Organic agriculture: The way forward
Increasing consciousness about conservation of environment and health hazards associated with agrochemicals have led to the growing interest in alternate forms of food production. Manoj Kumar Menon tells us about the market potential of eco-friendly food products in India
In the late 1960s, due to increasing population and faced with food scarcity and security, India ushered in the green revolution. In the following two decades, India witnessed a boost in agricultural productivity thanks to the developments in Indian agriculture. It boosted the production output per hectare in most of the cases, but it is apparent two decades later that this increase in production has slowed down and in some cases there are indications of decline in growth of productivity and production (Source- Planning Commission’Approach Paper to the 11th Five year Plan). Also, the excessive use of pesticides and fertilisers have resulted in far-reaching ecological and environmental damages viz. drastic decline in soil fertility, lowering water tables and increasing toxicity in food products.
Increasing consciousness about conservation of environment, health hazards associated with agrochemicals, etc., have led to the growing interest among consumers in alternate forms of food production in the world. They are asking for ecofriendly products across the world and India is also catching up fast in this trend. The parametres of eco-friendliness are enshrined as four cardinal ‘Principles of Organic Agriculture’ by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement, Germany (IFOAM), an umbrella organisation working closely with the international community including FAO, Codex Elimentarius, EU, USDA, etc. These are:
Principle of Health
Principle of Ecology
Principle of Fairness
Principle of Care
Development of organic agriculture worldwide
Principle of Health
Principle of Ecology
Principle of Fairness
Principle of Care
Development of organic agriculture worldwide
Recently, United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) in its report Organic Agriculture and Food Security explicitly states that organic agriculture can address local and global food security challenges. The organic sector is flourishing today more than ever.
The world community is increasingly becoming aware of the need to preserve Mother Nature. All over the world, synthetic/chemical products are quickly replaced by eco-friendly organic products. Organic agriculture is developing rapidly and is now practiced in more than 130 countries of the world. Its share of agricultural land and farms continues to grow in many countries. Worldwide 30.4 million hectares of land is currently under organic production. The value of world trade today is USD 38.6 billion, while it was only USD 18 billion in 2000. And, the world trade of organic products is expected to reach USD 60 billion by 2010, as estimated by Organic Monitor, UK.
Development of organic agriculture in India
Development of organic agriculture in India
Among all farming systems, organic farming is gaining wide attention among farmers, entrepreneurs, policy makers and agricultural scientists for a number of reasons: It minimises the dependence on chemical inputs (fertilisers; pesticides; herbicides and other agro-chemicals) and thus safeguards/improves the quality of the natural resources and the environment.