Sentiment across the world is rapidly veering towards a healthy, safe and sustainable environment. In this, healthy food and hence healthy farm practices, attitudes and habits are a vital component of good health and longevity. No wonder then India is scaling up its slice of organic farming in its overall agricultural scenario. India's organic product exports, now valued at Rs 5,000-6,000 crore, are set to leapfrog almost 3-3.5 times by 2028. The country’s major export products now include organic cereals, pulses, oilseeds, spices, tea, coffee, and fresh produce. In 2020, India had 29.17 lakh hectares under organic cultivation. In the next couple of years, India is aiming to touch around 60 lakh hectares under organic cultivation.  As per International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), India ranked 4th in terms of certified area globally, three years back itself. The potential to grow organic farming is naturally high.

SIKKIM IS SERIOUS EVIDENCE OF ORGANIC LIFE

This emphatic organic quest by India is backed by serious evidence in the organic farming approach in recent times. Almost nine years ago, Sikkim made headlines, becoming the world's first fully organic state. Sikkim clearly set the pace by getting its people to lead a healthy life by reducing the risk of chemicals entering the food supply chain. Every farm, field and vegetable patch across its 7 lakh hectares is free from chemical fertilizers and pesticides. All its agricultural land has been certified organic.  This geographical wonder and beauty alone are estimated to produce over 80,000 tonnes of organic vegetables. Sikkim, without doubt, lends credence to India’s mission of building and sustaining an oxygen rich environment, ecology and healthy population through organic farming.

Organic production in India is now around 3-3.5 million tonnes. The leading states in organic cultivation — Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan — have played a crucial role in India's organic agricultural transformation. A FiBL (Switzerland-based Research Institute of Organic Agriculture) survey some time ago had confirmed India’s unique position among 187 countries practicing organic agriculture - India is home to 30% of total organic producers in the world.

INDIA ALREADY HAD SOME HISTORY OF ORGANIC CULTIVATION

It's interesting that India needn’t look to the West to lead the organic life. The British botanist, Sir Albert Howard, often referred to as the father of modern organic agriculture, worked in India as an agricultural researcher. While conventional wisdom would persuade us to think he brought in practices from the West, he was actually inspired by the traditional and sustainable farming practices he encountered in India and advocated their adoption back in the West! If we look back, in the 1920s and 1930s, Sir Albert Howard's work on composting and soil health that partook of the Indian way of life, influenced organic farming in modern India.

SWEDEN, AND THE NORDIC DIET NOW LEAD THE WAY

Sweden on the other side of the world inspires this cultivation with the highest proportion of public purchases of organic food in the world, around 38%-40%.  If we expand the canvas, Nordic countries, including Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland are evidently the most developed markets for organic food sales and production. Denmark and Finland have seen an exponential organic farmland growth in the last decade and a half. This is driven by increasing consumer demand and emphatic government support for organic farming. The Nordic diet is often cited as one of the healthiest diets in the world – good for the planet - focused on minimally processed, locally sourced foods. Clearly sustainable diet and ecology are at the heart of this strong organic push. 

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO ENHANCE ORGANIC FARMING AND LIFE

Organic agriculture is intended to sustain and enhance the health of soil, plant, animal, and human beings as one and indivisible. In view of this, it restricts the use of fertilizers, pesticides, animal drugs and food additives that may have adverse health effects. It also helps reduce penetration of nitrate into groundwater and surface water, and recycles animal wastes back into the farm.

HOW ORGANIC FARMING HELPS SMALL FARMERS

There are many compelling reasons why organic farming practices are vital, especially for small farmers, for whom it is an essential source of livelihood and good health. Capital investment is not as high as in chemical farming and as organic fertilizers and pesticides are produced locally, yearly costs incurred by the farmer are low.

With organic farming, we let nature do its work and cultivate the soil for steady growth and help small farmers get back to basics. This approach enables a synergy with life forms, something small farmers grasp well and hence implement organic farming techniques with ease. Small farmers also have an abundance of traditional knowledge, which eliminates their dependence on chemical know-how. Finally, organic farming reduces dependence on money lenders and bank loans, a vicious pressure on small farmers.

SOME LIMITATIONS AROUND ORGANIC FARMING

While environmental and health gains from organic life are valuable, some limitations have to be addressed to further the organic approach. Organic food is usually priced 20-30% higher than conventional food. Organic products are also not readily available on the market though health-conscious people are willing to pay more for them.  As organic produce is not traded in many markets, small farmers may find it difficult marketing them.

Despite the government's efforts to promote organic farming, only a small percentage of farmers use organic inputs. While most farmers are aware of the hazards of chemical-based farming inputs, they fear lower output and production, and non-availability of organic inputs. 

WHY WE NEED TO GO BEYOND THE GREEN REVOLUTION

No doubt the Green Revolution in the 60’s brought about a technological breakthrough and introduction of chemicals in fertilizers and pesticides, generating high yields quickly. It was the need of the hour as India was looking to be self-sufficient in food production. However, continuous use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is depriving crop of its quality, making it prone to disease and impacting human health. The unusually high incidence of cancer cases in some regions for instance has been linked to excessive use of pesticides by cotton farmers. Also, The National Report on Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought, sometime ago, had conceded that land degradation is a major environmental concern for the country. The Report revealed that one-third of India's soil was degraded, while 25% land was facing desertification, affecting its productivity and food security of millions.

WHY ORGANIC FARMING WITH TECHNOLOGY IS THE RIGHT SOLUTION

The solution then is obvious: build a sustainable agribusiness that is certainly viable for the small farmer. Technology can play a crucial role, as scaling organic production is a mammoth task, given that India has to both produce millions of tonnes to keep farmers and people employed and also feed a vast population.

Technologies like Smart Sensors for Precision Agriculture, Crop Monitoring and Pest Management through Drones, Robotic Weed Control Technologies, AI-Driven Farm Management Platforms, Blockchain for Transparency and Traceability, Autonomous and Robotic Tractors are significantly useful to scale up organic farms. This process is expensive, but for larger production and viability, technology has to be deployed along with labor. Automation and scaling farming technologies will not only aid sustainable agricultural life, but it will also help organic farmers stay competitive in this growing field.