Benefits And Scope Of Organic Farming

Benefits Of Organic Farming

The proponents of organic farming are of the view that toxic chemicals bearing fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides should not be used anymore in agriculture. Farming as a natural way of farming, biodynamic farming, or organic farming is seen as a viable option in the long run. But experiences through the sustainable or LEISA approach revealed that chemicals might be necessary to compensate for the yield or economic loss during the transition period from traditional or conventional farming to organic farming. For getting certified as organic, the use of chemicals may be reduced gradually and in the end, stopped altogether. The procedures may be detailed later. However, there are several benefits in the organic farming.

In many countries, organic agriculture got promoted as a reaction to the high external input-based techniques ushered in during the green revolution. Consumer demand for better quality food also helped it. In the Indian context, the following benefits are considered important for the future of organic agriculture development.

• • The irrigation, new seeds, and fertilizer required high initial investments and, thus, are beyond the reach of the majority of the small farmers in India. The emphasis on organic practices involving the use of techniques such as nitrogen-fixing crops and green manures, recycling nutrients through composting, deep rooting plants, avoiding soil loss, and locally developed pest control measures allows poor, risk-averse farmers to produce food and generate income for the families on a sustainable basis.

• • Pressure on the cultivated land has led to soil degradation. In many cases, marginal lands have been put to cultivation by adding considerable quantities of external inputs. In large areas of cultivated land, environmental damage is being associated with ‘modern’ agricultural practices.

• • The concern for ensuring and enhancing agricultural output with due respect to ecological limits is significant in organic agriculture. The productivity of natural resources and income distribution in rural areas are interrelated and impact poverty. Wherever lands have become unproductive, it has led to income disparity and social concern. Farmers who opted for an organic production system would be free from buying expensive inputs.

• • Some supermarkets in India have started stocking organic products. There are Organic and Safe Food Bazaars coming up in metros and other cities. This fast pace of rising demand for organic products will be instrumental in giving a boost to organic agriculture development in India.

• • The small and marginal farmers engaged in rainfed farming produce a variety of crops that does not require any chemical inputs. These farmers qualify themselves as organic producers. However, they need to get educated on the scientific aspects of organic production to get their fields classified as pure organic farms.

• • In many predominantly agricultural areas in India, land productivity is declining even with higher doses of external inputs. Such farmers on their own began exploring alternatives. Now organic farming is proved to be a viable option for them because of the increasing demands for organic food and official support for organic agriculture.

• • Increasing number of middle-class consumers and their willingness to pay a premium for quality food has generated new demand for value-added products. Organically raised and processed food should find ready acceptance in the markets. This has created a new opportunity for Agri-entrepreneurs and organic food processors.

• • Globalization and World Trade Organization regulations are expected to increase competition. On the other hand, it may also offer an opportunity to organic producers in India to tap the market. Indian farmers have distinct competitive advantages.

Do individual farmers have any benefit if he/she converts that farm to organic? It is very difficult to provide scientific data on the yield or economic returns. However, experiences of different organic farmers reveal that there are Economic Benefits, Ecological Benefits as well as Social Benefits in converting to organic farms.

Here We Are Examining Some Of The Farmer’s Experience

• Farmer No-1 Banwarilal Jangir

When 55-year-old Banwarilal Jangir decided to turn to organic farming, he was not sure of its benefits. He hoped it would improve the harvest in his 1.94-hectare farm in Nawalgarh, Rajasthan, where he cultivated wheat, fenugreek, chickpeas, and isabgol. The yield wasn’t high in the first year, but he wasn’t disheartened. He struggled for a while, often selling the produce in the ordinary markets.

Three years down the line, Jangir’s efforts have finally paid off. Two companies have lined up to buy his crop this year and he’s hopeful of getting a good deal. “I am sure I will earn at least 20 percent more,” says the elated farmer.

• Farmer No-2 PN Singh

PN Singh, a retired Government official, grows Tulsi on his land. He said, “Tulsi farming has introduced me to a new lifestyle and relationship with nature”. Recalling his childhood, he added: “Sir, My parents had never used any chemicals or pesticides. After adapting to modern methods of agriculture, we were initially thrilled, but the decaying natural capabilities of the soil and loss of taste every successive year disenchanted us. We were at the crossroads.”

“Those were horrible times. I and my family lost all hopes of recovery. Suddenly Organic India approached us for organic farming, and it showed us the way, which though new in its approach suited our land and tastes.”

Organic India people approached us with the Vedic message of “Sarve Bha Vantu, Sukhinah Sarve Santu Niramayah,” [ May All Live Happily, May All Live Healthily ]. It is important to point out here that what we knew as traditional farming in India has now become organic farming.”

• Farmer No-3 Bhaskar Save

Kalpavruksha is the farm started by Bhaskar Save, near village Dehri at the southern-most coastal tip of Gujarat. Kalpavruksha uses no fertilizers, pesticides, weeding, or unnecessary tilling. Nature takes its own course and the results have been surprisingly bountiful: record-breaking profits close to 400 percent.

Before he began experimenting with organic farming, Bhaskar relied on the usual dose of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to boost output. Increase in the production costs by as much as 10 percent a year made him realize that this continued extra expense would nullify his profits completely in 10 years.

So he reverted to the farming methods of his forefathers. Use of all synthetic and toxic chemical additives was discontinued. He began to practice a mix of organic and natural farming. Farm yields fell drastically to almost 50 percent in the first year but eventually stabilized. Though the yields were lower, earnings increased, because he spent nothing on chemical additives.

When starting a new orchard plot, Bhaskar simultaneously inter-plants Alpa-Jeevi [ Short Life-Span ], Madhya-Jeevi [ Medium Life-Span ], and Deergha-Jeevi [ Long Life-Span ] species, thus rapidly shading all exposed soil. This provides ideal micro-climatic conditions for rapid regeneration of the organic life of the soil, which then enables all-around healthy and fruitful growth.

As the larger community of plants grows together, there is optimal utilization of the moisture provided and evaporation losses were greatly reduced under increasingly thick shade. Consequently, water-efficiency of the whole system was very high. Until the long life-span species [ like chikoo, coconut, mango ] begin to bear fruit, the farmer is still able to enjoy continuity of yield, first from the short life-span species [ like various vegetables ], and then from the medium life-span species [ like banana, papaya, custard apple, etc. ] Thus, even small farmers can afford to follow this approach.

Bhaskar, after evolving some low-cost and efficient water-use systems suitable to horticultural farming, is of the opinion that large quantities of water not only harm the root system of trees but damage plant health as well. He has pioneered the ‘trench and platform immigration system of farming’, an inexpensive method employing minimal water usage. He acquired this knowledge after keenly observing and studying forest systems.

His model farm, one of the best organic farms within the country, attracts farmers and other visitors from all over the world. They come to marvel at a unique system that produces a rich bounty without the use of any synthetic fertilizers/pesticides and maintains the ecological balance.

• Farmer No-4 Vadagam Malliah

Vadagam Malliah, a farmer in Perkavedu village in the Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh, sits lazily on a culvert watching people go by. He used to be very busy until last year toiling on his farm, spraying pesticides several times a year on his cotton crop. Last year, he had sprayed ten times in the short span of four months in his desperation to drive away from the American bollworm, a serious pest of cotton that causes severe crop loss. But this year, he did not spray even once as his health has deteriorated. He gets a splitting headache, burning sensation in the eyes, making him weaker by the day. A feeling of sluggishness had overtaken his life. This was his wake-up call. He figured out that it was the pesticides that were doing this to him. He saw numerous farmers like him suffering from the same symptoms. This year he chose to hire a laborer paying him Rs. 60 a day to spray his cotton and chilly farms. Farmers who can afford it are making the same choice. This example reveals the impact of chemicals on the health of humans. If we can avoid the chemicals, we may live with better health.

• Farmer No-5 Akula Narayana

Akula Narayana, a farmer from Ragannagudem village in Raiparthy Mandal of Warangal, remembers how after sprinkling pesticide powder on his cotton crop, he violently vomited, fell giddy, and lost consciousness. He just called a halt to all chemical farming. “Anyway, the pests were not killed even after we used all that poison. So how does it matter? Now, I just let it be. Some of the crops do get destroyed, but it will not kill me,” he says. On an average, a farmer cultivating cotton gains Rs.2800 to Rs.4050 per hectare. That makes it an attractive proposition. Down the years, farmers who grew paddy get shifted to cotton. As they got into the spiral of indiscriminate pesticide use, the pests became immune, and the debts kept piling up. Many had to sell their farms to avoid being humiliated by the money lenders. Some others just committed suicide.

Organic farming aims at reducing the costs of production and helps the farmers to get reasonable returns. Organic farming is today’s answer not only to sustained productivity but also to safe and nutritious food, which is increasingly demanded by conscious consumers within and outside India. Organic products also promise better prospects for market and trade. There is an ever-growing export market for organic products. Similarly, the domestic market is also emerging. Products that are certified and sold as ‘organic’ can fetch a premium price compared to conventional products.

 

Economic Benefits

• Reduction in the use of external inputs and increase in output of organic produce with greater potential to benefit the health of farmers and consumers.
• More productivity through the incorporation of the natural processes like natural cycles, nitrogen fixation, and pest-predator relationship into the agricultural production process.
• Greater productive use of the biological and genetic potential of plant and animal species.
• Long-term sustainability of production levels.
• Profitable and efficient production with emphasis on improved management and conservation of soil, water, energy, and biological resources.

Ecological Benefits

• Organic farming is much better for the environment as the energy consumption is much less than chemical farming.
• It also uses less manurial inputs and completely avoids synthetic fertilizers which otherwise pollute the soil, water, and air.
• It promotes biodiversity and a great variety of animal and plant interactions on earth.
• Organic farmers focus on preserving the habitats of all species and their surrounding environment including the air and water.
• Organic farming releases much less carbon dioxide than other farming systems.

Social Benefits

• Organic farming practices can be adopted in small farms and benefit marginal farmers.
• It could reduce dependency on external inputs and costly technologies thus reducing the competitiveness and disparity among the farmers in a community.
• It will also lead to food security at the family level and national level.
• Organic farming is a revival of culture and brings back the indigenous knowledge, beliefs, and value system that are almost on extinction now.
• It also contributes to employment generation at the community level.

 

Scope Of Organic Farming

Organic farming helps in rejuvenating the degraded soil and ensures the sustainability of crop production. Consumers and farmers are now aware of the hazards from the use of chemical pesticides. It is a common practice that farmers keep a part of their field [ vegetables/rice ] without the application of these pesticides. The produce from this field is for own home consumption and other is for selling in the market.

Now the consumers prefer to consume natural/ethnic foods, particularly organic foods across the world. Moreover, they are ready to pay a premium price for such foods. The demand for organic food is increasing day by day.