Regenerative Farming From the Margins in Andhra Pradesh, India: An Analysis of Policy and the Intersectionality of Caste and Gender

Abstract

Regenerative agriculture is emerging around the world as an alternative to environmentally degrading conventional farming practices, while producing enough food to feed the ever-growing world population (Lemke et al., 2024; McLennon et al., 2021). However, farmers marginalized by race, caste, or gender face barriers in shifting to regenerative agriculture due to factors such as limited access to information and credit (Day & Cramer, 2022; Karthick & Madheswaran, 2018). Caste and gender oppression are openly practiced across India, including in the agriculture sector in the state of Andhra Pradesh (Teltumbde, 2010). In Andhra Pradesh, the average landholding of farmers from the Scheduled Caste (SC), Backward Caste (BC), and female farmers is less than two ha, while the average landholding of the Other Caste (OC) male farmers is more than 10 ha (Department of Agriculture, 2021). Since issuing the Swaminathan Report in 2006 that made several agriculture-related policy recommendations, the Government of India and the state government of Andhra Pradesh have enacted public policies to support farmers and promote regenerative agriculture (PRS Legislative Research, n.d.; Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare [MAFW], 2024). Assessing gaps that still exist would help in designing policies that support the well-being of all farmers as they transition to regenerative farming (Chopra, 2019). My research aimed to examine how policies that promote regenerative farming in Andhra Pradesh are accessible to marginalized farmers, and how they improve their socioeconomic conditions. To address this, my research tested the following hypotheses: 1) between 2006-2024, a higher percentage of male OC farmers shifted to regenerative farming compared to other farmers; 2) between 2006-2024, a higher percentage of male OC farmers accessed public policies compared to other farmers; and 3) public policies that exclusively support marginalized farmers improved their socioeconomic conditions. To test these hypotheses, I developed a survey instrument to collect data on the socioeconomic conditions of the farmers in Miduturu and Pagidyala villages in Nandyal District. Statistical analysis was conducted by creating various cross-tabulations of caste-gender categories of farmers in the two villages, comparing them against their socioeconomic conditions, as well as their accessibility to and use of public policies. The survey revealed that compared to other categories, OC male farmers shifted to regenerative agriculture at a lower percentage or with an insignificant percent difference. A similar result was found for the accessibility of policies, with OC male farmers accessing policies at a rate not significantly different from other categories. The study found that Jagananna Jeeva Kranthi (JJK) scheme is the only scheme exclusively available to SC and BC female farmers, but it was not adequately accessed, mainly due to a lack of awareness about the scheme, with caste and gender biases reported by few farmers. However, shifting to regenerative farming led to improvement in the socioeconomic conditions of the farmers. Farmers identified support for inputs and labor required for regenerative agricultural practices, as well as marketing support, as key policy changes needed to facilitate their shift to or continuation of regenerative agricultural practice. Policymakers need to create opportunities to educate the farmers on the availability and applicability of policies, as this would motivate them to shift to regenerative agriculture.