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Author Message   Fanno1 Mudiripoyina Bewarse Username: Fanno1 Post Number: 10910 Registered: 03-2004 Posted From: 24.249.211.73 Rating: N/A Votes: 0 Posted on Monday, September 24, 2018 - 4:12 pm:    Zero Budget Natural Farming. https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/upload.teamup.com/908040/YTsAz5RNQsqy20SAaW3K _Concept%20Note%20-%20Sustainable%20Finance%20Event.pdf Andhra Pradesh, India In India, the ‘Sustainable India Finance Facility’ in collaboration with India’s leading civil society organizations is supporting the Government of Andhra Pradesh’s efforts to become India’s first Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) state by converting 6 million farmers and 8 million hectares of land to 100 percent synthetic chemical free agriculture by 2024. This is an unprecedented transformation towards sustainable agriculture at an unprecedented scale that is enhancing resilience of smallholders in varying agro-climatic zones, promoting gender sensitive development and providing an opportunity for reclaiming planetary boundaries. ZBNF is a unique best-practice model of low-input/high output agriculture that enhances farmer’s welfare utilizing by eschewing synthetic fertilizer and pesticides, replacing them with ecologically sustainable, cheaper natural substitutes. The benefits of ZBNF include: a) reduced input costs (and therefore higher net incomes) while offering b) consistent yields and product quality, c) restoration of ecosystem services and improved bioclimates, d) conservation of biodiversity, e) stimulation of local economies and social capital, f) improved carbon sequestration and soil properties, g) improved resilience, especially in the face of extreme climatic events, h) safe and nutritious food, i) improvements in health and j) empowerment of women farmers and lower farmer indebtedness. As of August 2018, over 300,000 farmers in villages across all 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh have been transitioned to ZBNF with a goal of increasing this number to 500,000 farmers by March 2019. As 14 out of the 17 SDGs are dependent on the status of natural resources, the successful scaling up of ZBNF is also delivering an effective cross-sectoral strategy for achieving almost a quarter of the 169 SDGs targets. The ZBNF project is a recognition that sustainable landscapes-based approaches are critical for achieving food security and meeting the needs of a global population of 9.7 billion people by 2050, as arable land area decreases and climate change creates unpredictable weather patterns. SIFF plans to scale its facilitated investments in India to USD 6 billion by 2020; targeted investments of USD 2.3 billion over the next 6 years in ZBNF will result in a vetted solution for global food and health challenges facing countries around the world.