Vinod C Dixit
Indian economy is one of the fastest growing economies among the developing countries in the world. Agricultural is the major source of livelihoods, particularly in the rural areas, where 55% of people have been living.
The Governor of Gujarat Acharya Devvrat deserves a big Kudos for successfully popularizing and launching organic farming in the state of Haryana and has motivated over 50,000 farmers to adopt organic technique. As a Governor he is associated with this innovative idea of the Zero Budget Natural Farming project with the motive that farmers of the state can adopt organic farming, in Gujarat state too, he has already implemented his dream project of organic farming. Acharya rightly said that natural farming was a zero budget occupation and was based on the use of cow dung in agriculture. It preserves land fertility, saves water and helps reduce global warming.
Acharya was always poised for a role in the bigger state, which is primarily due to the faith reposed in him by PM Modi and Amit Shah, who has appreciated his relentless efforts to popularise organic farming and ‘Sawachh Bharat Abhiyan'. According to the Governor, Zero Budget Natural Farming programme is related to a set of natural farming methods, under which the cost of growing and harvesting plants is zero. Acharya has always tried to interact with farmers and informs them about the programme which involves almost no monetary investment and envisages the use of ‘Jeevamrutha' and ‘Beejamrutha' (sources of beneficial bacteria). Here ‘Zero Budget' refers to zero net cost of production of all crops, which means that farmers are not required to buy fertilisers and pesticides to ensure the healthy growth of crops. It will take time, but Gujarat is committed to increase the spread of organic farming through systematic planning.
Today, for promoting organic farming, state government has taken steps like setting up of a cell to implement its new organic farming policy. Farmers should now switch to organic farming and its ways from conventional method of farming. Many farmers are apprehensive about adopting organic farming due to the high production cost and the three-year transition period when farmers have to wait before getting their farms certified. There are who are talking on yield drop by 30% with organic cultivation but when we compare this with chemical inputs technology investments, the resulting benefits from organic technology is superior. Even though the costs upfront seem to be high, overtime organic farming becomes cheaper as it doesn't require expensive artificial fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides and GM seeds. It is fact that though there is lower yield, these farms are more profitable and environmentally friendly, provide several ecosystem services, numerous social benefits and deliver nutritious foods with relatively less pesticide residues compared to conventional farming. Earlier we use to guide farmers by telling them to use chemical fertilizers but now there is a strong need to tell them to use organic ways of farming. Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. Today, consumers purchase organic foods for many different reasons. There are many who want to buy food products that are free of chemical pesticides or grown without conventional fertilizers. Some simply like to try new and different products. Product taste, concerns for the environment and the desire to avoid foods from genetically engineered organisms are among the many other reasons some consumers prefer to buy organic food products. One thing is clear that there is low awareness at the producer level on the difference between conventional farming and organic farming. At the consumer level there is confusion between natural and organic products and limited understanding of the health benefits of organic food products. The increasing number of suicides by farmers is due to their dependency on fertilizers, which take away a huge portion of their earnings, rendering them indebted to moneylenders.
Organic agriculture is the best insurance policy that India can have for its population with better performance on productivity, environmental impact, economic viability and social well-being. Chemical farming, which involves spraying of pesticides and use of fertilizers, is not only financially burdening the farmers, but also wreaking havoc on the soil and ruining the health of the people and wasting water. Organic farming also plays an important role in the amount of water needed to sustain plants. Organic farming also has the cost benefits associated with it. Organic products can be sold for higher prices than non-organic foods and is actually very easy to do but for this the biggest challenge is not using store-bought fertilizers but, as mentioned previously, manure is a great alternative that yields higher quality crops and is incredibly cheap.The current system of farming that's heavily reliant on artificial fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides isn't a sustainable one. Training, camps and awareness at the grassroots level is a must. Organic farming is beneficial but calls for a planned strategy. Only then will farmers adopt it. Modern farming and organic farming have not helped farmers in increasing their income,” he said, adding natural farming would help realise the dream of PM Modi to double the income of farmers. The farmers should adopt organic farming and reduce or avoid usage of pesticides. Organic farming does not include the use of any artificial additives that can cause serious health issues if consumed. Most produce that is available today is not fully safe to consume as a lot of them have traces of the artificial fertilizers and pesticides that were sprayed on them during growth.
What we need is to encourage organic farming and our agriculture universities should become part of it via promoting research of organic farming. No doubt, organic farming presents many challenges. Some crops are more challenging than others to grow organically; however, nearly every commodity can be produced organically. We must remember that organic produce can usually qualify for higher prices than non-organic products. With the increase in population our compulsion would be not only to stabilize agricultural production but to increase it further in sustainable manner. Don't we think it is time to look at the health benefits of organic produce ?
Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit
dixitpatrakar@yahoo.in
B-15 Jyoti-Kalash Society,
Jodhpur Tekra
Satellite
Ahmedabad – 380 015
