoke to Satya S. Tripathi and learnt about natural farming.
The Indian state of Andhra Pradesh has experienced a profound transition, vividly illustrating the concept of "land karma."

It was the first state to embrace the Green Revolution’s chemical‑intensive farming in the 1960s. Now it is the first to successfully return to the centuries‑old practice of natural farming, with resounding success:
·      Yields up 11%, resistant to Super El Nino
·      Farmer incomes up 49%
·      Input costs down 44%
·      Health costs down 26%
·      Farmer suicides on a steady downward trajectory
Transitioning each farmer costs just ₹25,000 (~US$265) over 8 years — less than a smartphone — yet unlocks healthier soils, cleaner food, reduced subsidies, and happier farmers.

And this isn't a niche experiment. Around 1.8 million farmers have joined Andhra Pradesh's Community Managed Natural Farming (APNF) programme across more than 8,000 villages. And this transition, has just won the 2026 Food Planet Prize in Sweden.

No wonder 48 countries have flocked to Andhra Pradesh to learn from this model, while 22–28 Indian states now have pilots underway.

The brutal truth is that farming is nightmarish for most farmers. Yet Satya S. Tripathi has been driving systems level change in this sector, via the Sustainable India Finance Facility, driven by an ambitious vision that has now turned into reality.

Episode 5 of rewiggle tells us how Satya and his colleagues are using natural farming techniques to change the fortunes of millions of small holder farmers, not just in India, but around the world. Natural farming is helping them live with dignity and in the process, is giving life back to the soil.

Listen to rewiggle episode 5 Seeding Champions:

Apple: https://lnkd.in/d9_nWdZB

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dET72PJd

Youtube: https://lnkd.in/d-KEBrHH