Cyclist Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 ఐటీ కే కాదు…అగ్రికల్చర్ కి కూడా ఆంధ్రా అడ్రస్సే https://chaakirevu.wordpress.com/2018/06/28/ఐటీ-కే-కాదు-అగ్రికల్చర్-క/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3mar Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/06/26/opinion/farming-organic-nature-movement.html Bringing Farming Back to Nature By Daniel Moss and Mark Bittman Mr. Moss directs an organization that funds sustainable agricultural practices. Mr. Bittman writes widely about food and food policy. June 26, 2018 Representatives of more than 70 countries gathered in Rome recently to discuss this approach to creating a healthier and more sustainable food system. (We were there.) It was an invigorating and encouraging gathering, made more so when José Graziano da Silva, the director general of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization, called for “transformative change toward sustainable agriculture and food systems based on agroecology.” In India, the state of Andhra Pradesh, home to 50 million people, is investing $200 million to convert its farmers to the agroecological practice known as zero budget natural farming, which uses from-the-farm nutrients to grow crops without using costly chemical fertilizers or pesticides, which can push farmers into debt. More than 100,000 farmers there are already using this method, and an estimated 500,000 farmers in 3,000 villages will have moved to this method by the end of this year, three years ahead of schedule, according to organizers. The government plans to invest $2.3 billion to expand it to six million farmers within five years. https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/06/26/opinion/farming-organic-nature-movement.html Daniel Moss is executive director of the AgroEcology Fund, which supports agroecological practices and policies. Mark Bittman, a former columnist for The New York Times, is a lecturer at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook and Twitter (@NYTopinion), and sign up for the Opinion Today newsletter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3mar Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 Walmart Foundation Invests Nearly US $2M in ‘Farmer Market Readiness Program’ in India https://news.walmart.com/2018/06/27/walmart-foundation-invests-nearly-us-2m-in-farmer-market-readiness-program-in-india NEW DELHI, June 27, 2018― Over 6000 farmers in Andhra Pradesh will move to an improved business model for better value chains and better incomes through an intensive two-year project supported by the Walmart Foundation in partnership with ICRISAT. At a meeting in New Delhi, senior representatives from Walmart and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropic (ICRISAT) launched ICRISAT’s program focussed on two key national priorities: doubling farmers’ incomes and addressing malnutrition in rural areas. Over the next two years, ICRISAT will work in Andhra Pradesh’s dryland farming areas with 6,100 smallholder famers, 2,000 of whom are women. The project will set up community-based millet and legume processing facilities, provide access to training and more productive plant varieties and educate buyers in the market about the nutritional value of grain legumes to help boost demand. Julie Gehrki, Vice President of Philanthropy, Walmart Foundation said: “Many of the 6 million farmers in Andhra Pradesh have very limited access to formal markets. We believe sustainable development in farming communities can be accelerated through direct skills building and growth of entrepreneurship, which creates new opportunities for farming communities across Andhra Pradesh. https://news.walmart.com/2018/06/27/walmart-foundation-invests-nearly-us-2m-in-farmer-market-readiness-program-in-india Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3mar Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 02 JUN 2018 PRESS RELEASE GREEN ECONOMY Andhra Pradesh to become India's first Zero Budget Natural Farming state https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/andhra-pradesh-become-indias-first-zero-budget-natural-farming-state The Government of Andhra Pradesh has launched a scale-out plan to transition 6 million farms/farmers to 100% chemical-free agriculture by 2024. This is an unprecedented transformation towards sustainable agriculture at such a massive scale. Zero Budget Natural Farming also aims to create the human and social capital necessary for vibrant and inclusive agricultural production. Vijayawada, India, 2 June 2018 – The Government of Andhra Pradesh has today launched a scale-out plan to transition 6 million farms/farmers cultivating 8 million hectares of land from conventional synthetic chemical agriculture to Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) by 2024, making Andhra Pradesh India’s first 100 per cent natural farming state. The programme is a contribution towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on ‘No Poverty’, ‘Clean Water and Sanitation’, ‘Responsible Consumption and Production’, and ‘Life on Land’. It is led by Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS) – a not-for-profit established by the Government to implement the ZBNF programme - and supported by the Sustainable India Finance Facility (SIFF) – an innovative partnership between UN Environment, BNP Paribas, and the World Agroforestry Centre. With more than 8000 farmers present, the launch event was attended by international dignitaries including Erik Solheim, Executive Director of UN Environment; Sunny Verghese, Chair, World Business Council for Sustainable Development and Co-Founder and Group CEO of Olam International; Pavan Sukhdev, President of WWF International; Antoine Sire, Member of the Global Management Committee, BNP Paribas SA, among others. “This is an unprecedented transformation towards sustainable agriculture on a massive scale, and the kind of bold change we need to see to protect the climate, Modiversity, and food security,” said Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment. “We’re pinning a great deal on the Zero Budget Natural Farming programme, which I hope will inspire the widespread adoption of a natural farming scheme. It’s a better deal for farmers, consumers, and the planet.”. The official launch of the ZBNF scale-out programme marked an unprecedented commitment by the state to promote the scale-out of climate-resilient, regenerative agriculture in a broader effort to transform and protect local food systems and long-term well-being of farmers. “The success of climate-resilient, Zero Budget Natural Farming in Andhra Pradesh will not only help India in meeting its SDGs but it can also inspire and transform the lives of millions of farmers across the developing world,” said, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu. “The Andhra Pradesh government is showing true leadership in transitioning one of India’s first “Green Revolution” states into one of India’s first natural farming states. The scale-out of ZBNF will promote regenerative agriculture, improve soil Modiversity and productivity, and ensure decent livelihoods to smallholder farmers, who grow so much of the food people consume but receive so little reward for their labour,” said Pavan Sukhdev, President, WWF International. As both a social and environmental programme, it aims to ensure that farming – particularly smallholder farming – is economically viable by enhancing farm Modiversity and ecosystem services. It reduces farmers’ costs through eliminating external inputs and using in-situ resources to rejuvenate soils, whilst simultaneously increasing incomes, and restoring ecosystem health through diverse, multi-layered cropping systems. “BNP Paribas is delighted to be supporting such an impressive programme that views farmers’ welfare and sustainable practices as vital for a sustainable and productive economy. As a bank which has included the UN Sustainable Development Goals in its global corporate plan, we strive to engage in partnerships and opportunities that do not only consider financial performance, but also positive impacts on environment and society,” said Antoine Sire, Head of Company Engagement, Member of the Executive Committee, BNP Paribas Group. Zero Budget Natural Farming also aims to create the social capital necessary for vibrant and inclusive agricultural production, by establishing farmers’ federations and self-help groups, and placing farmers at the forefront of knowledge creation and dissemination. “The AP ZBNF programme embeds social, environmental, and economic considerations to ensure inclusive and responsible growth. A farm cannot be economically viable if it continues to deplete the resources it needs, both ecological and social, to be productive” said Sunny Verghese, Chair, World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Considering its impressive scale, an effective shift to a 100% natural farming state with 8 million hectares free of chemical contamination will achieve transformative impacts in India. In addition, it will provide a blueprint for an inclusive agricultural model, which takes into account diversity of people along with agro-climatic conditions and can be adapted to varying global contexts to reduce vulnerabilities to climate change. Moreover, as 14 out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals are dependent on the status of natural resources, the health of communities, access to secure nutrition, and empowerment of women, ZBNF constitutes an effective cross-sectoral strategy for achieving SDGs targets. “ZBNF builds on agroecological principles, that are at the heart of sound integrative, systems science, with the promise of resilient and productive landscapes that offer the kinds multiple benefits for society and ecology that our Planet sorely needs today from all of its landscapes. It, therefore, sets the pace and the agenda for all of us”, says Tony Simons, Director General of the World Agroforestry Centre. Recognizing its transformative potential, the Sustainable India Finance Facility will facilitate the ZBNF scale-out process, targeting investments amounting to US$ 2.3 billion over the next 6 years. “The world is running out of time to reverse the climate change trajectory, which is precisely why it is crucial to engage and invest in a new paradigm championing regenerative agriculture with significant positive externalities, such as the ZBNF programme in Andhra Pradesh,” said Satya Tripathi, Chairperson, Sustainable India Finance Facility. NOTES TO EDITORS About UN Environment: UN Environment is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UN Environment works with governments, the private sector, civil society and with other UN entities and international organizations across the world. About BNP Paribas BNP Paribas is a leading bank in Europe with an international reach. It has a presence in 74 countries, with more than 192,000 employees, including more than 146,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its three main activities: Domestic Markets and International Financial Services (whose retail-banking networks and financial services are covered by Retail Banking & Services) and Corporate & Institutional Banking, which serves two client franchises: corporate clients and institutional investors. About The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) is a globally leading centre of scientific excellence that harnesses the benefits of trees and knowledge about sustainable land management in support of over 30 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. ICRAF is a member of the CGIARConsortium, a global research partnership for a food-secure future that supports achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. For media inquiries, please contact: Keith Weller, Head of News and Media, UN Environment. keith.weller[at]un.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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