A little bit about Organic Farming in India:
Today, we learn the key features of organic farming in India along with ideas and tips for growing food organically.
An organic growing system in India is very old and is being followed from ancient time. It is a method of farming system which primarily aimed at cultivating the land and raising crops in such a way, as to keep the soil alive and in good health by use of organic wastes (crop, animal and farm wastes, aquatic wastes) and other biological materials along with beneficial microbes (bio fertilizers) to release nutrients to crops for increased sustainable production in an eco friendly pollution free environment.
Organic food production is based on the principle of maximum production with high quality without affecting soil fertility and the environment. Due to the continuous increment in world population, the demand for organic vegetables has been increased.
India has a lot of potential in this field, Organic farming started mostly as a small farm agriculture system with operations also being on farms less than 1 acre in size.
For farms under 10 acre in size, farming is mostly labor intensive and requires lesser mechanization. Also, organic farming tends to reduce costs as it removes the extra cost of synthetic fertilizers used in conventional farming methods.
Growing organically results in clean very good quality products. Given the current state of Indian agriculture, organic agriculture seems to have a lot of scope in uplifting the condition of Indian farmers.
Read: How To Get Organic Farm Certificate In India.
The key characteristics of organic production are:
1) Protecting the long term fertility of soils by maintaining organic matter levels, encouraging soil biological activity, and careful mechanical intervention
2) Providing crop nutrients indirectly using relatively insoluble nutrient sources which are made available to the plant by the action of soil micro-organisms
3) Nitrogen self-sufficiency through the use of legumes and biological nitrogen fixation, as well as effective recycling of organic materials including crop residues and livestock manures
4) Weed, disease and pest control relying primarily on crop rotations, natural predators, diversity, organic manuring, resistant varieties, and limited (preferably minimal) thermal, biological and chemical intervention
5) The extensive management of livestock, paying full regard to their evolutionary adaptations, behavioral needs, and animal welfare issues with respect to nutrition, housing, health, breeding, and rearing
6) Careful attention to the impact of the farming system on the wider environment and the conservation of wildlife and natural habitats.
Read: How to Make an Organic Compost.
What Provoked Organic cultivation?
Why Organic agriculture has been become popular and expanded gradually in India because of these reasons.
a. In the Indian scenario, organic manures (like cow dung, tree leaves and plants, human and animal wastes) are easily available in rural areas that is why agriculture based on organic manures has been more habitats other than agriculture based on high investment fertilizers (like Chemical fertilizers).
b. Continuous application of chemical fertilizers depleted the soil as well as product quality due to which Indian farmers have been emphasized on organic agriculture.
c. Indian agriculture market was improved and commercialization based farming has been started by which agricultural market became more competitive and qualitative that is why the organic based product has more customer due to its freshness, nutrition value and microorganism free characteristics.
Read: How to Conserve Soil Moisture.
Classification of Organic Farming:
Organic agriculture has been classified into three categories for reducing the inorganic system;
1. Pure Organic Growing:
In this method application of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides has been completely replaced by organic fertilizers and bio-pesticides.
2. Integrated Green Revolution Farming:
It is a method in which production yield has been increasing by application of hybrid varieties of seeds, sufficient irrigation, mechanized field operation, and skilled labor involvement and consider the minimum damage to the environment and human health. Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) and Integrated Pest
Management (IPM) both are coming under this farming.
3. Integrated Farming System:
Farming is totally depended upon the local and natural resources like recycling of agricultural wastes, tree leaves, crop residues, food wastes, etc. for improving the quality of produces without depleting the ecosystem.
Greenhouse and Vertical Farming details requested.
Read: Greenhouse Farming FAQ.
Read: Vertical Farming
Nice ideas available from this site. Mostly this site use how to defend organic farming.And help full for common poor farmers.
Here is some more information about Organic Farming: Organic Farming FAQ.
How much money is required for 2 acres of organic farming?
Organic farming is a great way for contributing to sustainable development. There is a need to spread awareness in this topic.
Could you please share business model for starting organic farming. What kind of annual investment required and what is the return ratio..
Great Article, it contains all the information which one should know and be aware about organic farming.
In the present scenario it is very important that each person should be aware about the importance of organically grown fruits and vegetables to one’s health, and it has become vary much important that we should take initiative in promoting and spreading awareness about organic farming as much as possible asi was going through some articles on organic farming I saw one website OrganicIndiaStory.com which share great articles about the real heroes who are working towards organic farming and what are their views on it.