The Co-Benefits of Largescale Organic Farming on Human Health (BLOOM) study, looks at the benefits of replacing toxic chemical pesticides with natural farming methods in Andhra Pradesh, India. Human exposure to pesticides is linked to a host of chronic illnesses including cancer and neurological diseases. Andhra Pradesh, a state in the southern coastal region of India, passed a government order in 2016 that is now known as ‘Andhra Pradesh Community managed Natural Farming (APCNF). APCNF aims to reduce the cost of cultivation to ultimately improve farmers’ livelihoods; enhance soil fertility; enhance yields; and build resilience within agriculture to climate change. The APCNF programme focuses on reducing chemical inputs and improving soil health, whilst also promoting crop diversity and the use of indigenous plant varieties. The BLOOM Study Lindsay Jaacks, PhD, Personal Chair of Global Health and Nutrition at the University of Edinburgh and principal investigator of the BLOOM Study, and her co-researchers are leading a randomised controlled trial of APCNF in 82 clusters in four districts to assess APCNF’s health impacts. The study is supported by a grant from UK Research and Innovation, and is a collaboration between the University of Edinburgh, Ashoka University (Sonipat), Ross Lifescience (Pune), Rythu Sadhikara Samstha (RySS; corporation for farmers’ empowerment, the government agency implementing APCNF), Emory University, and Stanford University with Co-Investigators from the University of Glasgow and ICAR-National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (Hyderabad). Related links Find out more about the Bloom Study This article was published on 2024-06-24
