ABSTRACT

Input-driven agriculture has led to an epidemic of impoverishment, farmer suicides, and environmental degradation in India, but has also shown consistent staying power in Indian politics. We examine the case of organic farming policy adoption to explore this paradox. Specifically, our objective was to evaluate how the state-wide Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) program (now formally known as Community Managed Natural Farming) in Andhra Pradesh, India came to be. Evidence was drawn from government documents, field notes from a ZBNF workshop and farmer interactions, and in-depth interviews with stakeholders. Results suggest that advocacy of civil society networks, champions within the bureaucracy, emphasis on rural livelihoods, and the 20-year history of consensus building around agroecology all played a key role in the adoption of the ZBNF program in this state. Given the possibility of scaling up ZBNF at the national level, our analysis of the enabling environment is especially timely.

摘要

投入驱动的农业在印度导致了贫困，农民自杀和环境恶化的流行，但在印度政治中也显示出持续的持久力。我们研究了采用有机农业政策的情况，以探索这一悖论。具体来说，我们的目标是评估印度安得拉邦的州级零预算自然农业（ZBNF）计划（现正式称为社区管理的自然农业）的发展情况。证据来自政府文件，ZBNF研讨会的实地记录和农民的互动，以及与利益相关者的深入访谈。结果表明，民间社会网络的倡导，官僚主义的拥护者强调农村生计，围绕农业生态建立共识已有20年的历史，在该州采用ZBNF计划中都发挥了关键作用。考虑到在国家一级扩大ZBNF的可能性，我们对有利环境的分析特别及时。