The Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF), an Andhra Pradesh Government initiative, has won the 2026 Food Planet Prize, awarded by the Curt Bergfors Foundation, Sweden.The APCNF has been adjudged the winner from a pool of over 1,000 nominations received from various countries. The initial funnelling short-listed 35 initiatives from 19 countries, and the subsequent phase selected four finalists for the prestigious award.“This recognition is a tribute to the 18 lakh farming families and 340,000 women’s Self-Help Groups across Andhra Pradesh, whose commitment to Natural Farming has demonstrated a sustainable path for agriculture and rural livelihoods,” Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, has said.“We would like to make Andhra Pradesh a 100% natural Andhra Pradesh by 2047, restoring our resources, rejuvenating our farmlands, strengthening farmers’ wellbeing and healing the planet,” he said in a statement.The APCNF was founded by Rythu Sadhikara Samsta (RySS) in 2016 to motivate and support farmers to transition to natural farming.“Over the years, the movement has demonstrated that Natural Farming can be scaled through women-led institutions, farmer-to-farmer learning, Community Resource Persons, and strong Government ownership,” T. Vijay Kumar, Executive Vice Chairman of Rythu Sadhikara Samstha, said.Published on June 3, 2026