Economic sustainability of organic cultivation of Assam tea produced by small-scale growers

Abstract

The last few decades have seen a significant increase in the land under tea cultivation in the major tea growing regions of the world, mostly owing to the increase in the number of small-scale tea growers. These small-scale tea growers often resort to unsustainable agricultural practices. However, some of the growers in a few tea growing regions are converting to sustainable production systems like organic cultivation. The present study uses a collective case study approach and mixed methods to understand the economic sustainability of organic tea cultivation for the small-scale tea growers. It uses primary data of the small-scale tea growers in the largest contiguous tea producing region of the world, Assam in India. The findings reveal that the yearly income from a hectare of tea cultivation for small-scale organic growers, which is found to be INR 85,000 (USD 1,156.83), is better than the income for the conventional growers, which is INR 77,000 (USD 1,047.95) if the organic growers could attain the average yield of 15,000 kg as usually achieved in a conventional system. However, the income for the organic growers reduced to INR 71,500 (USD 973.10) for a 10% decrease from the above-mentioned yield. In a long-term perspective, organic cultivation is found to be an economically viable option for small-scale tea growers over a period of 10 years provided the growers achieve good and stable yield after organic conversion. Income from organic tea may increase further if the growers resort to optimal utilization of resources, best farm management practices, and an organic premium on green leaves is introduced. Further, there is a need to understand organic cultivation in a broader socioeconomic context to push a larger section of the small-scale tea growers towards environmentally sustainable cultivation.