Organic Farming

Abstract

Organic Farming is recognized by FAO as suitable for sustainable agriculture. The reasons for adopting Organic Farming world wide are discussed in the paper. It is explained how in the Indian context Organic Farming is most suited for small and marginal farmers. A brief description is also given of the various Organic Farming protocols. Economic implications and export potentials are also discussed. Exponents of Organic Farming have given it various names such as Biological Farming, Regenerative Farming, Low Input Sustainable Agriculture (LISA) Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA). Steiner's Biodynamic Farming. Mollison's ‘Permaculture’, Fukouka's Natural Farming and late Prof D. Dabholkar's ‘Paryag Pariwar’ and the Vedic based Homa Farming. The Underlying principle behind all of them is providing integrated efforts to maintain the agro eco-system in a sustainable manner. The FAO's Codex Alimentarius Commission (June 1999) stated “Organic Agriculture is a holistic production management system which promotes and enhances agro ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil, biological activity’ The founder of Cuba's Organic Farming Association has beautifully described Organic Farming. ’Many people think that farming is a simple and mundane act, but they are wrong. It is the soul of any great culture, because it requires not only a great deal of accumulated knowledge but also putting this knowledge to use every single day. Knowledge of the weather, the soil, plants, animals, the cycles of nature: all of this is used everyday by a farmer to make decisions that have to be made in order to produce the food that we eat. To us it may seem like food comes from a factory, but in reality it comes from a culture that generations have created to produce that food”.