MOJ
eISSN: 2573-2919
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Opinion Volume 11 Issue 5
Role of social capital in driving the transition to sustainable agriculture
Yash Srivastava, Dr Saikumar C Bharamappanavara, Muralidhar G
Received: September 01, 2026 | Published: September 21, 2026
Citation: Srivastava Y, Bharamappanavara SC. Role of social capital in driving the transition to sustainable agriculture. MOJ Eco Environ Sci. 2026;11(5):150-153. DOI: 10.15406/mojes.2026.11.00396
Abstract
The world, including India, has seen a transition in agriculture from traditional practices to chemical-intensive agriculture with the advent of the Green Revolution in the mid-20th century onwards. While this transition met the pressing need for food security, it disrupted ecosystem services associated with agriculture, negatively affecting both the environment and agriculture itself. Having understood this, the last decade saw a renewed and necessary interest in restoring this balance, with increased focus on sustainable and regenerative agriculture, from multiple stakeholders, especially government institutions at different levels. However, the results have been mixed, rather modest across states and geographies in India. This article examines the role of social capital in facilitating the transition from chemical-intensive agriculture to more sustainable farming systems in India, with a specific focus on the Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) programme. It argues that a transition from a long-adopted chemical-based paradigm to sustainable methods cannot just rely on technical and policy interventions, which have received considerable attention in sustainable agriculture literature. It needs to leverage comparatively less emphasised social mechanisms that facilitate behavioural change among farmers, such as building trust and collective learning. In this context, social capital emerges as a critical explanatory variable. Drawing on the APCNF experience, the article shows how existing community institutions, including self-help groups, village organisations, farmer networks, community resource persons, and demonstration farms, have helped diffuse natural farming practices at scale. By treating community institutions as foundational assets rather than merely delivery channels, APCNF demonstrates that social infrastructure is central to agroecological transformation. The article concludes by emphasising that such paradigm shifts promoting sustainable agriculture should integrate social capital more explicitly into programme design to accelerate adoption, inclusion, and resilience in farming communities.
Keywords: social capital, sustainable agriculture, natural farming, Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF), Self Help Groups (SHGs), community institutions, agroecological transition, Andhra Pradesh
©2026 Srivastava, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.
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