1.

Preface

The inability of Indian agriculture to meet the demand for food in the

country during the two and half decades immediately after independence

had been a matter of concern at those times. The system of our

agriculture based on the traditional knowledge and practices handed

down from generation to generation could not produce enough to feed

the increasing population. The ignominy of our dependence for food on

the western developed nations and the politics of food aid practiced by

them added to our determination to be self-sufficient in food production

by modernising agriculture. The green revolution fulfilled our aspirations

by changing India from a food importing to a food exporting nation.

However, the achievement was at the expens e of ecology and

environment and to the detriment of the well-being of the people. The

agriculture system adopted from the west has started showing increasing

unsustainability and once again the need for an appropriate method

suitable to our requirements is being felt.

The practice of organic farming, said to the best known alternative to

the conventional method, also originated in the west, which suffered

from the ill effects of chemical agriculture. However, organic farming is

based on the similar principles underlying our traditional agriculture.

Organic agriculture aims at the human welfare without any harm to the

environment which is the foundation of human life itself.

2. Introduction

Sustainable development has caught the imagination and action all

over the world for more than a decade. Sustainable agriculture is

necessary to attain the goal of sustainable development. According

to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), sustainable

agriculture "is the successful management of resources for

agriculture to satisfy changing human needs while maintaining or

enhancing the quality of environment and conserving natural

resources". All definitions of sustainable agriculture lay great

emphasis on maintaining an agriculture growth rate, which can

meet the demand for food of all living things without draining the

basic resources.

Organic farming is one of the several approaches found to meet

the objectives of sustainable agriculture. Many techniques used in

organic farming like inter-cropping, mulching and integration of

crops and livestock are not alien to various agriculture systems

including the traditional agriculture practiced in old countries like

India. However, organic farming is based on various laws and

certification programmes, which prohibit the use of almost all

synthetic inputs, and health of the soil is recognised as the

central theme of the method.

Adverse effects of modern agricultural practices not only on the

farm but also on the health of all living things and thus on the

environment have been well documented all over the world.

Application of technology, particularly in terms of the use of

chemical fertilizers and pesticides all around us has persuaded

people to think aloud. Their negative effects on the environment

are manifested through soil erosion, water shortages, salination,

soil contamination, genetic erosion, etc.

Organic farming is one of the widely used methods, which is

thought of as the best alternative to avoid the ill effects of

chemical farming. There are several definitions of organic farming

and the one given by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is

considered the most coherent and stringent. It is defined as 'a

system that is designed and maintained to produce agricultural

products by the use of methods and substances that maintain the

integrity of organic agricultural products until they reach the

consumer. This is accomplished by using substances, to fulfill any

specific fluctuation within the system so as to maintain long term soil biological activity, ensure effective
peak management, recycle

wastes to return nutrients to the land, provide attentive care for

farrn animals and handle the agricultural products without the use

of extraneous synthetic additives or processing in accordance with

the act and the regulations in this part'. The origin of organic

farming goes back, in its recent history, to 1940s. During this

period, the path breaking literature on the subject published by

J.I. Rodale in the United States, Lady Balfour in England and Sir

Albert Howard in India contributed to the cause of organic farming.

The farming being practiced for the last three decades in India has

increasingly been found non-sustainable. The system is oriented

towards high production without much concern for ecology and

the very existence of man himself.

3.Need for the Paper

There are three categories of opinions about the relevance of

organic farming for India. The first one simply dismisses it as a

fad or craze. The second category, which includes many farmers

and scientists, opines that there are merits in the organic farming

but we should proceed cautiously considering the national needs

and conditions in which Indian agriculture functions. They are

fully aware of the environmental problems created by the

conventional farming. But many of them believe that yields are

lower in organic cultivation during the initial period and also the

cost of labour tends to increase therein. The third one is all for

organic farming and advocates its adoption wholeheartedly. They

think that tomorrow's ecology is more important than today's

conventional farm benefits.

However, among many a major reservation, the profitability of

organic farming vis a vis conventional farming, is the crucial one

from the point of view of the Indian farmers, particularly the small

and marginal.

Organic farming involves management of the agro-eco system as

autonomous, based on the capacity of the soil in the given local

climatic conditions. In spite of the ridicule poured out on organic

farming by many, it has come to stay and is spreading steadily

but slowly all over the world. India has been very slow to adopt it

but it has made Inroads into our conventional farming system.

One advantage we have here is the fact that the farming

techniques practiced in this country before the advent of the green revolution were basically eco-
lriendly and they have not faded

away from the memories of the present elder generation of our

farming community.

India's options in finding out an alternative method to the

conventional farming are limited.

4.RELEVANCE OF ORGANIC FARMING

The relevance and need for an eco-friendly alternative farming

system arose from the ill effects of the chemical farming practices

adopted w^orldwide during the second half of the last century. The

methods of farming evolved and adopted by our forefathers for

centuries were less injurious to the environment. People began to

think of various alternative farming systems based on the

protection of environment which in turn would increase the welfare

of the humankind by various ways like clean and healthy foods,

an ecology which is condusive to the survival of all the living and

non-living things, low use of the non-renewable energy sources,

etc. Many systems of farming came out of the efforts of many

experts and laymen. However, organic farming is considered to be

the best among all of them because of its scientific approach and

wider acceptance all over the world.

5.The International Scene

The negative effects of modem chemical based farming system

were first experienced by those countries, which introduced it

initially. So, naturally, it was in those countries organic farming

was adopted in relatively large scales. There are very large organi-

sations promoting the organic farming movement in European

countries, America and Australia etc. These organisations, for

example, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture

Movements (IFOAM) and Greenpeace have studied the problems of

the chemical farming methods and compared the benefits accruing

to the organic faming with the former. Organic farming movements

have since spread to Asia and Africa too.

IFOAM was founded in France in 1972. It spearheads and

coordinates organic farming efforts the world over by promoting

organic agriculture as an environment friendly and sustaining

method. It focuses on organic farming by highlighting the minimum

pollution and low use of non-renewable natural resources through

this method. It has about 600 organisational members spread over

about 120 countries including India.

IFOAM undertakes a wide range of activities related to organic

farming such as exchanging knowledge and thoughts among its

members; representation of the movement in governmental,

administrative and policy making forums in the national and

international arena; updating of production, processing and trading standards; formulation and
coordination of research projects; and

holding of international conferences and seminars. IFOAM partici-

pates in the activities related to organic farming under the

auspices of the United Nations and keeps active contacts with

several international NGOs.

The organic food market in the world has grown rapidly in the

past decade. International trade in organic foods showed an

annual growth rate of about 20-22 per cent during this period.

Many retail chains and supermarkets in advanced countries are

accorded with 'green status' to sell organic foods. The organic food

processing industry is considered nature friendly and thus

encouraged. Table 1 presents the size of the organic food markets

in some developed countries in 2000. The US food market tops

with a value of $8.0 billion, followed by Germany and Japan with

$2.5 billion each while France accounts for $1.25 billion. Moreover,

the organic foods command higher prices which often range from

10 to 100 per cent more than the conventional ones.

Organic products enjoy trust based on the label or logo
approved by the certification process. The aim of organic certifica-

tion is, therefore, to (a) provide an identifiable label (a logo or a

symbol) and (b) give an assurance to the consumers that the

product is truly organic.

It is widely recognised the world over that the certification of

organic products should be based on the following principles:

I Organic production and processing standards should be clearly

laid down.

II The conformation of production and processing to these stands

must be verified.

Ill Organic labels should be permitted only to those produces,

which are found conforming to the set standards.

Thus, a label on an organic product conveys that the manufacturer

has a license for organic production, an independent agency has

inspected the production/processing practices followed by the

producer, and compliance of the set standards is made.

6. Need for organic farming in india

7.AFFECTS OF MODERN FARMING TECHNOLOGY

8. Benefits of organic farming

9 Proposed Objectives

The broad objectives of organic farming in India can be the

following in the light of the discussions on the adverse effects of

the conventional farming system the country practiced for about

30-40 years and the potential benefits of the organic methods:

1 Sustainable agriculture

2 Increasing agriculture production

3 Food self-sufficiency

4 Environmental protection

5 Conservation of natural resources

6 Rural development.

10. Progress of organic farming in india

11. Projects and initiatives

12. Problems, constraints and prospects