Organic farming is a type of farming that maintains and improves the natural balance of the environment. To put it another way, this farming technique is based on the usage of organic fertilizers. Traditional farming practices include the use of chemical fertilizers, harmful pesticides, and other practices that have a significant negative impact on the environment. As a result, this method of farming is used to create toxin-free food for consumers while also maintaining soil fertility and contributing to ecological balance. This form of farming promotes environmentally responsible, long-term economic development.
Sustainable development is defined as the mutually beneficial interaction of legitimate corporate and economic interests, government and polity interests, and civil society and culture interests. These cultural relationships, on the other hand, do not occur in a vacuum. On a physical and material level, society is constrained by the carrying capacity of various ecosystems, landscape ecology, and, in the end, the Earth’s biosphere or nature. Individuals’ caring capacity contextualizes society’s three-fold functional distinction on a psychological and spiritual level. As a result, sustainable development is a multifaceted notion with at least four components. In general, there are four key pillars (dimensions) to sustainable development: social, economic, environmental, and institutional.
3 types of Organic Farmers
- The first kind of organic farmers are those that live in no-input or low-input zones. organic farming is a way of life for them, and they practice it as a tradition (perhaps due to a lack of resources required for conventional high-input intensive agriculture).
- The second groups of farmers are those who have recently joined organic agriculture as a result of conventional agriculture’s negative effects, which can include diminished soil fertility, food toxicity, or rising costs and diminishing returns.
- Farmers and businesses in the third group have methodically adopted commercial organic agriculture to take advantage of emerging market prospects and premium prices.
Role of Information technology:
- It has the ability to help people unlock their creative potential and knowledge.
- Weather forecasting, crop treatment, fertilizers, pesticides, storage conditions, and other issues can be effectively managed provided farmers have access to expert advice.
- If farmers are made aware of the latest equipment, technology, and resources, the quality and quantity of crops can be greatly improved.
- It has the ability to create jobs in rural areas.
Scope of Organic farming in India:
- Organic food is in high demand with rising domestic market, India is set for faster growth. The growth of India’s domestic markets is crucial to the organic movement’s success.
- Organic farming has emerged as an alternative system of farming that may not only address quality and sustainability concerns, but also ensures a debt-free future, with increasing awareness about the safety and quality of food, long-term sustainability of the system, and accumulating evidence of being equally productive.
Organic farming is also a sustainable and environmentally beneficial production strategy that benefits small-scale farmers in particular. Organic farming is appropriate for small farmers in developing countries like India. According to the available evidence, Organic agriculture helps to poverty reduction and food security through a variety of factors, including:
- Increasing yields in locations with low inputs;
- Biodiversity and natural resources conservation on the farm and in the surrounding environment;
- Increasing revenue and/or lowering costs;
- Creating food that is both safe and diverse;
- Having a long-term sustainability.
Future perspectives of Organic Farming:
Despite the fact that commercial organic agriculture, with its stringent quality certification system, is a relatively new market-controlled, consumer-concentric agriculture system around the world, it has grown at a rate of almost 25% to 30% per year for the past ten years. Despite predictions of a recession, the expansion of organic farming continues unaffected. The movement began in the developed world and is now spreading to developing countries. Demand, however, remains concentrated in industrialized and affluent countries. In the area, organic cuisine is growing more popular. With a rising domestic market, India is primed for stronger growth. The growth of India’s domestic markets is critical to the organic movement’s success.
Although India has long been known for its organic agriculture, the rise of contemporary scientific, input-intensive agriculture has pushed it forward. Organic farming has risen to prominence as a viable alternative to conventional farming that not only solves quality and ecological concerns, but also ensures debt-free operation.
Crop insurance support has also been revamped in order to reduce farmer losses and provide single-window comprehensive risk coverage for a variety of crops. In the 2016-19 period, 30 percent of the entire cropped area in the country was covered, compared to a target of 50 percent. Farmers’ access to new knowledge and skills is also being improved. For example, 652 Agricultural Technology Management Agencies have been formed across the country to provide farmers with the most up-to-date technologies. During 2016-17, these agencies reached out to 1.2 million farmers, half of whom were women.
Organic farming is popular in India, and it is ranked ninth among the top ten countries with the most organic land. In India, there are over 600,000 organic farmers. Organically cultivated crops in India include rice, wheat, lentils, spices, tea and coffee, herbal and medicinal plants, cotton, oil seeds, and a range of fruits, dry fruits, and vegetables. Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Karnataka have the highest certified organic farming acreage in India. India produced 1.7 million metric tonnes of the aforementioned crops in 2017-18. In the same year, exports to the United States, Canada, the European Union, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and Israel totaled over 4.6 lakh metric tonnes.
Concluding:
Organic farming systems can provide agronomic and environmental benefits through structural changes and tactical management of agricultural systems. Organic farming has advantages for both developed countries (environmental protection, biodiversity enhancement, reduced energy use and CO2 emissions) and developing countries like India (sustainable resource use, increased crop yields without over-reliance on expensive external inputs, environment and biodiversity protection, and so on).