Organic Farming

Definition of Organic Farming

• IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) defines the overarching goal of organic farming as follows: "Organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved”. 
• Organic farming is a method of agricultural production that avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and artificial additives. Instead, it relies on natural processes, biodiversity, and ecological balance to enhance soil fertility and pest control. 

Concept of Organic Farming

• Nature is the best role model for farming, since it does not use any inputs nor demand unreasonable quantities of water.  
• 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. 
• The soil in this system is a living entity 
• 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. 
• It concentrates on building up the biological fertility of the soil so that the crops take the nutrients they need from steady turnover within the soil nutrients produced in this way and are released in harmony with the need of the plants. 
• The total environment of the soil, from soil structure to soil cover is more important
• Control of pest, diseases and weeds is achieved largely by the development of an ecological balance within the system and by the use of bio-pesticides and various cultural techniques such as crop rotation, mixed cropping and cultivation. 
• Organic farmers recycle all wastes and manures within a farm, but the export of the products from the farm results in a steady drain of nutrients.  
• Enhancement of the environment in such a way that wild life flourishes. 

Objective of Organic Farming

• To seek out the presence of chemical contaminants in conventional vs organically big crop
• Promote a lot of  usage of natural pesticides.
• Management  pests, diseases and weeds.
• Cultivate the soil in right time in right manner.
• To push sensible soil structure, texture and fertility. 
• To grief, read summary of organic agriculture.
• To check regarding the benefits and downsides of organic farming. 
• To  review the worldwide and indian situation of organic products.  
• To seek out corporation dealing in organic products. 
• To check the market scenario of organic products India. 
• To check SWOT analysis of organic products in India. 
• To seek out the opportunities and challenges of organic products in India. 
• Turn out food with higher organic process / nutritional quality. 
• Work with the natural system.  Maintain and increase soil fertility. 
• Use renewable resources as so much as attainable. 
• Avoid pollution. 
• Enable  satisfaction to an agricultural producer. 
• To integrate completely different farming systems like dairy farms, poultry, livestock, fishery, horticulture, sericulture, apiculture etc. with agricultural crop production. 
• To extend farm resources use potency (land, labour and production/byproducts) thus on increase farm financial gain and profitable employment opportunity. 
• To push multi-cropping (out of the entire cropped areas of 2,65,816 ha only 46,697 ha (18%) is sown more than once) , for multi-layered crops of measure thus on sustain land productivity. 
• To take care of  environmental quality and ecological stability. 

Principles of Organic Farming

The Principle of Health:-  Organic agriculture ought to sustain and enhance the health of soil, plant, animal, human and planet along and inseparable. 
The Principle of Ecology:- Organic agriculture ought to supported living ecological systems and cycles, work with them, emulate them and facilitate sustain them. 
The Principle of Fairness:- Organic agriculture ought to build upon relationships that guarantee fairness with relation to the common environment and life opportunities. The Principle of Care:- Organic agriculture ought to  managed during a preventative and accountable manner to protect the health and well-being of current and future generations and thus the environment. 

Techniques Of Organic Farming

Crop Rotation:- 

It’s the technique to grow numerous varieties of crops within the same space, consistent with the various seasons, during a sucessive manner. 

Green Manure:- 

It refers to the dying plants that square measure uprooted and became the soil to form them act as a nutrient for the soil to extend its quality. 

Biological Control :- 

With this methodology , we have a tendency to use living organisms to manage pests with or while not employment of chemicals. 

Compost :- 

Extremely made in nutrients, it’s a recycled organic matter used as a fertiliser within the agricultural farm. 

Mulching :- 

Mulching suggests that covering the bottom with a layer of loose material like dry grass, compost, straw, leaves, or crop manures.

Vermicomposting:- 

Vermi compost may be a stable fine granular organic matter ,when supplemental to soil and provides passage to air. 

Advantage of Organic Farming

• It creates higher natural levels of resistance to pests and illness. 
• Organic farming permits for specialization opportunities. 
• It helps to keep up environmental health by reducing the extent of pollution. 
• It helps keep agricultural production at a property level . 
• Organic farmers will usually produce their own fertilizers at their farming location. 
• It helps to enhance the soil health. 
• It ensures optimum utilization of natural resources for brief resources term profit and helps in protective them for future generation.
• It not solely saves energy for each animal and machine ,but conjointly reduces risk of crop failure. 
• It improves the soil physical properties like granulation ,good tilth,good aeration ,easy root penetration and improves water holding capability and reduces erosion. 
• It controls pests and diseases while not  harming the surroundings. 
• It improves the chemical properties like offer supply and retention of soil nutrients ,reduces nutrient loss into water bodies and surroundings and promotes favourable chemical reactions. 
• It reduces human and animal health hazards by reducing the extent of residues within the product. 
• Organic food style is best than typical . 
• Organic farming doesn’t leach any harmful chemicals into waterways . 
• Eliminating the employment of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides . 
• Organic food free from harmful chemicals,artificial flavors and preservatives.
• Ingestion organic foods might if truth be told, reduce the chance of heart attacks ,strokes and cancer. 
• It produces nutrient food ,feed for animals and top quality crops to sell at an honest worth. 
• In organic farming ,the emission of gas is a smaller amount than 40% 
• Organic farming earns higher profit for farms.
• It performs better than conventional in adverse conditions like drought by as much as 40%. 
• It will increase future soil fertility.  It will curtail warming. 
• It helps to extend the employment as a result of in organic farming a lot of sure – handed labour ought to be needed and during this manner it helps to decrease state. 

Disadvantages of organic farming

• Organic manure isn’t profusely on the market and on plant nutrient basis it should be dearer than chemical fertilizers if organic inputs square measure purchased.
• Production in organic farming declines particularly through out the primary few years, that the farmer ought to be premium costs for organic manufacture.

• The rules for organic production, processing, transportation and certification etc square measure on the far side the understanding of normal Indian farmers. 

• Selling of organic produce is additionally not properly efficient. 

• Lack of technology information. 

• Organic materials square measure large nature, terribly tough to store and high in worth.

• Bio management agents square measure on the market with solely a number of hand picked insect pests.

• Organic food is dearer than typical food as a result of farmers don’t get the maximum amount out of their land as typical farmers do. 

• Needed sure-handed labour. 

• There are not any subsidies offered for many organic farming. 

• Organic farmers should have specific information concerning the localized growing system. 

• Organic farms and foods should under go a rigorous certification method. 

• Due to the need for more labours for working labour the cost is also high. 

• It takes a while in complete conversion of typical farming into organic farming. 

• We’ve got no package for absolutely adopted organic farming. 

• It needed a lot of work to supply product that square measure able to sell. 

• Organic crops typically spoil quicker as a result of typical foods square measure treated with waxes or preservatives to keep up their freshness throughout the shipping process. 

 Conclusion

From the prior conversation, it tends to be construed that organic farming seems, by all accounts, to be a practical, financial, and eco-accommodating, since there is no danger of lingering poisonousness. It improves soil fruitfulness and yielded amount creation. An expansion of fertilizer arranged from squanders that is FYM, neem-cake, bio gas slurry, vermicompost and so forth keeps up organic manure in soil and now, we know that it has some disadvantages but also has lots of advantages that cover up or that have ability to ignore the downsides of organic farming. 

References

• E-larning ICAR
• https://justagriculture.in