Scaling Natural Farming in Zambia Webinar

 

19 September 2025. Scaling Natural Farming in Zambia Webinar. 

Persistent concerns for smallholder farmers include food insecurity, unaffordable costs of chemical
inputs, and failed crops due to extreme weather. The APCNF (Andhra Pradesh Community-Managed Natural Farming) model, an economically successful, innovative agroecology method, has addressed these challenges for over one million farmers in India, and now for the first time - in multiple pilot locations in Zambia. 

APCNF methods strengthen soil microbiology and hydrology, leading to increased farmer incomes, crop yields, soil health, biodiversity and climate resilience. Elimination of chemical inputs reduces costs, strengthens water and food security, increases nutrients and other health benefits for farmers and consumers. These science-backed results apply to diverse crops, geographic and climate conditions.

In the Zambia Natural Farming Pilots, APCNF's unique agroecological innovations have achieved promising results: higher yields, reduced costs, increased food security and improved climate resilience for smallholder farmers.

This breakthrough was made possible through the adaptation of the Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) model of Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS), the world’s largest and most economically successful agroecology approach. This was an outcome of the partnership among NOW Partners Foundation (NOW), RySS, and national partners including the Zambian government, the Salesian Sisters’ Valponasca Learning Farm, and the Jesuit Kasisi Agricultural Training Centre.

KEY POINTS:

• APCNF's agroecology innovations are adapted for new geographical, climatic and cultural conditions in Zambia.
• NOW and RySS constructed a partnership of organizations aligned towards common scalable, goals.
• amazing results observed in the first year of the Natural Farming pilots in Lusaka and Luwingu.
• Learn the strategy for effectively adapting and scaling a science-backed method to new contexts.
• Natural Farming benefits farmers, driving regional economic development

Presenters 

1. Father Dondo, Kasisi Agriculture Training Center
2. Vijay Kumar, Executive Vice Chair, Rythu Sadhikara Samantha and APCNF
3. Walter Link, Founding President of NOW Partners Foundation, the Future Economy Forum info@now.partners 
4. Penelope Malilwe, Ministry of Agriculture, Zambia
5. Sister Chansa Modester, Salesian Sisters, Valponasca Learning Farm

About Zambia Pilots

Sri Lanka Pilot Launch

Resources

• Scaling Natural Farming in Zambia: Webinar Recording - If you’d like to rewatch, please find the webinar video and excerpts here.
• Natural Farming Global Resources - The Zambia pilot description and report are available here.
• Please also check out our global initiatives: www.naturalfarming.global
• NOW and RySS will be co-hosting events at COP30 in Belem, Brazil this year (November 10-21). Full schedule of upcoming events to follow.