When the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA), Hyderabad began its journey in 2004, its main focus was to support small and marginal farmers with knowledge of ecological and economically sustainable farming practices. This led to helping them to transition from conventional methods to organic. In 2005, Punukula, a village in the Khammam district (now Telangana, then undivided Andhra Pradesh), was declared the first pesticide-free village in India. Here are some stories from the ground on our efforts towards this transition.

A column in the magazine ‘Frontline’ by Jayati Ghosh, 2005 – Detoxifying Villages Story on Punukula by Jayati Gosh

A visit by then ‘Agriculture Minister’ – Mr Raghuveera Reddy to Punukula, in 2004 – minister visit rpt-csa ltrhd _3_Punukula

‘Getting CLEAN: Recovering from Pesticide Addiction’ – an article in ‘The Ecologist’, a UK-based magazine – The Ecologist Punukula