This article has been written by Ajay Wadekar, pursuing the Personal Branding Program for Corporate Leaders Course from Skill Arbitrage, and edited by Koushik Chittella. This article will deal mainly with the “inner soul” of traditional farming, irrespective of modern farming equipment and infrastructure that can still be used as a support mechanism. 

Introduction

India is an agricultural country. She is regarded as “कृषीप्रधान देश” (Krishi Pradhan Desh), or country, dominated by agriculture as a main business. More than 60 to 70 percent of the population in India depends on agriculture for their livelihood. The agricultural produce not only fulfils in-country demands, but a few commodities are also attracting major business prepositions for export. While traditional farming is still practiced in villages, advanced farming techniques and methods are taking precedence in the rich and educated countryside.

Organic farming: meaning

Organic farming would basically mean “farming with no usage of chemical, synthetic, artificial, or pesticide fertilisers.” All the fertilisers and pesticides that are used in organic farming are essentially bi-products of either animals or plants. Land is a basic ingredient that is needed for growing crops. And the crucks lie in bringing the soil or land to a “fertile” condition. Maintaining soil fertility is then ensured by using manures and pesticides, which are derivatives of animals and plants.

History of organic farming

Since time immemorial, India has been known for its agricultural practices. It was only “organic,” or what was then called “natural” farming. There was no use of any chemical fertilisers, synthetic fertilisers, or pesticides. All these needs were fulfilled by in-house products that were not harmful for either the soil or the consumers of the produce.

There is a famous song, “Mere Desh Ki Dharati Sona Ugle, Ugle Hire Moti,” which means the land of my country produces gold, diamonds, and pearls. The song further narrates traditional farming specialties like the use of bulls, ploughing, sowing, and harvesting. It even talks about the worshipable status of soil. In this spirit, farming was performed, and the soil, nature, and health of consumers were well protected.

Current state of affairs

In the endeavour to increase yield in the early 1960s, what came into existence was “dosage of synthetic minerals and chemical-based pesticides.” It gave immediate results apparently and gross produce was increased multifold. This huge increase in agricultural produce was under the umbrella of an initiative called the Green Revolution हरित क्रांती. The crop deficiency was overcome by this endeavour, but it had substantial negative effects on the overall health of the soil strata. This included unnatural erosion of soil, drastically diminished soil fertility, forced killing of useful microorganisms, and most importantly, carrying forward hazardous toxic chemicals in foods consumed by all of us.

India’s cancer capital: Punjab

The ill effects of excessive usage of pesticides not only eroded soil but also had a huge negative impact on the health of vegetation consumers. The usage of pesticides increased by almost 50% in the last decade in India as a whole. Few states top the chart, indicating an alarming situation regarding poor soil conditions and health issues. The issue is not limited to consumers of this vegetation, but owing to the unavoidable consumption of water and livelihood in the polluted environment, the general population is affected because fertilisers and pesticides contaminate the groundwater directly.

Fertilisers and pesticides directly affect the quality of the groundwater

The State of Punjab is among the few largest users of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. As depicted in the illustration above, chemical pesticides contaminate groundwater directly and harm crops, but all the flora and fauna in nearby areas, including living entities like birds, earthly microorganisms, and aquatics, are badly affected. The Malwa region in the state of Punjab consumes nearly two-thirds of total consumption in the state. The research shows that the health issues arising out of this abnormal situation in this region are alarming. It has gained a bad name as the “Cancer Capital” of India due to the high number of cancer cases.

The need to switch to organic farming

We must take a lesson from studies and stories that are revealed and spoken about the state of Punjab. Experiential learning is a good option in this case! Innumerable ill-effects of chemical-based fertilisers and pesticides have been realised lately by them and society in general. Some of them are mentioned here: 

• Quality of groundwater and soil fertility: The run-off from agricultural lands in the monsoon season contains heavy amounts of chemicals, which are directly mixed into river flows and water bodies. A majority of it is absorbed in soil, deteriorating it further. Any type of waste contains high amounts of chemicals that only worsen the situation. 

• Vegetables become dangerous for human consumption: Vegetables are found with heavy chemical substances on two counts. One, by virtue of use of pesticides and fertilisers; and second, because of usage of water from rivers and water bodies that contain an alarming content of heavy metals and chemicals such as chromium, nickel, copper, lead, cadmium, and uranium.
• Serious health issues: Consumption of “almost poisonous” food and water results in serious health issues. Premature childbirth, cancer, and bodily impairments are common signs that are the result of such a polluted environment.

 There is a serious need for change here!

Challenges in propagation of organic farming

There are various “controllable” and a few “wishful thinking” parameters that are considered detrimental to the propagation of organic farming. The farmer communities are trying hard to work on controllable factors, while on other parameters, they depend on external influence for a positive and futuristic vision for the development and sustenance of organic farming.

Perspective of yield

This is perhaps a “controllable” factor. Nevertheless, it largely affects the initiative and interests of the farming community to go for it. The yield or output from organic farming is negatively affected by factors such as:

• Uncontrollable diseases and pest attacks: In the absence of chemical pesticides, crops are affected by seasonal pests. While “farming in general” is not affected by such pest attacks, organically grown crops fall prey to them. The percentage of yield drops to almost 50% in such cases. Effective sorting of the produce is therefore needed to avoid it going to customers. This fallout in produce is also the reason for “costlier” organic produce. This poses the challenge of convincing customers of these high costs. 
• Inherent low yield ratio: Ideally, local seeds are expected to be used for the purpose of organic farming. Because these seeds are not treated chemically, unlike commercially available seeds, the inherent crop output depends on the condition, age, and storage method of the seeds. If cropping is affected in some parts of the fields, then replantation is needed. This reduces the output and also affects the assumed timetable for harvesting.

Criticality in sustenance

Overall initial costs incurred in organic farming are governed by preparing the soil so that it demonstrates all organic properties. If one is starting a green field project, it could still be affordable. But if one wants to switch to organic farming from farming in practice, then it is a time consuming cycle and also requires a lot of efforts to eradicate the already acquired non-organic properties due to heavy usage of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. These initial investments propel farmers away from organic farming. Also, to maintain organic soil properties, one needs to heavily depend on the use of biomass, which is, in the present scenario, a costly affair unless you have your own cattle in-house. These factors involve high initial investments and considerable running costs, which make it an unsustainable proposition for farmers in general. 

Awareness deficit

There is a huge need for awareness campaigns about organic farming. In villages, farmers do not even know that there is something called organic farming, and one can expect crops without using chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Even if they know the ill effects of using chemicals in growing crops, they keep on using them because of low or next to no awareness. In my personal experience, when I asked village farmers how to take care of a particular type of pest on crops, they immediately enumerated the number of pesticides they use and “effectively” took care of that. When I told them that we should not use those chemical pesticides, they were almost laughing at me, and they said, “It is impossible otherwise!” There is an extreme need for awareness campaigns about organic farming.

Customer base

Indian household customers in general do not believe in such high-cost propositions of organic products. They see that “good-looking” vegetables and food products are available at about 25% less cost than organic stuff.

In image:  Organic Conventional

Price:   INR 80/Kg        INR 20/Kg 

The mentality “Low costs do not mean bad quality, and high costs may not ensure good quality” drives them largely. Ordinarily or conventionally grown vegetables and food stuff are visually seen as enchanting, while organic products may not have that “showbiz” quality. Customers come across this dilemma while choosing what they want.

Inappropriate interests and allurements

India is supposed to be a manufacturing hub for chemical fertilisers and pesticides. There is a big lobby for these commodities, right from manufacturers, logistics service providers, dealers, stockists, franchises, retailers, and even small vendors in cities and villages for these products. The Central and State Government bodies (which could be steered by conflicts of interest among a few office bearers) also engage themselves in the promotion of these synthetic fertilisers and pesticides and tend to subsidise them during suitable times in the year. Instead of propagating natural or organic farming, due to huge business interests, these synthetic commodities harmful to traditional farming are promoted.

During plantation season, the fertilisers are subsidised. During cropping seasons, pesticides are promoted by way of advertisements and abundant sales activities. During harvesting and stocking seasons, synthetic preservatives are advertised. Farmers fall prey to these cheap options and subsidies and continue using these hazardous commodities without even knowing the ill-effects of all those things. Thus, these promotions prove to be detrimental to the promotion and knowledge of organic farming.

Mitigation and adaptation

Even considering all the facts and negativity around, there is no need to be disheartened. The situation is improving because of the efforts and sincere endeavours of many passionate people in farming communities and the government’s support. We will try to summarise those below:

Initiatives around us

Many small communities do exist for learning, education, and the promotion of organic farming. These communities organise training on-site and help farmers by providing support in all aspects of organic farming. The subjects covered during these trainings are:

• Preparation of soil and measurement of soil fertility
• Use of natural manures. Preparation of manures and its dosage
• Importance of livestock at farm
• Use of biomass in Organic farming
• Preparation and use of natural pesticides
• Advice and guidance on marketing of organic food products

Government support

Fortunately enough, the central and state governments are realising the importance of Traditional/natural/organic farming, and a lot of initiatives are either already existing or planned in huge ways. The issue remains theirs until they reach the actual users. The government is endeavouring to the fullest to ensure that the farmers use the facilities and benefits to cultivate awareness and propagate organic farming. Our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, during his address to the nation in 2019, made a mention of the importance of natural/organic farming, which underlines the seriousness and commitment that the government demonstrates towards organic farming.

Some initiatives are:

• Subsidies for Animal Husbandry: The support covers all training on buying, sheltering, feeding, manure management, etc.

Source: https://www.bharatiyapashupalan.com/Home

• How to use bi-products of livestock: These cover the buying, installation, and maintenance of biogas equipment, the use of biogas for cooking, and the use of slurry as a natural manure and fertiliser supplement.

Source: https://rdd.maharashtra.gov.in/en/national-biogas-mgnt

• Various methods used for seed and sibling preservation, soil fertility measures, enhancement of microorganisms in soil, natural pesticides using biomass, etc. are part of the website of NITI Aayog. This also shows the commitment of the government to organic farming.

Source: https://naturalfarming.niti.gov.in/components/

Innovative farming techniques

Due to various hurdles, it is imperative that modern and innovative farming techniques are deployed to improve yield and reduce wastage of farm produce. Various practical and usable techniques are proposed by the farming communities mentioned. 

• Use of natural manures (Jivamrut, Biogas Slurry): Jivamrut is a concoction made from cow dung, cow urine, gramme flour, and jaggery. This has proven to be rich in all nutrients for vegetation and crops. There is ample information available on social media about its composition and the way it needs to be prepared and disposed of in the field.
• Drip irrigation over traditional furrow irrigation: Watering plantations or crops has always been a tricky process. The traditional furrow irrigation method is harmful for the soil condition. It essentially erodes the soil, and all the nutrients and microorganisms are flown away as runoff. In the long run, dead soil is a result. This method could only be recommended for large farm fields where other methods may prove costly.

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/furrow-irrigation

In contrast to this method, drip irrigation reduces the consumption of water and also retains the fertility count of the soil. With initial investments in setting up drip irrigation, the prolonged savings can prove to be beneficial.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drip_irrigation

• Vertical farming: To increase yield, it is imperative that the available land be used efficiently and effectively. There is an innovative method of using the land vertically. It can be in many layers. The effective number of layers generally used is three. The containers are mounted on a stand with three layers. The soil is prepared (3 equal parts of rice husk, red soil, and cow dung manure) and put in containers. In this case, drip irrigation becomes a must.

Actual site photo of Vertical farming at Neelkamal Farms

Generally, leafy vegetables are produced by using this type of vertical farming.

• Using poly house/poly tunnels: In heavy rainfall zones during monsoons and in hot summers, crops get affected. In the rainy season, the crops are washed away, and in the summer, they just do not give any yield and get dried up due to the hot sun. Poly houses or poly tunnels serve the purpose of protecting crops from the danger of getting washed out in the rainy season and getting dried up during hot summers.

Actual site photo of Poly Tunnel at Neelkamal Farms

• Diversified crops: Repeated crop production deteriorates the nutrient composition of the soil owing to the consumption of the same nutrients all the time. Taking multiple and varied combinations of crops increases soil health and improves effective yield. A diverse/cross/multiple system does not limit itself to only plantations in farmland but also includes the planting of diverse and productive trees along the borders of farmland. This not only improves the microbial health and pollination of crops but also provides additional seasonal income to farmers. The trees on the borders of farmland could be various types of seasonal fruits, such as mangoes, coconuts, guavas, custard apples, and many more, depending on the region and weather at a particular place.

Source: https://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/agricultural-diversification-practice-and-policy/

Personal Experimentation

It was my passion that brought me to practice farming first, and later organic farming. Through social media and through one of my social groups, we got enough information about the ill-effects of conventional farming. We became aware of the status quo of farming in Punjab. It is said that farmers in Punjab grow organically for themselves on a small piece of land and grow conventionally for commercial purposes. This was horrifying. We had a piece of land, and we decided to pursue organic farming in its soul and spirit.

Getting Started

We browsed all the available information on organic farming. It was such a confusing quantum of information that we decided to take some advice from competent authorities available nearby. We underwent a three-day training programme on organic farming. The training module encompassed inputs normally needed by newcomers:

• Farming Techniques
• Use of Livestock in farming
• Preparation of organic manures
• Use of slurry as an outcome from Bio-Gas equipment
• Selection of crops suiting the soil strata
• Exotic Vegetables and Indian vegetables
• Group Farming
• Direct marketing support.

Implementing the training

We decided that we would implement the farming module that was taught to us during the training programme. We needed to prepare the farming soil where we would be growing local seasonal vegetables. Around the farming land on the borders, we planted seasonal fruit trees and local varieties of productive trees.

We started growing local vegetables like brinjals, tomatoes, lady fingers, cauliflower, gourds, etc. On the farm borders, we planted coconut, mango, and neem trees. The most important aspect of organic farming remains the organic manure-producing infrastructure. The basic requirement here is to have livestock on the farm. We engaged service providers to install the biogas equipment as well. We went for full-fledged equipment producing biogas, biogas burners in the kitchen, slurry filters, and arrangements (pumps and filters) for the dissipation of slurry through a drip irrigation system that directly reaches crops.

Actual site photo of cow and Biogas equipment

I must say, the satisfaction of practicing organic farming on our own farmland was next to none. The next task was to find a market for the produce.

Market Research

We started searching for local groups where organic vegetables and food items are available. We built relationships with farmers who were already members of those groups. We connected with group admins and narrated our story to them. Because of their interest in promoting organic farming, they too were very happy to hear us out. 

The group, including administrators and farmers, are cooperative with each other, and they tried to support any issues during farming or in the sale of produce.

Learnings

Enormous learnings on account of technicalities, intricacies, government policies, and knowledge of organic farming are the smallest of the outcomes! We had opportunities to meet various personalities during our journey. Farmers, rich and poor, passionate people handling NGOs, knowledge groups and marketing group admins, natural food-loving customers, and many more. The list is endless. Our belief was affirmed!

“केल्याने होत आहे रे, आधी केलेची पाहिजे”, meaning… “It will happen if we do, we first but have to do”. Unless we start something, there cannot be progress.

Conclusion

Organic farming in India has huge potential to grow. It will bring good health to the masses in general, and if consumption of organic foodstuffs increases, the pricing of them could also be within reach of the general public. More emphasis on awareness campaigns about organic farming is essential for government and public partnerships. This could be well taken advantage of by sponsorships from NGOs, CSR initiatives from big industrial giants, and government subsidies.

Also, the government should run awareness programmes for already existing and planned initiatives, as a major chunk of farming communities are unaware of those. And of course, in view of our healthy future, each one of us must make commitments towards the consumption, propagation, and sponsorship of organic farming.

References

1. https://www.ceew.in/publications/sustainable-agriculture-india/organic-farming 
2. https://loksabhadocs.nic.in/Refinput/New_Reference_Notes/English/Organic%20Farming%20in%20India.pdf
3. https://www.nabard.org/demo/auth/writereaddata/File/OC%2038.pdf
4. https://agritech.tnau.ac.in/org_farm/orgfarm_introduction.html
5. Promoting Neo-traditional Methods of Agriculture in India | CEEW
6. https://www.scirp.org/pdf/AS2019102815211713.pdf