organic farming

Globally, there has been significant sensitization during the last ten years towards environmental preservation and assuring of food quality. Organic farming is being promoted as an ideal alternative which not only addresses the environmental, food safety and sustainability concerns, but also has arguable the potential to feed the world.

Organic agriculture perspective under Indian conditions

Organic farming denotes a holistic system of farming which optimizes productivity in a sustainable manner through creation of interdependent agri-eco systems where annual crop plants (e.g. wheat), perennial trees (e.g. horticulture) and animals (including fishes where relevant) are integrated on a given field or property.

With the increasing demand/markets for organic products, the certification and regulation of the organic sector came into being and thrived. However, organic agriculture should not be fully equated with certified organic farming or labeled organic, which is basically a third-party assurance for commercial and marketing mechanism. Organic farming is an agriculture that takes into account and employs knowledge, skills and understanding of naturally occurring processes to maintain and enhance soil fertility and control insect-pests and diseases; while the certified organic farming is essentially the same but there is an addition of checks and balances for monitoring the entire process.

About 74% farmers in India are small and marginal farmers. Organic agriculture is most relevant to them. In this farming system approach a piece of land is used optimally and to its fullest potential to produce a range of nutritious and healthy food as well as other required commodities in a manner which can healthily feed a small family, and maintain soil health and productivity by agricultural practices based on principles of organic farming. Pests (both insects and diseases) are also controlled and managed by the selection of crop mixes and using biological control measures.

Emergence of organic agriculture in India

From the state of an unknown opportunity in agriculture in the beginning to being talked about a viable alternative tool to address some of the ills of Indian agriculture, organic agriculture has made a credible performance during the past ten years in India. It is the combined effect of farmers’ efforts, NGOs work, Govt interventions and market forces that Indian organic agriculture has reached a stage where it can swiftly move to occupy a prominent space in Indian agriculture.

As a consequence, with less than 42,000 ha under certified organic farming during 2003-04, the organic agriculture has grown almost 30 fold during the last 5 years!! By March 2009 India has brought more than 9.2 million ha area under organic certification process. Out of this cultivated area accounts for 1.2 million ha while remaining 8.0 million ha is wild harvest collection area.