Organic Framing

Relevance of Organic Farming

• 25% of the India’s population can’t get three square meal a day.
• Green revolution (GR) was only concentrated in areas having fertile soil and adequate water supply. This 30% of the GR area contributed 60% of the food production while, 70% of the area contributed only 40%.
• In intensive farming systems, organic agriculture (OA) decreases yield. In the GR areas (irrigated land and well endowed water regions), conversion to organic usually leads to almost identical yields.
• In traditional rainfed areas (with low external inputs) OA has shown the potential to increase the yields. Under restricted water availability or rainfed condition, difference in crop yield between organic and conventional production narrow down to between 10 to 15%.
• In earlier period, farmers used to choose crops depending on the climate and soil conditions. Alexander Walker (at Baroda) (1829) –Green fodder was being grown throughout the year; intercropping, crop rotation, fallowing, composting and maturing were practiced.

Technical team constituted by the ministry of Agriculture made the following observations.

1. The country at present is not in a position to completely eliminate the use of chemicals especially the fertilizer.
2. Fertilizers can gradually be reduced.
3. Control on commercial sale of organic manures.
4. IPM is the solution.

• The task force on Organic Farming (OF) set up the Union Ministry of Agriculture during 2001 brought out the status of OF in the country. In its report it is stated “Organic farming is being practiced by thousands of farmers in the country in an unorganized way”.