About BLOOM

In 2016, the Government of Andhra Pradesh in India initiated a pioneering state-wide programme on climate-resilient natural farming.

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The programme is presently known as AP Community-managed Natural Farming (APCNF). APCNF is being implemented by Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS) (in English, ‘Farmer’s Empowerment Organisation’), a not-for-profit company established by the Department of Agriculture, Government of Andhra Pradesh. RySS’s mandate is to plan and implement programmes for the empowerment and all-round welfare of farmers. The programme is working on system-wide transformation of farmers from conventional farming to naturally grown produce. Over the last 4 years, the number of farmers enrolled to practice natural farming has increased from 40,000 farmers in 2016 to around 700,000 farmers and farmworkers in 2019. The APCNF programme is acknowledged as the world’s largest agroecology programme in terms of number of farmers enrolled. RySS plans to enrol 1 million farmers and farmworkers in 2020-21. The programme intends to bring all of AP’s 6 million farmers and farmworkers under natural farming by 2030.

Video: Zero Budget Natural Farming: An Agricultural Revolution is Taking Shape in India

BLOOM Research Study

BLOOM is a community-based, cluster randomised controlled evaluation of APCNF led by the University of Edinburgh and the Centre for Health Analytics Research and Trends (CHART), Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University in partnership with RySS. APCNF RySS clusters will be the unit of randomisation; intervention households will receive training in APCNF practices immediately following baseline and control households will receive the same training after 24 months. The primary outcomes will be (1) pesticide exposure, (2) dietary diversity, (3) household income, and (3) crop yield. Secondary outcomes will be adult glycemia, adult kidney function, adult self-reported symptoms (musculoskeletal pain, headache, respiratory symptoms, dermatological symptoms, and depression), and, in children, growth and cognitive development.

The BLOOM study is funded by UKRI (MRC).

Study Location

The BLOOM Study is being conducted in two districts of Andhra Pradesh, India: Kurnool District and Visakhapatnam District. Kurnool is in the Scarce Rainfall Zone and Visakhapatnam is in the North Coastal Zone and High Altitude Zone.

Maps showing where the Bloom study takes place

Further information

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