Overview of Organic
Farming
Organic
Farming
Organic farming is a holistic
production management system which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health,
including biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity. It
emphasizes, the use of management practices in preference to the use of off
–farm inputs, taking into account that regional conditions require locally
adapted systems. This is accomplished by using, where possible, agronomic,
biological, and mechanical methods, as opposed to using synthetic materials, to
fulfil any specific function within the system.
Advent of Organic farming
Organic farming has grown out of
the conscious efforts by inspired people to create the best possible
relationship between the earth and men. Since its beginning the sphere
surrounding organic agriculture has become considerably more complex.
A major challenge today is
certainly its entry into the policy making arena, its entry into anonymous
global market and the transformation of organic products into commodities.
During the last two decades, there has also been a significant sensitization of
the global community towards environmental preservation and assuring of food
quality. Ardent promoters of organic farming consider that it can meet both
these demands and become the mean for complete development of rural areas.
After almost a century of development organic agriculture is now being embraced
by the mainstream and shows great promise commercially, socially and
environmentally. While there is continuum of thought from earlier days to the
present, the modern organic movement is radically different from its original
form. It now has environmental sustainability at its core in addition to the
founders concerns for healthy soil, healthy food and healthy people.
Concept of organic farming
Organic farming is very much
native to this land. Whosoever tries to write a history of organic farming will
have to refer India and China. The farmers of these two countries are farmers
of 40 centuries and it is organic farming that sustained them. This concept of
organic farming is based on following principles:
Ø
Nature
is the best role model for farming, since it does not use any inputs nor demand
unreasonable quantities of water.
Ø
The
entire system is based on intimate understanding of nature's ways. The system
does not believe in mining of the soil of its nutrients and do not degrade it
in any way for today's needs.
Ø
The
soil in this system is a living entity
Ø
The
soil's living population of microbes and other organisms are significant contributors
to its fertility on a sustained basis and must be protected and nurtured at all
cost.
Ø
The
total environment of the soil, from soil structure to soil cover is more
important.
Definitions
Ø
In
today's terminology it is a method of farming system which primarily aims 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
(biofertilizers) to release nutrients to crops for increased sustainable
production in an eco-friendly pollution free environment.
Ø
As
per the definition of the USDA study team on organic farming “organic
farming is a system which avoids or largely excludes the use of synthetic
inputs (such as fertilizers, pesticides, hormones, feed additives etc) and to
the maximum extent feasible rely upon crop rotations, crop residues, animal
manures, off-farm organic waste, mineral grade rock additives and biological
system of nutrient mobilization and plant protection”.
Ø
In
another definition FAO suggested that “Organic agriculture is a unique
production management system which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health,
including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity, and
this is accomplished by using on-farm agronomic, biological and mechanical
methods in exclusion of all synthetic off-farm inputs”.
Ø
In
philosophical terms organic farming means "farming in spirits of organic
relationship. In this system every thing is connected with every thing else.
Since organic farming means placing farming on integral relationship, we should
be well aware about the relationship between the soil, water and plants,
between soil-soil microbes and waste products, between the vegetable kingdom and
the animal
Yogendra Kumar Meena
Ph.D. Research Scholar (Vegetable Science)
Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, Punjab
Chief Executive Officer (Hadoti organic Farmer Society, Baran, Rajasthan)
Rajesh Kumar
Ph.D. Research Scholar (Agronomy)
SKN Agriculture University, Jobner, Jaipur, Rajasthan
