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Organic farming in India The official position As per a Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) study of mid-2003, India had 1,426 certified organic farms producing approximately 14,000 tons of organic food / produce annually. In 2005, as per Govt. of India figures, approximately 190,000 acres (77,000 hectares) were under organic cultivation. The total production of organic food in India as per the same reference was 120,000 tons annually, though this largely included certified forest collections. Another side to the story There are a number of farms in India which have either never been chemically-managed / cultivated or have converted back to organic farming because of their farmers' beliefs or purely for reason of economics. These thousands of farmers cultivating hundreds of thousands of acres of land are not classified as organic though they are. Their produce either sells in the open market along with conventionally grown produce at the same price or sells purely on goodwill and trust as organic through select outlets and regular specialist bazaars. These farmers will never opt for certification because of the costs involved as well as the extensive documentation that is required by certifiers. New potential areas About 65% of India's cropped area is not irrigated and it can be safely assumed that high-input demanding crops are not grown on these lands. Fertiliser use on drylands is always less anyway as chemical fertilisers require sufficient water to respond. Pesticide use in these lands would also be less as the economics of these hardy or "not-so profitable" crops will not permit expensive inputs. These areas are at least "relatively organic" or perhaps even "organic by default". While neither of these terms necessarily denotes a healthy farm or a recommended agriculture system, it would at least imply a non-chemical farm that can be converted very easily to an organic one providing excellent yields and without the necessity and effort of a lengthy conversion period. Related links on this website : Traditional agriculture in India : high yields, no waste Natural farming succeeds in Indian village Myths and fallacies about organic farming Hunger, and why technology cannot feed the world The effects of chemical farming 18 ways how "modern" farming affects our world Pesticides in your food (and water) For general information on organic farming, click here For information on other issues related to organic farming, click here To order satavic.org on CD, click here Copyright © 1999-2008 by Satavic Farms. All rights reserved. Disclaimer |
