Nazir A Ganai SKUAST-K

Contents

Organic food

Organic farming

Why organic

Impacts of modern agriculture

Status of Organic Farming-World

Organic husbandry

What is Organic Farming?

Organic farming is the

production of crops and

livestock without the use of

synthetic chemicals and in-

organic fertilizers.

Organic agriculture aims at

the human welfare without

any harm to the environment

which is the foundation of

human life itself.

3

History of Organic Farming

Organic farming was practiced in India since thousands of years. Agriculture was practiced using organic techniques, where the fertilizers, pesticides, etc., were obtained from plant and animal products.

Post-independent India witnessed severe food crisis.

India depended on heavy imports of food-for-aid from western countries.

Green Revolution introduced in 1970’s changed the situation from food importer to food exporter by 1990

What is Organic agriculture Organic agriculture is a production

system that sustains the health of soil, ecosystem and people.

It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and biological cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of synthetic inputs with adverse effects.

Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality life for all involved.

Why Organic

Healthy food: Contains no toxic substances

„ Natural & Good taste

„ Higher benefit cost ratio due to less external

input use and premium price (20-25%)

„ Takes care of Environmental concerns of

Farming

Why farm organically?

Organic farming aims to:

increase long-term soil fertility.

control pests and diseases without harming the environment.

ensure that water stays clean and safe.

use resources which the farmer already has, so the farmer needs less money to buy farm inputs.

produce nutritious food, feed for animals and high quality crops to sell at a good price.

8

What is conventional/ modern

agriculture?

Modern agriculture uses pesticides,

herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides and

harmful chemicals to produce the food we

eat.

The food produced from conventional

agriculture is harmful to human health

because they contain residues of chemicals

and in-organic fertilizers.

Intensive Farming - chemicals

Many different chemicals are used to

make plants and animals grow faster

Intensive farmers use artificial fertilizers

and growth promoters.

It is easier to use than manure and smaller

quantities are needed, because it contains

more of the elements.

Artificial fertilizers are spread on the

ground or sprayed on the crops.

Intensive Farming - chemicals

Problems:

They do not just disappear but stay in the plants that we eat,

so our food is contaminated with chemicals.

Soil used to grow the plants will also be contaminated and

have chemicals in it for a very long time.

Animals eat the grass , which has had

chemicals sprayed on to it, so the chemicals

get into their blood and therefore the meat

that we eat.

Chemicals run off the land into rivers

and kill plants and fish.

ORGANIC farming

Artificial fertilizers are banned in Organic farming.

Organic farmers use animal manure, compost and human sewage,

(which has been heated to destroy any harmful microbes) to make their

crops grow.

‘Green manure’ is grown – plants are grown,

then ploughed in and left to rot.

Worms, insects and bacteria underground are

always working on making the soil good.

By using a process called CROP ROTATION

(changing the crop grown each year), the farmer

can keep a good soil for many years.

Advantages

Organic

farming

Fewer

workers

needed Fewer

blemishes on

crops

Produce is

cheaper Large numbers of

animals kept in

ideal conditions

Bigger yields

from land

available

Antibiotics use

keeps animals

healthy

Use of

hormones

increases

meat

production

Soil structure

is better

Less harmful

to

environment

More birds

and insects

Animals

lead

happier

lives

No harmful

chemicals –

healthier?

Man-made

chemicals

used

Chemicals

stay in soil

Organic

farming

Natural

predators

destroyed

Chemicals

wash into

rivers

Animals live in

crowded

conditions Smaller

yields

Hedgerow

habitats

destroyed

More

blemishes

on crops

More

expensive

More farm

workers

needed

Disadvantages

Modern Chemical Farming creates

“Dead Soil”

Acidic soils with few

microorganisms

Lacking in micro elements,

trace elements, poor vitality

Almost O organic matter

Organic Farming creates “Living Soil”

Full of life with microorganism, fungi,

worms and termites.

Very rich in macro and micro elements,

trace elements, and vital energy

Very rich in organic matter

A 22-year farming trial in N York (USA)

concludes that:

Organic farming produces the same yields of

corn and soybeans as does conventional

farming, but uses 30 percent less energy, less

water and no pesticides,

"Organic farming approaches for these crops not only use an

average of 30 percent less fossil energy but also conserve

more water in the soil, induce less erosion, maintain soil quality

and conserve more biological resources than conventional

farming does,

What is wrong with intensive

(conventional) agriculture Artificial fertilisers and herbicides are easily washed from the soil

and pollute rivers, lakes and water courses.

The prolonged use of artificial fertilisers results in soils with a low

organic matter content which is easily eroded by wind and rain.

Dependency on fertilisers. Greater amounts are needed every

year to produce the same yields of crops.

Artificial pesticides can stay in the soil for a long time and enter

the food chain where they build up in the bodies of animals and

humans, causing health problems.

Artificial chemicals destroy soil micro-organisms resulting in poor

soil structure and aeration and decreasing nutrient availability.

Pests and diseases become more difficult to control as they

become resistant to artificial pesticides. The numbers of natural

enemies decrease because of pesticide use and habitat loss.

How 'modern farming' affects our world

• Land exhaustion – Loss of soil fertility

• Nitrate run-off – water contamination

• Soil erosion

• Reduced soil porosity due to soil compaction

• Excessive use of pesticides, weedi cides, fungicides

• Cruelty to animals due to over-crowding

• Loss of cultivated biodiversity

• Threat to indigenous seeds and animal breeds and species

• Habitat destruction

• Contaminated food

• Destruction of traditional knowledge systems and traditions

• Control of agriculture inputs and food distribution channel

• Threat to individual farmers

Pesticides in our food (and water)

Food product Contaminant pesticides

Apples Diphenylamine, Captan, Endosulfan, Phosmet, Azinphos-methyl

Bananas Diazinon, Thiabendazone, Carbaryl

Cabbage Methamidophos, Dimethoate, Fenvalerate, Permethrin, BHC

Carrots DDT, Trifluralin, Parathion, Diazinon, Dieldrin

Cauliflower Methamidophos, Endosulfan, Dimethoate, Chlorothalonil, Diazion

Cherries Parathion, Malathion, Captan, Dicloran, Diazinon

Corn Sulfallate, Carbaryl, Chlorpyrifos, Dieldrin, Lindane

Cucumbers Methamidophos, Endosulfan, Dieldrin, Chlorpyrifos, Dimethoate

Grapes Captan, Dimethoate, Dicloran, Carbaryl, Iprodione

Green Beans Dimethoate, Methamidophos, Endosulfan, Acephate, Chlorothalonil

Lettuce Mevinphos, Endosulfan, Permethrin, Dimethoate, Methomyl

Onions DCPA, DDT, Ethion, Diazinon, Malathion

Oranges Methidathion, Chlorpyrifos, Ethion, Parathin, Carbary

Peaches Dicloran, Captan, Parathion, Carbaryl, Endosulfan

Pears Azinphos-methyl, Cyhexatin, Phosmet, Endosulfan, Ethion

Potatoes DDT, Chlorpropham, Dieldrin, Aldicarb, Chlordane

Spinach Endosuslfan, DDT, Methomyl, Methamidophos, Dimethoate

Strawberries Captan, Vinclozolin, Endosulfan, Methamidophos, Methyl Parathion

Sweet Potatoes Dicloran, DDT, Phosmet, Dieldrin, BHC

Tomatoes Methamidophos, Chlorpyrifos, Chlorothalonilo, Permethrin, Dimethoate

Watermelon Methamidophos, Chlorothalonil, Dimethoate, Carbaryl, Captan

The REAL effect of pesticides Trade name Long-term effects

Camphechlor Cancer suspect, toxic to fish, very persistent

Chlordane/Heptachlor Leukemia suspect, toxic to wildlife, very persistent

Chlordimeform Cancer suspect, bladder damage, toxic to wildlife

DBCP Cancer risk, male sterility, persists in water

DDT Cancer causing, damage to liver, nerve, brain,

extremely persistent, toxic to wildlife

Aldrin/Dieldrin/Endrin Cancer suspect, birth defects, very persistent,

toxic to wildlife

EDB Potent cancer cause, birth defects, lung, liver

damage, very persistent

BHC/Lindane Proven cancer cause, miscarriage, leukemia

suspect, very persistent, toxic to fish

Paraquat No antidote, lung scarring

Endosulfan Nervous system damage

PCP Nervous system damage, liver damage, skin

disease

2,4,5-T Potent cancer cause, birth defects, toxic to fish,

very persistent

Today, Oncologists from the Harvard

Medical School recommend to cancer

patients to:

Change lifestyle

Become vegetarians

or avoid red meat

Eat lots of organic

food

Avoid eating at FAST

FOOD Restaurant like

McDonalds

Certification of Organic crop

production by INDOCERT

Standards of certification (i) National standards for organic production

(NPOP), Govt. of India

(ii) European Union regulations for organic production rules equivalent to EC.No.834/2007

(iii) United States organic standards

USDANOP (National Organic Programme).

“Intensive cultivation of land without conservation of soil fertility and soil

structure would lead ultimately to the springing up of deserts. Irrigation

without arrangements for drainage would result in soils getting alkaline or

saline. Indiscriminate use of pesticides, fungicides and herbicides could

cause adverse changes in biological balance as well as lead to an increase

in the incidence of cancer and other diseases, through the toxic residues

present in the grains or other edible parts. Unscientific tapping of

underground water would lead to the rapid exhaustion of this wonderful

capital resource left to us through ages of natural farming. The rapid

replacement of numerous locally adapted varieties with one or two high

yielding strains in large contiguous areas would result in the spread of serious

diseases capable of wiping out entire crops, as happened prior to the Irish

potato famine of 1845 and the Bengal rice famine of 1942. Therefore, the

initiation of exploitative agriculture without a proper understanding of the

various consequences of every one of the changes introduced into traditional

agriculture and without first building up a proper scientific and training base

to sustain it, may only lead us into an era of agricultural disaster in the long

run, rather than to an era of agricultural prosperity.”

- M.S. Swaminathan

Indian Science Congress, Varanasi, January 4, 1968

Sustainable Food Production

Livestock Husbandry in

Temperate Himalyan region The Himalayan region is vast, gigantic,

diverse and youngest mountain system in the

world.

It occupies 591 thousand square kilometer

(18% of geographical area of India)

spread over 2,800 kilometer in length and

220 to 300 kilometer wide across the 11

states of India

In this region, 6% of Indian population

resides

Livestock are integral part of farming system

for this region where it not only supplement

the family income but also contributes FYM

to the farm which is an essential requirement

of largely rain-fed agriculture of this region.

Himalayan farming System Land holdings - small and fragmented,

rain-fed agriculture,

low input-low output production system,

sparse population,

undulating terrain

poor means of transport and communication,

women centred agriculture,

out migration of males in search of off farm

employment,

poor productivity of crop and livestock,

fragile eco-system,

low risk bearing capacity of farmers yet rich in plant

and animal diversity etc.

People have sustained themselves in this difficult

condition and in their endeavour the livestock were

active partner.

Indigenous livestock provide practical means of using

natural grasslands in this region

Organic Livestock Organic cattle farming is a method for

raising cattle in a more "natural" way.

animals raised this way are allowed to

graze on natural foods and have access

to the outdoors.

Feed for animals is grown organically,

Not given antibiotics or hormones.

Animals often have much better living

conditions than most large-scale cattle

farms that are often crowded and prevent

cattle from getting much exercise in order

to maximize profits.

Farm Yard manure is used for producing

organic manure thru vermi-composting,

and bio-gas production

Organic livestock farming

practices Breeds and breeding-

◦ use of well adapted breeds,

◦ conserve animal genetic resource biodiversity

Pasture management

◦ access to pastures

Animal nutrition

◦ No growth hormones

◦ No animal by-products in feed

Housing,

◦ Loose and comfortable

Animal health and disease management

◦ Minimal use of antibiotics

Manure must be managed to prevent

contamination of crops, soil or water by plant

nutrients, pathogenic organisms, heavy metals

or residues of prohibited substances.