In Andhra Pradesh, India, smallholder farmer Ranamma, known as Rani, has used Pre-Monsoon Dry Sowing (PMDS) to restore degraded land and improve crop production through natural farming. After years of chemical-intensive cultivation and repeated crop failures, she adopted practices promoted through the Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) programme, including diverse seed mixtures, seed pelletization, bioinoculants, mulching and natural pest management. PMDS involves sowing diverse crops before the monsoon to establish early plant growth, make use of available moisture and maintain living roots in the soil.

Rani’s experience illustrates how crop diversification and repeated PMDS cycles can contribute to soil restoration and farm livelihoods. Comparative soil assessments from her field and a neighbouring chemically managed field examined changes in soil chemistry, organic carbon, nutrient availability and biological activity. Between the fourth and fifth years, soil organic carbon in Rani’s field increased from 0.42 to 0.463 percent, while soil pH moved from 7.32 to 7.02. The fifth-year assessment also recorded higher soil respiration, urease and phosphatase activity, bacterial and actinomycete populations, and total nitrogen in the natural farming field, although some biological indicators were higher in the comparison field.

The case study also documents changes in production and climate resilience. Maize yields reached 35 quintals per acre in the fourth year, while subsequent sorghum cultivation produced 25 quintals per acre. During Cyclone Montha in October 2025, Rani’s paddy crop showed less lodging and stronger root development than the neighbouring chemically managed crop. Based on one farmer’s experience and comparative field measurements, the resource examines PMDS as a locally adapted approach with potential to support soil health, reduce reliance on external inputs and strengthen resilience in rainfed farming systems.