Organic Farming
Uploaded on : February 2019
Introduction
According to the Handbook of Agriculture, brought out by the ICAR, Organic farming involves the use of renewable resources and recycling, returning to the soil the nutrients found in waste products. Organic farming respects the environment's own system for controlling pests and diseases in raising crops and livestock without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, growth hormones, antibiotics or gene manipulation. Also meat and poultry production is regulated with particular concern for animal welfare and by using natural foodstuffs. Thus, organic farming differs from modern intensive farming systems as in organic farming farmers use a range of techniques that help sustain ecosystems and reduce pollution.
The Ministry of Agriculture (Department of Agriculture & Cooperation) further added as follows: “As per the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP), Ministry of Commerce, organic agriculture is defined as ‘Organic agriculture is a system of farm design and management to create eco system, which can achieve sustainable productivity without the use of artificial external inputs such as chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides."
Advantages of Organic Farming
The major advantages of organic farming vis-a-vis the chemical farming as submitted by the Ministry of Agriculture (Department of Agriculture & Cooperation) are as under:
• Maintains environmental health by reducing pollution.
• Reduces human and animal hazards by lowering the level of chemical residues in the products.
• Keeps agricultural production sustainable.
• Reduces the cost of agricultural production by relying on internal sources for nutrient, pest and disease management.
• Improves soil health.
• Ensures the optimum utilization of natural resources.
• Improves soil physical properties such as granulation, tilth, aeration, and facilitates easy plant root penetration and improves water-holding capacity.
• Improves supply and retention of soil nutrients, and promotes favourable chemical reactions in the soil.
• Promotes job creation and provides 30% more jobs than chemical farming by way of resource recycling, certification, product marketing and packaging. The Ministry also highlighted the special incentives being extended to chemical farming.
• Huge financial subsidy to chemical fertilizer producing factories while no subsidy is given to individual farmers/groups who are producing organic manures/pesticides etc.
• Funding for research, extension and development are more focussed towards chemical farming. Very few institutions or centres carry out research and promotion of organic farming while >90 % funds are provided towards agriculture supported with chemicals.
• The Agricultural Education system is predominantly oriented towards chemical farming and as on date no State Agricultural University is offering degrees on organic /traditional farming systems.
• Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are promoted through Fertilizer Corporation and pesticide manufactures. However, such undertakings for promotion of organic sources as nutrient and pest/disease management seldom exist.
National Project on Organic Farming
Realizing the growing potential of organic farming in the country, Ministry of Agriculture (Department of Agriculture & Cooperation) launched a National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF) with an outlay of Rs. 57.05 crore as a pilot project with effect from 01.10.2004 (Xth Plan). The project was continued in 11th Plan with an allocation of Rs. 101.00 crores.
During 12th Plan, Planning Commission took a decision to implement only 7-8 missions, instead of separate schemes. Therefore, the National Project on Organic Farming has been subsumed under ‘National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture' with the following aims and objectives:
I. To encourage production and use of organic and biological sources of nutrients like bio fertilizers, organic manure, compost for sustained soil health and fertility and improving soil organic carbon. To promote production and use of bio pesticides, bio-control agents, etc. as alternative inputs in organic farming.
II. To act as nodal agency for implementation of quality control regime for bio fertilizers and organic fertilizers, as per the requirement of FCO.
III. To formulate and define standards of other unregulated organic and biological inputs and create data base on their quality status, define/upgrade standards and testing protocols and bring them under quality control mechanism.
IV. Develop, maintain, undertake regular efficacy testing and ensure steady supply of mother cultures of bio fertilizer and other beneficial microorganisms for nutrient mobilization and plant protection to the biological input production industry.
V. To run short term certificate courses on organic system and on-farm resource management.
VI. To organize regular trainings and refresher courses for State Governments' quality control analysts/inspectors associated with implementation of FCO.
VII. To impart trainers' training on certification systems, organic management, input production and on other related aspects to certification and inspection agencies, extension agencies, farmers, industries and organizations engaged in the production, and promotion of inputs and organic farming.
VIII To initiate research on validation of established indigenous practices, inputs and technologies leading to development of package of practices.
IX. To initiate studies/ surveys on biological soil health assessment under different farming systems, practices or states.
X. To act as central information and data collection centre on all aspects of organic farming and dissemination of information through print and electronic media.
XI. Publication of training literature, Quarterly Organic Farming Newsletter, Half yearly Bio fertilizer Newsletter and validated and documented indigenous practices.
XII. Technical support to existing certification systems in terms of standards formulation, designing implementation protocols, evaluation and surveillance. Policy, implementation and surveillance support to alternative farmer's group centric low-cost certification system such as PGS.
XIII. Awareness creation through seminars/conferences/trade fairs and publicity through print and electronic media.
XIV. Support Central and State Governments in evaluation, and monitoring of various organic agriculture schemes.
Components/Schemes/Programmes of Organic Farming
The Ministry of Agriculture promote various components of organic farming through various programmes viz. National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and ‘Network Project on Organic Farming under ICAR'. However, the Ministry admitted that these efforts have, so far been disjointed due to which we have not yet managed to achieve the outcome envisioned when these schemes were conceptualized. Therefore, the existing components of organic farming have been proposed to be put together under a programme called ‘Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna' to be implemented in a cluster mode.
Availability of Bio Inputs and Other Related Matters
The Ministry of Agriculture (Department of Agriculture & Cooperation) admitting the shortage of bio fertilizers, in a written note stated as under: “The present requirement of biofertilizer is 4,26,000 metric tonne (MT) against which total supply is 65,528 metric tonne (MT). For organic manures, the total requirement is 710 million tonnes and supply is 105 million tonne. However, production of biofertiliser has increased due to effective implementation of capital investment subsidy scheme for establishment of production units for biofertilisers during the last three years.
ACTUAL PRODUCTION OF BIO FERTILIZERS IN MT DURING YEARS |
||
2011-12 |
2012-13 |
2013-14 |
40324.21 |
46836.82 |
65527.87 |
Pest Management
The Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India had launched a Scheme “Strengthening and Modernization of Pest Management Approach in India” since 1991-92 for promoting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as cardinal principle and main plank of plant protection strategy in overall crop production and protection programme. Under the ambit of IPM programme, the Government of India has established 31 Central IPM Centres in 28 States and one UT. The following activities are carried out under the scheme:
• Popularization of IPM approach among farming community.
• Conducting regular pest surveillance and monitoring to assess pest/ disease situation.
• Rearing biological control agents for their use in the fields against enemy pests.
• Conservation of naturally occurring bio-control agents.
• Promotion of Bio-pesticides and neem based pesticides as alternative to chemical pesticides.
• To play a catalytic role in spread of innovative IPM skills to extension workers and farmers equally to resource-poor and resource- rich states.
• Human Resource Development in IPM by imparting training to master trainers, extension workers and farmers through Farmers Field Schools (FFSs).
• Organization of Farmers Field Schools (FFSs) through Krishi Vigyan Kendras/State Agriculture Universities / ICAR institutes to develop the sufficient human resource.
• Under the Human Resource Development programme, organization of short duration courses of two days and five days for pesticides dealers/ NGOs/ Graduates/Post-graduates/Pvt. Entrepreneurs and progressive farmers.
• Organization of Season Long Training (SLT) programmes on major agricultural/ Horticultural crops for extension workers of the States Governments."
Outcome of Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Since inception of the Scheme; “Strengthening and Modernization of Pest Management Approach in India during 1991-92 to 2014-15 (up to February 2015) various activities have conducted as submitted by Ministry of Agriculture (Department of Agriculture & Cooperation) as follows:
• Farmers Field Schools (FFSs) : 15,869
• Number of farmers trained : 4,77,068
• Number of Agriculture/Horticulture officers trained : 58,620
• Area covered under Pest Monitoring : 255.42 lakh hectares.
• Bio-control agents release in the fields for control of pests & diseases : 49,112.58 million
• Season Long Training Programmes conducted on different crops: 63 and trained 2311 master trainers.
• Since 2005-06 conducted 784 two days and 80 five days Human Resource Development Programmes. Trained 27,170 farmers in two days training programme and in five days training programmes 2960 Agriculture Extension Officers / Pesticides Dealers /NGOs / Progressive Farmers were trained and sensitized about good agricultural practices and judicious use of chemical pesticides.
• Package of Practices in 77 numbers were developed on major crops for management of pests & diseases.
SOURCE- ( http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in )
Indian Council for Agricultural Research
Contact for more information
Information Manager
TIMEIS Project
E-mail: timeis@ficci.com
