A Case Study on Natural Farming as a Climate Adaptation Strategy for Banana: Enhanced Wind Resilience, Yield Stability, And Farm Profitability Under Field Conditions

Abstract

Extreme weather events, particularly high winds, have become increasingly frequent under changing climatic conditions, posing a major threat to banana production through lodging, plant damage, and substantial yield losses. Therefore, creating production systems that are climate robust is crucial to guaranteeing sustained banana farming. In comparison to conventional farming, the current field-based comparative case study assessed how well Andhra Pradesh Community-managed Natural Farming (APCNF) improved the wind resilience of bananas (Musa × paradisiaca L., cv. G-9). The study was carried out in adjacent fields at Lupatnutala village, Lingala Mandal, Andhra Pradesh, India, during the 2024–2025 cropping season under comparable agroclimatic circumstances. The conventional field represented the dominant production system, whereas the natural farming field had been continually managed for three years. The wind speed in both fields was 12.7 km/h during the research period. Crop resilience-related structural and soil-related characteristics were significantly enhanced by natural farming. When compared to conventional farming, pseudostem girth rose by 8.3%, root depth by 17.3%, and lateral root spread by 7.5%. The frequency of irrigation decreased from once every two days to once every four days due to a four-fold increase in earthworm abundance and significantly faster water infiltration. Superior fruit quality was demonstrated by the significantly greater soluble solids content (16°Brix) of fruits obtained under natural farming compared to those from conventional farming (9°Brix). Under natural farming, 45 plants per acre were injured while being exposed to the same wind event, whereas under conventional farming, about 520 plants per acre were destroyed, leading to a 31.33% yield loss. Consequently, natural farming produced approximately 35% higher yield, reduced cultivation costs by nearly 50%, and improved the benefit-cost ratio from 1.14 to 3.70. The findings demonstrate that continuous adoption of natural farming substantially enhances soil biological activity, root architecture, plant structural stability, resource-use efficiency, and economic returns, thereby improving the resilience of banana production under wind stress. This study provides field-based evidence that natural farming represents an effective climate adaptation strategy for sustaining banana productivity and farm profitability under increasing climatic variability.