Organic farming: A gamechanger for agriculture in India?

 Why In News These Days:

 “Organic farming is our duty,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, while addressing the nation on the 75th Independence Day on August 15.

Modi mentioned organic and natural farming twice in his speech, as he talked about turning to chemical-free agriculture.

“Today natural farming is also a way of becoming self-reliant,” he said. “Today the factories of nano fertilisers have brought new hope to the country. But natural farming and chemical-free farming can give a boost to self-reliance.”

While switching to organic farming could counter dangers to the environment—such as soil degradation due to increased fertiliser use—and public health, scientists are still divided on whether India can afford the transition to chemical-free agriculture. That’s because organic farming means less intensive agriculture, and in turn, decreased crop productivity. This could put India on the backfoot with regard to food security; altered rainfall patterns caused by climate change are already causing huge losses to farmers, scientists said.

Benefits of organic farming

Today, India has a surplus of foodgrains. This self-sufficiency came thanks to the Green Revolution in the 1960s, which increased crop production—of mostly rice and wheat—substantially. Foodgrain production rose from 82 million tonnes (MT) in the late 1960s to 264 MT in 2013-14.

But along with the increasing area under farming and switching to high-yielding varieties of rice and wheat, farmers were also encouraged to use chemicals—fertilisers and pesticides—to facilitate higher yields.

This caused “unintended but harmful consequences on agriculture and human health”, according to scientists Daisy John and Giridhar Babu of the Public Health Foundation of India, Bengaluru. The impacts were many and still persist, they wrote. The use of pesticides and fertilisers led to an increase in heavy metals (such as cadmium, lead and arsenic) in the soil. In many areas, soils turned more alkaline; beneficial microbes died, and soils became infertile. Farmers in some major Green Revolution belts including Punjab also burn crop residue, which is a major cause of air pollution in northern India.

A recent report by the non-profit Pesticide Action Network India found that there is widespread, unauthorised and unsafe use of four pesticides (chlorpyrifos, fipronil, atrazine, and paraquat dichloride) in India. Of these, three are listed as “moderately hazardous” by the World Health Organisation based on their health impacts.

What is Organic Farming?

The USDA defines organic agriculture as "a production system that is managed to respond to site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity."

More specifically, organic farming entails:

• Use of cover crops, green manures, animal manures and crop rotations to fertilize the soil, maximize biological activity and maintain long-term soil health.
• Use of biological control, crop rotations and other techniques to manage weeds, insects and diseases.
• An emphasis on biodiversity of the agricultural system and the surrounding environment.
• Using rotational grazing and mixed forage pastures for livestock operations and alternative health care for animal wellbeing.
• Reduction of external and off-farm inputs and elimination of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and other materials, such as hormones and antibiotics.
• A focus on renewable resources, soil and water conservation, and management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological balance.

When deciding if organic farming might be right for you, consider the list of characteristics shared by successful organic farmers:

• A commitment to a safer food supply and protection of the environment
• Patience and good observation skills
• An understanding of ecological systems
• Good marketing skills and motivation to spend time seeking out markets
• A willingness to share stories of successes and failures and to learn from others (information networks are often underdeveloped for organic farmers).
• Flexibility and eagerness to experiment with new techniques and practices

Types of Organic Farming

Organic farming is divided into two types, namely:

1. Integrated organic farming
2. Pure organic farming

Pure organic farming means avoiding all unnatural chemicals. In this process of farming, all the fertilisers and pesticides are obtained from natural sources such as bone meal or blood meal.

Integrated organic farming includes the integration of pest management and nutrients management to achieve ecological requirements and demands.

Benefits of organic farming

•  Environment-friendly.
• Promotes sustainable development.
• Healthy and tasty food.
• Inexpensive process.
• It uses organic inputs.
• Generates income.
• Generates income through exports.
• Source of employment.
• Organic farming is more labour intensive. Hence, it generates more employment.

Disadvantages of Organic Farming

Incompetent: The major issue of organic farming is the lack of inadequate infrastructure and marketing of the product.

Less production: The products obtained through organic farming are less in the initial years as compared to that in chemical products. So, farmers find it difficult to accommodate large-scale production.

Shorter shelf life: Organic products have more flaws and a shorter shelf life than that of chemical products.

Limited production: Off-season crops are limited and have fewer options in organic farming.