ORGANIC FARMING IN INDIA

 

ABSTRACT

 

At present situation enormous uses of pesticides and chemical fertilizers damage the normal balance of ecosystem. Quality of food stuff became very low and toxic to our health. Organic farming is the best way that overcomes these problems. Organic farming was the original type of agriculture, and has been practiced for thousands of years. Forest gardening, a fully organic food production system which dates from prehistoric times, is thought to be the world's oldest and most resilient agro-ecosystem. The principle methods of organic farming include crop rotation, Green Manures and Compost, Biological Pest Control, and Mechanical Cultivation. While conventional agriculture uses synthetic pesticides and water-soluble synthetically purified fertilizers, organic farmers are restricted by regulations to using natural pesticides and fertilizers. The progress of organic agriculture in India is very slow. We are able to convert only 41,000 ha of area so far, which is a mere 0.03 percent. (Avery A. 2006)

 

INTRODUCTION 

Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control. Organic farming uses fertilizers and pesticides but excludes or strictly limits the use of manufactured (synthetic) fertilizers, pesticides (which include herbicides, insecticides and fungicides), plant growth regulators such as hormones, livestock antibiotics, food additives, genetically modified organisms, human sewage sludge, and nano-materials (Lotter, D.W. 2003). Organic farming methods combine scientific knowledge of ecology and modern technology with traditional farming practices based on naturally occurring biological processes.

Organic agricultural methods are internationally regulated and legally enforced by many nations, based in large part on the standards set by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), an international umbrella organization for organic farming organizations established in 1972 ( Paull, John. 2010).

Organic farming system in India is not new and is being followed from ancient time. It is a method of farming system which primarily aimed at cultivating the land and raising crops in such a way, as to keep the soil alive and in good health by use of organic wastes (crop, animal and farm wastes, aquatic wastes) and other biological materials along with beneficial microbes (bio-fertilizers) to release nutrients to crops for increased sustainable production in an eco friendly pollution free environment. The progress of organic agriculture in India is very slow. We are able to convert only 41,000 ha of area so far, which is a mere 0.03 percent. (Narayanan, S. 2005)

ORGANIC FARMING METHODS

The principal methods of organic farming include crop rotation, green manures and compost, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation. These measures use the natural environment to enhance agricultural productivity: legumes are planted to fix nitrogen into the soil, natural insect predators are encouraged, crops are rotated to confuse pests and renew soil, and natural materials such as potassium bicarbonate and mulches are used to control disease and weeds. Hardier plants are generated through plant breeding rather than genetic engineering.

1)  Crop diversity

                                      Crop diversity is a distinctive characteristic of organic farming. Conventional farming focuses on mass production of one crop in one location, a practice called monoculture. The science of agro ecology has revealed the benefits of poly culture (multiple crops in the same space), which is often employed in organic farming. Planting a variety of vegetable crops supports a wider range of beneficial insects, soil microorganisms, and other factors that add up to overall farm health.

2)  Soil management

                                     Organic farming relies heavily on the natural break down of organic matter, using techniques like green manure and composting, to replace nutrients taken from the soil by previous crops. This biological process, driven by micro-organisms such as mycorrhiza allows the natural production of nutrients in the soil throughout the growing season, and has been referred to as feeding the soil to feed the plant. Organic farming uses a variety of methods to improve soil fertility, including crop rotation, cover cropping, reduced tillage, and application of compost. By reducing tillage, soil is not inverted and exposed to air; less carbon is lost to the atmosphere resulting in more soil organic carbon. This has an added benefit of carbon sequestration which can reduce green house gases and aid in reversing climate change

                                     Plants need nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, as well as micronutrients and symbiotic relationships with fungi and other organisms to flourish, but getting enough nitrogen, and particularly synchronization so that plants get enough nitrogen at the right time is a challenge for organic farmers. Crop rotation and green manure help to provide nitrogen through legumes which fix nitrogen from the atmosphere through symbiosis with Rhizobial bacteria. Inter cropping, which is sometimes used for insect and disease control, can also increase soil nutrients, but the competition between the legume and the crop can be problematic and wider spacing between crop rows is required. Crop residues can be ploughed back into the soil, and different plants leave different amounts of nitrogen, potentially aiding synchronization.  Organic farmers also use animal manure, certain processed fertilizers such as seed meal and various mineral powders such as rock phosphate and greensand, a naturally occurring form of potash which provides potassium.                   

Together these methods help to control erosion. In some cases pH may need to be amended. Natural pH amendments include lime and sulphur, but in the U.S. some compounds such as iron sulphate, aluminium, magnesium sulphate, and soluble boron products are allowed in organic farming. Mixed farms with both livestock and crops can operate as lay farms, whereby the land gathers fertility through growing nitrogen-fixing forage grasses such as white clover or alfalfa and grows cash crops or cereals when fertility is established. Farms without livestock  may find it more difficult to maintain soil fertility, and may rely more on external inputs such as imported manure as well as grain legumes and green manures, although grain legumes may fix limited nitrogen because they are harvested. Horticultural farms growing fruits and vegetables which operate in protected conditions are often even more reliant upon external inputs.

Biological research on soil and soil organisms has proven beneficial to organic farming. Varieties of bacteria and fungi break down chemicals, plant matter and animal waste into productive soil nutrients. In turn, they produce benefits of healthier yields and more productive soil for future crops. Fields with less or no manure display significantly lower yields, due to decreased soil microbe community, providing a healthier, more arable soil system.

3)  Weed management

                                                       Organic weed management promotes weed suppression, rather than weed elimination, by enhancing crop competition and phyto-toxic effects on weeds.  Organic farmers integrate cultural, biological, mechanical, physical and chemical tactics to manage weeds without synthetic herbicides.

Organic standards require rotation of annual crops, meaning that a single crop cannot be grown in the same location without a different, intervening crop. Organic crop rotations frequently include weed-suppressive cover crops and crops with dissimilar life cycles to discourage weeds associated with a particular crop. Research is ongoing to develop organic methods to promote the growth of natural microorganisms that suppress the growth or germination of common weeds. Other cultural practices used to enhance crop competitiveness and reduce weed pressure include selection of competitive crop varieties, high-density planting, tight row spacing, and late planting into warm soil to encourage rapid crop germination.

Mechanical and physical weed control practices used on organic farms can be broadly grouped as:

• Tillage - Turning the soil between crops to incorporate crop residues and soil amendments; remove existing weed growth and prepare a seedbed for planting; turning soil after seeding to kill weeds;
• Mowing and cutting - Removing top growth of weeds;
• Flame weeding and thermal weeding - Using heat to kill weeds; and
• Mulching - Blocking weed emergence with organic materials, plastic films, or landscape fabric.

Some naturally sourced chemicals are allowed for herbicidal use. These include certain formulations of acetic acid, corn gluten meal, and essential oils. A few selective bio herbicides based on fungal pathogens have also been developed. Weeds can be controlled by grazing. For example, geese have been used successfully to weed a range of organic crops including cotton, straw-berries, tobacco, and corn, reviving the practice of keeping cotton patch geese, common in the southern U.S. Similarly, some rice farmers introduce ducks and fish to wet paddy fields to eat both weeds and insects in India.

4)  Controlling other organisms

                                Organisms aside from weeds that cause problems on organic farms include arthropods (e.g., insects, mites), nematodes, fungi and bacteria. Organic practices include, but are not limited to:

• Encouraging predatory beneficial insects to control pests by serving them nursery plants and/or an alternative habitat, usually in a form of a shelterbelt, hedgerow, or beetle bank.
• Encouraging beneficial microorganisms.
• Rotating crops to different locations from year to year to interrupt pest reproduction cycles.
• Planting companion crops and pest regulating plants that discourage or divert pests.
• Using biologic pesticides and herbicides.
• Using no-till farming, and no-till farming techniques as false seedbeds.
• Using sanitation to remove pest habitat.
• Using insect traps to monitor and control insect populations.

Examples of predatory beneficial insects include minute pirate bugs, big-eyed bugs, and to a lesser extent ladybugs (which tend to fly away), all of which eat a wide range of pests. Lacewings are also effective, but tend to fly away. Praying mantis tend to move more slowly and eat less heavily. Parasitoid wasps tend to be effective for their selected prey, but like all small insects can be less effective outdoors because the wind controls their movement. Predatory mites are effective for controlling other mites.

Naturally derived insecticides allowed for use on organic farms use include Bacillus thuringiensis (a bacterial toxin), pyrethrum (a chrysanthemum extract), spinosad (a bacterial metabolite), neem (a tree extract) and rotenone (a legume root extract). These pesticides are not always more safe or environmentally friendly than synthetic pesticides and can cause harm. The main criterion for organic pesticides is that they are naturally derived, and some naturally derived substances have been controversial.

Controversial natural pesticides include rotenone, copper, nicotine sulfate, and pyrethrums. Rotenone and pyrethrum are particularly controversial because they work by attacking the nervous system, like most conventional insecticides. Rotenone is extremely toxic to fish and can induce symptoms resembling Parkinson's disease in mammals. Although pyrethrum is more effective against insects when used with piperonyl butoxide (which retards degradation of the pyrethrins), organic standards generally do not permit use of the latter substance.

Naturally derived fungicides allowed for use on organic farms include the bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus pumilus; and the fungus Trichoderma harzianum. These are mainly effective for diseases affecting roots. Compost tea contains a mix of beneficial microbes, which may attack or out-compete certain plant pathogens.

Some naturally derived pesticides are not allowed for use on organic farms. These include nicotine sulfate, arsenic, and strychnine.

Synthetic pesticides allowed for use on organic farms include insecticidal soaps and horticultural oils for insect management, and Bordeaux mixture, copper hydroxide and sodium bicarbonate for managing fungi.

Repeated application of copper sulphate or copper hydroxide as a fungicide may eventually result in copper accumulation to toxic levels in soil, and admonitions to avoid excessive accumulations of copper in soil appear in various organic standards and elsewhere. Environmental concerns for several kinds of biota arise at average rates of use of such substances for some crops.

5)  Genetic modification

                                    A key characteristic of organic farming is the rejection of genetically engineered plants and animals. On October 19, 1998, participants at IFOAM's 12th Scientific Conference issued the Mar del Plata Declaration, where more than 600 delegates from over 60 countries voted unanimously to exclude the use of genetically modified organisms in food production and agriculture.

Although GMOs are excluded from organic farming, there is concern that the pollen from genetically modified crops is increasingly penetrating organic and heirloom seed stocks, making it difficult, if not impossible, to keep these genomes from entering the organic food supply. Differing regulations among countries limits the availability of GMOs to certain countries, as described in the article on regulation of the release of genetic modified organisms.

6)  Composting

                                 Manure must be subjected to proper thermophilic composting and allowed to reach a sterilizing temperature. If raw animal manure is used, 120 days must pass before the crop is harvested if the final product comes into direct contact with the soil. For products which do not come into direct contact with soil, 90 days must pass prior to harvest. 

BENIFICIAL SIDES OF ORGANIC FARMING

1.   Limited the uses of pesticides

                                                          Unlike conventional farms, most organic farms largely avoid synthetic pesticides. Some pesticides damage the environment or with direct exposure, human health. Children may be more at risk than adults from direct exposure, as the toxicity of pesticides is frequently different in children and adults.

The five main pesticides used in organic farming are Bt (a bacterial toxin), pyrethrum, rotenone, copper and sulphur. "Fewer than 10% of organic farmers use botanical insecticides on a regular basis, 12% use sulphur, and 7% use copper-based compounds."  Reduction and elimination of chemical pesticide use is technically challenging. Organic pesticides often complement other pest control strategies.

Ecological concerns primarily focus around pesticide use, as 16% of the world's pesticides are used in the production of cotton.

2.   Increase food quality and safety

                                                             The weight of the available scientific evidence has not shown a consistent and significant difference between organic and more conventionally grown food in terms of safety, or nutritional value. No evidence of a difference in content of nutrients and other substances between organically and conventionally produced crops and livestock products was detected for the majority of nutrients assessed in this review suggesting that organically and conventionally produced crops and livestock products are broadly comparable in their nutrient content. There is no good evidence that increased dietary intake, of the nutrients identified in this review to be present in larger amounts in organically than in conventionally produced crops and livestock products, would be of benefit to individuals consuming a normal varied diet, and it is therefore unlikely that these differences in nutrient content are relevant to consumer health.

Pesticide residues present a second channel for health effects. Comments include, "Organic fruits and vegetables can be expected to contain fewer agrochemical residues than conventionally grown alternatives; yet, "the significance of this difference is questionable".

Nitrate concentrations may be less, but the health impact of nitrates is debated. Lack of data has limited research on the health effects of natural plant pesticides and bacterial pathogens.

3.   Soil conservation

                                         Organically managed soil has higher quality and higher water retention. This may help increase yields for organic farms in drought years. Organic farming can build up soil organic matter better than conventional no-till farming, which suggests long-term yield benefits from organic farming. Conventional methods were superior for soil fertility and yield for nutrient-depleted soils in cold-temperate climates, arguing that much of the benefits from organic farming are derived from imported materials which could not be regarded as "self-sustaining".

4.   Climate change

                                      Organic agriculture emphasizes closed nutrient cycles, biodiversity, and effective soil management providing the capacity to mitigate and even reverse the effects of climate change. Organic agriculture can decrease fossil fuel emissions and, like any well managed agricultural system, sequesters carbon in the soil. The elimination of synthetic nitrogen in organic systems decreases fossil fuel consumption by 33 percent and carbon sequestration takes CO₂ out of the atmosphere by putting it in the soil in the form of organic matter which is often lost in conventionally managed soils. Carbon sequestration occurs at especially high levels in organic no-till managed soil.

Agriculture has been undervalued and underestimated as a means to combat global climate change. Soil carbon data show that regenerative organic agricultural practices are among the most effective strategies for mitigating CO₂ emissions. However, critics of organic farming methods believe that the increased land needed to farm organic food could potentially destroy the rainforests and wipe out many ecosystems.

5.   Nutrient leaching

                                                 Excess nutrients in lakes, rivers, and groundwater can cause algal blooms, eutrophication, and subsequent dead zones. In addition, nitrates are harmful to aquatic organisms by themselves. The main contributor to this pollution is nitrate fertilizers whose use is expected to "double or almost triple by 2050". Organically fertilizing fields "significantly reduces harmful nitrate leaching" over conventionally fertilized fields: "annual nitrate leaching was 4.4-5.6 times higher in conventional plots than organic plots".

The large dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is caused in large part by agricultural runoff: a combination of fertilizer and livestock manure. Over half of the nitrogen released into the Gulf comes from agriculture.

Nitrogen leaching into the Danube River was substantially lower among organic farms. The resulting externalities could be neutralized by charging 1 euro per kg of released nitrogen.

6.   Good Effects on Biodiversity

                                                                A wide range of organisms benefit from organic farming, but it is unclear whether organic methods confer greater benefits than conventional integrated agro-environmental programs.  Nearly all non-crops, naturally occurring species observed in comparative farm land practice studies show a preference for organic farming both by abundance and diversity. Averages of 30% more species inhabit organic farms. Birds, butterflies, soil microbes, beetles, earthworms, spiders, vegetation, and mammals are particularly affected. Lack of herbicides and pesticides improve biodiversity fitness and population density. Many weed species attract beneficial insects that improve soil qualities and forage on weed pests. Soil-bound organisms often benefit because of increased bacteria populations due to natural fertilizer such as manure, while experiencing reduced intake of herbicides and pesticides. Increased biodiversity, especially from beneficial soil microbes and mycorrhizae have been proposed as an explanation for the high yields experienced by some organic plots, especially in light of the differences seen in a 21-year comparison of organic and control fields.

Biodiversity from organic farming provides capital to humans. Species found in organic farms enhance sustainability by reducing human input (e.g., fertilizers, pesticides).

ORGANIC FARMING IN INDIA

Converting to organic agriculture is a huge undertaking for commercial farmers, who have relied on chemical fertilizers and pesticides for many decades in USA, but in India, the conversion is no less arduous, and far more ironic.

India’s farmers are still mostly practicing organic methods, passed down for millenia. Organic fertilizer and natural pest control are the only tools available to most of these farmers, who have always lacked the financial resources to explore chemical solutions.

As the international community adopts standards for organic agriculture, the challenges faced by farmers in the USA versus farmers in India in order to adapt are very different indeed. The danger is that the well-intentioned global move towards organic standards will make small organic farmers in countries like India, who have been never done anything but organic farming, no longer able to sell their crops.

The Indian Central Government set up a National Institute of Organic Farming in October 2003 in Ghaziabad, Madhya Pradesh. The purpose of this institute is to formulate rules, regulations and certification of organic farm products in conformity with international standards. The major organic products sold in the global markets include dried fruits and nuts, cocoa, spices, herbs, oil crops, and derived products. Non-food items include cotton, cut flowers, livestock and potted plants.

The certifying agencies thus far named by the Centre include the APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority), the Tea Board, the Spices Board, the Coconut Development Board and the Directorate of Cashew and Cocoa. They will be accountable for confirming that any product sold with the new “India Organic” logo is in accordance with international criteria, and will launch major awareness and marketing campaigns, in India and abroad.

Officially, only 0.03 per cent of its land is slated to be under Organic
Agriculture– yet, in the same survey, the number of organic farms is listed as 5660, catapulting it to 16th place in the global organic map. Basically, most of India’s organic farms are not officially considered (or certified as) organic.

 

Most of India’s farms are “organic by default.”

The irony and difficulty of the new governmental push for organic agriculture is that 65% of the country’s cropped area is “organic by default,”.

Many have seen for themselves the effects of chemical farming – soil erosion and loss of soil nutrients, loss of nutrition in food, and human diseases resulting from the chemicals that inevitably seep into the water table, all the reasons for the urgent demand for organic foods and farming.

In 2002, according to Government statistics, from a total food production of over 200 million tonnes, the country produced only 14,000 tonnes of organic food products. India currently has only 1,426 certified organic farms.

Land must be chemical-free for three years prior to harvest, so a conventional farmer cannot receive the organic label for the transitional years. This will generally mean a decrease in income– crops may be less plentiful than with conventional fertilizers and pesticides, and yet the higher price for organic products won’t yet be possible. One solution to the small farmer’s dilemma of how to both certify and survive is that of community certification. (Editor. ECOWORLD, Organic Farming in India, 26 June 2004)

West Bengal village pledges allegiance to organic farming

 

Bigha, a small village in Monteswar block, Bardhaman district, of West Bengal, has become the first village to recognise the benefits of organic farming and work towards producing its first ever pesticide-free kharif crop. The village is now targeting a pesticide-free boro (rabi) harvest as well.

Credit for this feat goes to Vikramshila, a non-government organisation working towards community development in the village, and its technical collaborator the Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC), concedes Monteswar block agricultural development officer Nilay Kar.

Although a few individual farmers have implemented organic farming techniques and achieved pesticide-free crops in various parts of the state, this is the first time an entire village.

A carryover from the Green Revolution that ushered in hybrid high-yielding varieties, chemical fertilisers work in smaller quantities but must be activated with huge amounts of water. More significantly, they are expensive and deplete the soil of natural nutrients even as they put a strain on water resources.

The organic liquid manure, devised by the DRCSC, is composed of animal manure and local weeds in equal proportion. It is filled into a jute bag and fermented in an earthen pot containing 20 litres of water. The mixture thus formed is ready for application within two to three months.

Farmers in Bigha were taught to raise their beds four to six inches in height, with a breadth of four to four-and-a-half inches to match, so that canals could run in between, for maximum drainage. They were encouraged to mix as many crops as they could, in keeping with the season. As a rule, only local varieties were planted with herbs like coriander (dhania) and fenugreek (methi) lining vegetable patches. Every farm sported eight to ten crop varieties of the same family, encouraging pollination and mutually benefiting each crop.

Mulching of the soil between crops was emphasised, to discourage the growth of weeds. The soil was covered with straw and dry leaves to insulate it from light and heat. This not only helped conserve water, by slowing evaporation, it also encouraged earthworms and micro-organisms to move up to the surface and work on improving the soil. Neem seed kernels, sprayed at regular intervals, served to keep pests away.

Significantly, several local varieties that had almost disappeared since the introduction of hybrids have been rediscovered.

The nitrogen in chemical fertilisers is never totally absorbed in the soil. Excess nitrates leach down from the farms into the water, especially in states like West Bengal that experience heavy rainfall. Chemicals kill not just harmful but also benign pests, causing a drop in soil quality. Fish living in shallow waters, such as koi and magur, feed on plankton and micro-organisms. When chemical leaching takes place, a drop in the fish population occurs. The switch to organic farming is slowly correcting these imbalances and improving the food chain. Although Bigha still has a long way to go before it does away with chemical fertilisers altogether, it's made a small but significant start. (Rina Mukherji. InfoChange News & Features, February 2005)

CONCLUSION 

Norman Borlaug (father of the "Green Revolution") and his co-authors advocated using organic matter in addition to inorganic fertilizers in soil fertility management, but opposed advocating only organic agriculture for the developing world. The study claims that organic agriculture could feed the entire global population. It states that organic farms have lower yields than their conventional counterparts in developed countries (92%) but higher than their low-intensity counterparts in developing countries (180%), attributing this to lower adoption of fertilizers and pesticides in the developing world compared to the intensive farming of the developed world. 

Both consumers and farmers are now gradually shifting back to organic farming in India. Consumers are willing to pay higher premium for the same. Many farmers in India are shifting to organic farming due to the domestic and international demand for organic food.

According to the International Fund for Agriculture and Development (IFAD), about 2.9 million hectares of land was under organic farming in India in 2011. Further, there are over 16,000 certified organic farms in India. India therefore is one of the most important suppliers of organic food to the developed nations. No doubt, the organic movement has again started in India.

REFERENCES

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8.     Kathleen Delate and Robert Hartzler. 2003. Weed Management for Organic Farmers. Iowa State University Extension Bulletin 1883.

9.     Lotter, D. (2003). "Organic Agriculture" (PDF). Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 21 (4). 

10.                        Leake, A. R. 1999. House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities. Session 1998-99, 16th Report. Organic Farming and the European Union. p. 81.

11.                        Cooper, J., U. Niggli and C. Leifert (eds.). 2007. Handbook of organic food safety and quality. CRC Press, Boca Raton. 544 pp.

12.                        Narayanan, S. ORGANIC FARMING IN INDIA: RELEVANCE, PROBLEMS AND CONSTRAINTS, 2005.

13.                        Bourn D, Prescott J (January 2002). "A comparison of the nutritional value, sensory qualities, and food safety of organically and conventionally produced foods". Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 42 (1): 1–34.

14.                        Williams, C. M. February 2002. Nutritional quality of organic food: shades of grey or shades of green? Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 61(1): 19–24.

15.                        Dangour A et al (2009) Comparison of putative health effects of organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs Report for the UK Food Standards Agency.

16.                        Hole, D.G.; Perkins, A.J.; Wilson, J.D.; Alexander, I.H.; Grice, P.V.; Evans, A.D. (2005). "Does organic farming benefit biodiversity?".  Biological Conservation 122 (1): 113–130.

17.                        Badgley, C., J. Moghtader, E. Quintero, E. Zakem, M. J. Chappell, K. Avilés-Vásquez, A. Samulon and I. Perfecto. 2007. Organic agriculture and the global food supply. Renewable Agric. Food Systems 22: 86-108.

18.                        Cassman, K. G. Editorial response by Kenneth G. Cassman: Can organic agriculture feed the world - science to the rescue? Renewable Agric. Food Systems 22: 83-84.

19.                        Avery A. (2006) The Truth About Organic Foods (Volume 1, Series 1) Henderson Communications, L.L.C.

Farther Reading

1.     Wiki Project by Mrs. Rekha Rajan, PGT (Economics), Organic Farming in India, 2011.

2.     Nabard. Paper on organic farming.

3.     Ecoworld. Organic Farming in India.