Organic way to health

Sikkim is India’s first fully organic State. By this we mean, no use of chemical pesticides, fertilisers, or genetically modified crops. What started 14 years ago as a small change in a tiny region, has now become a great example for the entire nation to learn from. But can the entire country go organic?

India is home to some of the most fertile and productive farmland with more than 60 per cent of the land area being arable and 58 per cent of the rural population depending primarily on agriculture for livelihood. With such an enormous potential, promoting healthier and sustainable farming practices can transform the entire nation’s agronomical profile and, thereby, the nation’s health index.

Globally, experts suggest that organic agriculture is the future. For the western world, it is new-found treasure. For India, it is about going back to the past and picking up ancient practices. While there were many factors that led the way for this mission in Sikkim, the first step was to get to the basics. Organic farming begins with training the most important people behind the big picture: the farmers.

There is relatively lower awareness about organic farming in India. While most countries are turning to this method as an antidote to environmental degradation, we have some catching up to do. According to the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Moment (IFOAM), India stands ninth on the list of countries relying on organic farming.

Ignorance is bliss

While most farmers don’t know the harmful impacts of chemical-based farming, others understand them but do not know how to bring about the much-needed change. Extensive use of pesticides, coupled with soil erosion and other problems are contributing to climate change world over. The soil too suffers from chemical overdose. Educating farmers about switching to organic methods can be truly beneficial in more ways than one. Not only will it leave behind fewer pesticide residues in the harvest but will also be far less toxic for those working in the farms. This is where the importance of farmer education gains momentum. Experts suggest that going organic has a positive impact on both income and profitability of farmers. ‘Seeing is believing’ — those who have tried it, have experienced the benefits beginning from overall farm health to a huge increase in productivity.

Farmers face unique challenges and require primary education on the technique. They need to be informed about the latest technological and scientific developments in this area. Incorporating organic tools and techniques into their daily operations in an efficient and effective manner will require ongoing training.

Training on organic methods can empower farmers in many ways: it will enable them make sound financial decisions and discover new avenues; they can apply the latest tools and techniques to harmonise land, water, and other ecological factors and improve production, marketing, as well as profits; and they will also be able to understand the implications of public policy on their income and operations.

The country’s success in organic farming will depend largely on two aspects: training and certification. Most importantly, farmers will need to be weaned off quick-fix chemical methods and reintroduced to our long lost indigenous knowledge. They need to be trained afresh on aspects such as soil building, pest management, inter-cropping, and compost and manure preparation.

Regular mentoring on the importance and benefits of organic practices is required. Agronomists must be deployed in the field to monitor the quality of produce and give timely advice to farmers. Certification programmes such as the Indian government’s National Centre for Organic Farming (NCOF) and Participatory Guarantee Scheme (PGS) need to be made mandatory.

Currently, awareness about organic farming is restricted to expatriates and rich urban Indians. They are the ones clearly cognisant of the health benefits of organic food and more so, can afford it. To make it cost effective and easily accessible, the farmer needs to be brought in, in a way that he sees financial promise and possibilities.

With farmers and consumers both benefiting from clean, healthy, non-chemical produce, along with unprecedented gains for the environment, organic farming could put Indian agriculture in a win-win situation.

The writer is an agronomist with bigbasket.com

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