Organic farming in India:

Topics Covered: Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country.

Organic farming in India:


Context:

In a world battered by the COVID pandemic, the demand for healthy and safe food is already showing an upward trend and hence this is an opportune moment to be captured for a win-win situation for our farmers, consumers and the environment.

organic_farming

Organic farming in India:

  1. India ranks first in number of organic farmers and ninth in terms of area under organic farming.
  2. Sikkim became the first State in the world to become fully organic and other States including Tripura and Uttarakhand have set similar targets.
  3. North East India has traditionally been organic and the consumption of chemicals is far less than rest of the country.
  4. Similarly the tribal and island territories are being nurtured to continue their organic story.
  5. The major organic exports from India have been flax seeds, sesame, soybean, tea, medicinal plants, rice and pulses.

Government initiatives to support organic farming:

Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD) and Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) launched in 2015 to encourage chemical free farming.

  • Both these schemes are promoting certification under Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) and National Program for Organic Production (NPOP) respectively targeting domestic and exports markets.

What is organic farming?

  • It is an agricultural process that uses biological fertilizers and pest control acquired from animal or plant waste.
  • It is a unique production management system which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

  1. What is organic farming?
  2. Types
  3. What is Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF).
  4. Differences between ZBNF vs organic farming.

Mains Link:

Discuss the significance and features of Organic Farming.

Sources: pib.