organic farming

ORGANIC FARMING

Organic farming “is a production system which avoids or largely

excludes the use of synthetically compounded fertilizers,

pesticides, growth regulators, and livestock feed additives. To

the maximum extent feasible, organic agriculture systems rely

upon crop rotations, crop residues, animal manure, legumes,

green manure, off-farm organic wastes, mechanical cultivation,

mineral bearing rocks, and aspects of biological pest control to

maintain soil productivity, tilth, to supply plant nutrients, and to

control insects, weeds, and other pests”. (USDA,1980).

 The concept of the soil as a living system which must be

“fed” in a way that does not restrict the activities of beneficial

organisms necessary for recycling nutrients and producing

humus is central to this definition.

“Organic agriculture is a holistic production management system

which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including

bio-diversity, 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 wherever possible, agronomic, biological, and

mechanical methods, as opposed to using synthetic materials, to

fulfill any specific function within the system”(Codex, 1999).

ORGANIC FARMING  Principles of organic farming

 

1. To produce food of high nutritional quality in sufficient

quantity

2. To interact in a constructive and life enhancing way with

all natural systems and cycles

3. To encourage and biological cycles with in the farming

system, involving micro-organisms, soil flora and fauna,

plants and animals and careful mechanical intervention 

4. To maintain and increase long-term fertility of soils

5. To promote the healthy use and proper care of water,

water resources and all life therein

6. To help in the conservation of soil and water

7. To use, as far as is possible, renewable resources in locally

organized agricultural systems

8. To work, as far as possible, within a closed system with

regard to organic matter and nutrient elements

9. To work, as far as possible, with materials and substances

which can be reused or recycled, either on the farm or

elsewhere 

10. To give all livestock conditions of life which allow them

to perform the basic aspects of their innate behavior

11. To maintain all forms of pollution that may result from

agricultural practices

12. To maintain the genetic diversity of the production system

and its surroundings including the protection of wild life

habitats

13. To allow everyone involved in organic production and

processing a quality of life confirming to the UN Human

Rights Charter, to cover their basic needs and obtain an

adequate return and satisfaction from their work, including

a safe working environment

14. To consider the wider social and ecological impact of the

farming system

15. To produce non-food products from renewable resources,

which are fully degradable

16.  Weed, disease and pest control relaying primarily on crop

rotation, natural predators, diversity, organic manuring,

resistant varieties, and limited (preferably minimal)

thermal, biological and chemical intervention

17. To create harmonious balance between crop production

and  animal husbandry 

18. To encourage organic agriculture associations to function

along democratic lines and the principle of division of

powers

19. To progress towards an entire production, processing and

distribution chain which is both socially just and

ecologically responsible

 Relevance of organic farming

 Interest in organic agricultural methods is growing,

especially in areas where the present modern farming system has

unleashed many agro-ecological and environmental problems

both on and off the farm, which threaten food security. The

following are some examples:

a) Degradation of soil quality (structured & fertility)

b) Pollution of soil, water and food with pesticides and

nitrates

c) Health effects on farmers, farm workers, farm families,

rural communities (apart from concerns about the nonintended

effects of pesticides on

human

 beings in general,

sound

use of pesticides requires

a technical knowledge

which

is often lacking in developing countries)

d) Resistance of pests to pesticides

e) Dependence on off-farm agricultural inputs which can

increase poor farmers’ dependence on credit facilities (to

purchase synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and seed), which

may result in decreased local food security and selfreliance

Further consumer awareness of the environmental costs of

agriculture is increasing. The awareness of environmental

quality and health is often promoted by environmental

groups, especially in developed countries. The resulting

demand for organic products creates the opportunity to sell

organic products at premium prices, enabling organic farmers

to continue, and often expand. Some governments have begun

to recognize the possibility that it may be cheaper to support

organic agriculture than to rectify problems associated with

certain resource- destruction production practices. For this

reason, several governments have introduced subsidies for

organic agriculture. For example, in Indonesia where, after a

period of subsidies on pesticides, the use of this input was

prohibited while efforts were put in IPM programmes. In

China, pesticide problems in products both on the domestic

and export market has resulted in government involvement in

certification organizations for “green food”, including also a

small amount of organic produce. Both these policies

facilitate a shift towards organic agriculture.

Relative characteristics of Modern and Organic Farming

systems

Production factor  Modern Organic

Productivity High High

Sustainability Low High

Farming system Simple Complex

Bio-diversity Uniform Diverse

Production

orientation

Usage of external

inputs

Market Subsistence/market

High Low

Fertilization Inorganic Organic

Plant protection Curative &

inorganic

Preventive & organic

Energy balance Negative Positive

 Components of organic farming

 Thus organic agriculture is comparatively free from the

complex problems identified with modern agriculture. It is

basically a farming system, devoid of chemical inputs, in which

the biological potential of the soil and the underground water

resources are conserved and protected from the natural and

human induced degradation or depletion by adopting suitable

cropping models including agro-forestry and methods of organic

replenishment, besides natural and biological means of pest and

disease management, by which both the soil life and beneficial

interactions are also stimulated and sustained so that the system

achieves self regulation and stability as well as capacity to

produce agricultural outputs at levels which are profitable,

enduring over time and consistent with the carrying capacity of

the managed agro-ecosystem.

 Crop production and health in organic farming systems is

attained through a combination of structural factors and tactical

management components to ensure products of sufficient quality

and quantity for human and livestock consumption.

 Diverse crop rotations: Crop diversification can deliver

many agronomic and ecological benefits simultaneously, while

maintaining or enhancing the scale and efficiency of production.

Benefits of diverse crop rotations include yield stability,

reduction in disease incidence & severity, reduced pest

incidence, improved weed control, reduced soil erosion,

recycling of nutrient reserves, transfer or nitrogen from nitrogen

fixing species, structural improvement etc . There are many

different forms of crop diversification viz., rotational cropping,

sequential cropping, intercropping, multistoried cropping system

etc., and in practice these can be combined within the farming

system. Crop and variety choice and their spatial and temporal

design are critical in ensuring an effective rotation. The

inclusion of crops, which are able to fix atmospheric through

symbiotic relationship with N-fixing bacteria that nodulate on

crop roots, enables organic farming systems to be self sufficient

in nitrogen.

 Soil fertility management: The aim of nutrient or soil

fertility management within organic farming systems is to work,

as far as possible, with in a closed system .Organic farming aims

to manage soil fertility through use of organic manures (FYM &

farm compost, vermicompost), recycling of crop residues such as

straw, plant residues, grasses etc., dung and urine from

domesticated animals and wastes from slaughter houses, human

excreta & sewage, biomass of weeds, organic wastes from fruit

and vegetable production & processing units and household

wastes, sugarcane trash, oil cakes, press mud and fly ash from

thermal power plant. Biological nitrogen fixation through blue

green algae, azolla for rice, rhizobium for legumes, azatobactor

& azospirillum for other crops, green manuring & green-leaf

manuring, manure form biogas plants, legumes in crop rotations

& intercropping systems.

Weed control: Organic farmers often identify weeds as

their key problem. Within organic systems an integrated

approach to weed control using a combination of cultural and

direct techniques is necessary. Appropriate soil cultivation viz.,

deep ploughing in summer, harrowing, inter-cultivation using

mechanical hoes and harrows, and the timing of field operations

and good crop establishment are vital for successful control of

weeds. Mulching the soil surface can physically suppress weed

seedling emergence. Soil solarization, to heat field soil under

plastic sheeting to temperatures high enough to kill weed seeds

(>65

o

C) can also be used for weed, control in some parts of

India. Good seedbed preparation, timely sowing, line sowing,

crop rotation, smoother crops & intercropping systems etc.,

suppress the weed growth and favour normal growth and

development of crops in organic systems.

 Natural pest and disease control: One of the important

features of organic farming is the exclusion of plant protection

chemicals for pest and disease control. The system relies on the

on-farm diversity, improved health of the soil and crops,

protective influence of beneficial soil organisms against soil

borne pathogens and use of plant based insecticides and

biological control measures. The population of naturally

occurring beneficial insects and other organisms which act as bio

control agents multiplies making natural control of pests possible

when the system is free from the indiscriminate use of chemicals.

Few examples are:

 a)  Manipulation of crop rotations, to minimize survival of crop- 

      specific pests (in the form of, for example insect eggs, fungi)     

     which can infest the next crop

b)  Strip cropping, to moderate spreading of pests over large

     areas

c)  Manipulation of the moisture level or pH level of the soil (in

     irrigated areas)

d) Manipulation of planting dates, to plant at a time most optimal

    for the crop, or least beneficial for the pest

e) Adjustment of seeding rate, to achieve an optimal density

    given the need to check weeds or avoid insects

f) Use of appropriate plant varieties for local conditions

g) Biological control methods, to encourage natural enemies of

    pests by providing habitat or by breeding and releasing them   

    in areas where they are required.

• Bacillus thuringensis against caterpillars of Heliothis,

Earias, Spodoptera etc

• Pseudomonas fluoroscenes against Pythium spp.,

Rhizoctonia spp., Fusarium spp.

• Nematodes like Green commandoes and Soil

commandoes against caterpillars & grubs

• Nuclear Polyhedrosis virus (NPV) against caterpillars

• Trichoderma virdi against  many common diseases of

vegetables and spices

• Weevils Neochitina eichorniae & N. bruchi against water

hyacinth

• Beetle Zygogramma biocolorata against parthenium

h) Trapping insects, possibly with the use of lures such as

pheromones

i) Use of domesticated birds

j) Biological pesticides (for example neem oil, nicotine) of

which the active ingredient is short-lasting, and which

may be produced locally

 Integrated nutrient management

 Integrated nutrient management system envisages

conjunctive use of organic manures, crop residues, biofertilizers,

legumes in crop rotation and green manuring. It combines

traditional and improved technologies to gain from the symbiosis

and synergy of  crop- soil-environment bio-interactions. The

concept is for optimization of all available sources of plant

nutrients to improve soil fertility availing nature’s gifts.

Development of INM system involving and appropriate mix of

organics, biological N fixation, phosphate solubilising microbes,

and need based chemical fertilizers would be crucial for

sustainability of production and soil as a resource base for it.

 Bulky organic manures: In India, the estimate

production of rural compost is about 226 million tons and urban

compost of 6.6 million tons annually. Aggregate stability,

decrease in pH, resistance to compaction, infiltration and water

holding capacity. Proper methods of preparation of

FYM/Compost therefore have to be popularized.

 Recycling of organic wastes: Substantial quantities of

crop residues (350 million tons) are produced in India every

year. Crop residues in combination with organics have been

shown to improve availability of plant nutrients, soil organic

matter, aggregate stability, infiltration rate, microbial population

etc.

 Bio-fertilizers: Bio-fertilizers such as rhizobium culture

is an effective source of N supply to leguminous corps.

Azotobacter and Azospirillium help in N fixation and supply to

crops like rice, wheat, sorghum, maize, cotton, sugarcane, fruit

corps and vegetables. Phosphate solubilising bacteria viz.,

Bacillus aspergillus help in making available soil P to the crops

and increase the solubility of indigenous sources of P like rock

phosphate. Blue green algae and Azolla have shown promise in

low land rice. These are renewable and environment friendly

supplementary sources of nutrients and are presently being used

in quantities between 8-10 tons per year. Vesicular arbuscular

mycorrhiza (VAM) has beneficial effect on plant growth,

particularly in P deficient soils. Improved uptake of water,

production of plant hormones and microbial activity are the

prime benefits of mycorrhizal inoculations.

Azotobacter

Azospirullum

Vermicompost

Green manuring: 

Green manuring is a cheap alternative

to the use of fertilizer N. The process also makes a positive

contribution to the maintenance of soil organic matter at a

satisfactory level. The stem nodulating green manure plant,

Sesbania  rostrata (Danchia) can fix 100-250 kg/N/ha in 45 to 55

days and has great scope in rice culture. There is also greater

scope for green-leaf manuring for rice and other crops from the

lopping of various multipurpose trees popularized through

afforestation and agro-forestry systems.

Popularization of bio-gas plants, encouraging legumes in crop

rotation and intercropping system and use of sewage, sludges and

effluents for agriculture can also be the components of INMS.