Tag: Farming

Organic Farming in India: The Future of Sustainable Agriculture

Organic Farming Produce

Introduction

The term ‘organic’ was first coined by Northbourne, in 1940, in his book entitled ‘Look to the Land’. In recent years, organic farming as a cultivation process is gaining increasing popularity . Organically grown foods have become one of the best choices for both consumers and farmers. Organically grown foods are part of go green lifestyle.

Farmers showing their Organic Harvest

Why Being Preferred These Days: The Importance of Organic Farming

Food quality and safety are two vital factors that have attained constant attention in common people. Growing environmental awareness and several food hazards (e.g. dioxins, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and bacterial contamination) have substantially decreased the consumer’s trust towards food quality in the last decades. Intensive conventional farming can add contamination to the food chain. For these reasons, consumers are quested for safer and better foods that are produced through more ecologically and authentically by local systems. Organically grown food and food products are believed to meet these demands.

Organic Farming Processes

Organic Farming Process

Organic farming and food processing practices are wide-ranging and necessitate the development of socially, ecologically, and economically sustainable food production system. The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) has suggested the basic four principles of organic farming, i.e. the principle of health, ecology, fairness, and care . The main principles and practices of organic food production are to inspire and enhance biological cycles in the farming system, keep and enhance deep-rooted soil fertility, reduce all types of pollution, evade the application of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, conserve genetic diversity in food, consider the vast socio-ecological impact of food production, and produce high-quality food in sufficient quantity.

Principles of Organic Farming  

According to the National Organic Programme implemented by USDA Organic Food Production Act (OFPA, 1990), agriculture needs specific prerequisites for both crop cultivation and animal husbandry. To be acceptable as organic, crops should be cultivated in lands without any synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and herbicides for 3 years before harvesting with enough buffer zone to lower contamination from the adjacent farms. Genetically engineered products, sewage sludge, and ionizing radiation are strictly prohibited. Fertility and nutrient content of soil are managed primarily by farming practices, with crop rotation, and using cover crops that are boosted with animal and plant waste manures. Pests, diseases, and weeds are mainly controlled with the adaptation of physical and biological control systems without using herbicides and synthetic pesticides. Organic livestock should be reared devoid of scheduled application of growth hormones or antibiotics and they should be provided with enough access to the outdoor. Preventive health practices such as routine vaccination, vitamins and minerals supplementation are also needed.

Principles of Organic Farming

Types of Organic Farming

Organic Farming are of two types. Here are the two types of Organic Farming being performed in India.

(a) Pure Organic Farming – pure organic farming, there is avoiding every unnatural chemical. In the process of pure farming, fertilizer and pesticides obtain from natural sources. It is called a pure form of organic farming. Pure organic farming is the best for high productivity. 

(b) Integrated Organic Farming – Integrated organic farming consists of integrated nutrients management and integrated pest management.

Organic Farming in India

Organic farming is in a nascent stage in India. About 2.78 million hectare of farmland was under organic cultivation as of March 2020, according to the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. This is two per cent of the 140.1 million net sown area in the country. A few states have taken the lead in improving organic farming coverage, as a major part of this area is concentrated only in a handful of states. Madhya Pradesh tops the list with 0.76 million of area under organic cultivation — that is over 27 per cent of India’s total organic cultivation area. The top three states — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra — account for about half the area under organic cultivation. The top 10 states account for about 80 per cent of the total area under organic cultivation. Sikkim is the only Indian state to have become fully organic so far. Even though India has very small organic area under cultivation, in terms of number of organic farmers it is being ranked first. India has over 1.9 million farmers as of March 2020, which is 1.3 per cent of 146 million agricultural landholders.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Organic Farming

Advantages of Organic Farming

Organic farming in India is very economical, it uses no expensive fertilizers, pesticides, HYV seeds for the plantation of crops. It has no expenses. 

With the use of cheaper and local inputs, a farmer can earn a good return on investment. This is one of the most important benefits of organic farming in India. 

There is a huge demand for organic products in India and worldwide and can earn more income through export.

Organic products are more nutritional, tasty, and good for health to chemical and fertilizer utilized products. 

Organic farming in India is very environment friendly, it does not use fertilizers and chemicals. 

Disadvantages of Organic Farming

Organic farming in India has fewer choices, and off-season crops are limited.

Organic agricultural products are low in the early years. Farmers find it difficult to accommodate mass production.

The main disadvantage of organic farming is the lack of marketing of the products and Inadequate infrastructure.

Organic Farming in India

Future of Organic Farming in India

India is an agriculture-based country with 67% of its population and 55% of manpower depending on farming and related activities. Agriculture fulfils the basic needs of India’s fastest-growing population accounted for 30% of total income. Organic farming has been found to be an indigenous practice of India that practised in countless rural and farming communities over the millennium. The arrival of modern techniques and increased burden of population led to a propensity towards conventional farming that involves the use of synthetic fertilizer, chemical pesticides, application of genetic modification techniques, etc.

Organic Farming leads to Sustainability and Holistic Growth

Even in developing countries like India, the demand for organically grown produce is more as people are more aware now about the safety and quality of food, and the organic process has a massive influence on soil health, which devoid of chemical pesticides. Organic cultivation has an immense prospect of income generation too. The soil in India is bestowed with various types of naturally available organic nutrient resources that aid in organic farming.

As per data collected from Government of India

Conclusion

India is a country with a concrete traditional farming system, ingenious farmers, extensive drylands, and nominal use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Moreover, adequate rainfall in north-east hilly regions of the country where few negligible chemicals are employed for a long period of time, come to fruition as naturally organic lands. Organic farming yields more nutritious and safe food. The popularity of organic food is growing dramatically as consumer seeks the organic foods that are thought to be healthier and safer. Thus, organic food perhaps ensures food safety from farm to plate. The organic farming process is more eco-friendly than conventional farming. Organic farming keeps soil healthy and maintains environment integrity thereby, promoting the health of consumers. Moreover, the organic produce market is now the fastest growing market all over the world including India. Organic agriculture promotes the health of consumers of a nation, the ecological health of a nation, and the economic growth of a nation by income generation holistically. India, at present, is the world’s largest organic producers and with this vision, we can conclude that encouraging organic farming in India can build a nutritionally, ecologically, and economically healthy nation in near future.

URBAN FARMING: AN INITIATIVE FOR FOOD SECURITY

Even after living or residing in a city, a person can start his or her business in agriculture industry and it is sustainable also. The business will provide food into the busy and populated areas and cities. Urban Farming.

WHAT IS URBAN FARMING?

In simple terms Urban farming is the process of producing or cultivating food inside the city limits. This business has both pros and cons. This business faces challenges but it also offers many benefits to the city, like increased food security, decreased waste, community involvement and many more. Urban Farming is also known as Urban Gardening or Urban Agriculture and it means the practice of cultivating, processing and distributing food in and around cities or towns or urban areas. It involves animal husbandry. bee keeping, horticulture, aquaculture etc.

NEED OF URBAN FARMING:

  • Provide Food to the growing population
  • Reduce pressure on the traditional methods of cultivation
  • Help improve Quality of Life
  • Reduce Food Security
  • Reduce Environmental Impact
  • Help improve the landscape of the city

TYPES OF URBAN FARMING

Urban Farming is of many types, like: Street Landscaping, Tactical Gardening, Backyard Gardens etc.

VERTICAL FARMING
  1. Backyard Gardens: It generally means growing food in the property of a home and sharing it with family, friends or neighbors.
  2. Street Landscaping: Improving the landscape of the streets with the help of living street design or community gardens etc.
  3. Tactical Gardens: Utilizing small spaces available in a practical way (that doesn’t involve much expenses). Ex: Keyhole Garden which replace parking spot in streets.
  4. Forest Gardening: Gardens in urban forests including crops, fruits or herbs or nuts and even vegetables.
  5. ROOFTOP GARDENS: Using spaces of roof for growing food. This method helps in reducing Urban Heat Island effect and help in improving the quality of air.
  6. Green Walls : Using the space on internal and external walls to grow food.
  7. Vertical Farms: Planting or cultivating vertically for reducing the usage of land and land footprint of agriculture.
  8. Animal Husbandry: Raising animals for food and cities also allow residents to raise a limited number of such animals.
  9. Urban Beekeeping: It is a very common hobby and has many benefits for the local environment.
  10. Aquaponics: Raising aquatic animals such as fish etc. and in urban areas this can be done by capturing storm water and creating self sustaining system.
ROOFTOP FARMING

IMPORTANCE OF URBAN FARMING:

Urban Farming is an essential part of urban ecological and urban ecosystem and helps in improving the sustainability of the area. It plays an important role in Urban management system . A growing city will produce large number and amount of waste and urban agriculture acts like a solution for solving this issues by turning urban wastes into productive resource system. It helps in bringing original and nurtitious food to the local communities which has many direct health benefits. It reduces the risk of harmful conditions and vulnerability to get exposed to different chemicals used for increasing the longevity of the food and fruits.

Urban Agriculture

Urban agriculture can be described as the agricultural practices to producing fresh food or other agricultural products in urban areas and their surrounding regions (peri-urban). This can function centrally where plants can be grown and animal husbandry, horticulture, and aquaculture can be practiced. It also involves the processing, packaging, marketing, and delivery of food. In purview urban agriculture extends to establish food production sites within the city’s sphere.

As more land area is getting urbanized and larger number of people are coming to the urban areas to reside. It becomes very critical to properly utilize the space in our cities and suburban areas. Research in the last two decades is has proven that Urban agriculture can be a viable option for food production. It can also help in decreasing the effects of climate change and make the food supply chain more efficient.  Proper land use and spatial planning are crucial to practice this effectively. There are various methods to practice urban agriculture including ground-level farming, hydroponic farming, rooftop farming, vertical farming, greenhouses, and other new technologies.

As cities are expanding, this has created new sets of issues like the urban heat island effect, waste management, lack of biodiversity, and high levels of air pollution. With more people moving around the urban space, this has also increased carbon emissions. With urban agriculture, we can try to offset some of the adverse effects of these problems. This kind of agriculture is now being practiced in many cities. Cities like Tokyo, Seoul, and Sao Paulo have their own urban agriculture initiatives. But one of the cities is betting on urban farming in Singapore. The city-state currently imports 90 percent of its food. This also means that any kind of geopolitical tension or a global crisis can severely affect the food supply of Singapore. This means that growing own food becomes critical and essential. Due to this, the Singaporean government has envisioned an ambitious goal to produce 30 percent of its food in the city itself by 2030. This is a special challenge in Singapore’s care due to its tiny land area and highly urbanized population. The city has almost non-existent agriculture land and this is why the focus of food production is on the unutilized urban spaces, on top of shopping malls, hotels, schools, homes, rooftops in parking lots across the city, etc.

In 2009 Singapore government launched a program that incentivizes injecting greenery into development projects across the nation The program was aptly named ‘Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises’ (LUSH). Their current initiative to build urban food-growing areas within the city will be built upon this program.

Some of the benefits that Urban farming enjoys are immunity from water pollution, a better-controlled environment from the physical forces, and minimal to no use of pesticides and insecticides. But there are some limitations as well. This type of farming can be quite energy-intensive and the outputs can be comparatively lower than traditional farming. This also makes it more expensive.

To make Urban farming more effective governments will also need policies that will make use of the maximum amount of land across the city. Hydroponic farming can be a very effective way to rapidly scale the production where plants are grown with the help of water and the additional nutrients and minerals are added to the water to substitute soil. Additional Urban farming can also help in reducing carbon emissions and making cities cooler. Private firm involvement can also help in stepping up the scale of this kind of farming. This will be the step towards sustainable food production in the cities of the future but to make this happen greater involvement across the citizens and sectors will be needed.

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