1) Why
do the farmers need to move towards the organic farming?
At present, the
conventional farming involves use of lots of synthesized chemicals as
herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers and use heavy machineries
for the land preparation in order to gain maximum crop production.
People in the developed countries
more concern about their diet and they do not like to force a threat to survival
of people, and environment in the rest of the world. So, they tends to buy the
sustainably grown products with minimum impacts.
2) What
is organic farming?
Organic
farming is defined by USDA as “organic farming is a system which avoids or
largely excludes the use of synthetic inputs (such as fertilizers, pesticides,
hormones, feed additives etc) and to the maximum extent feasible rely upon crop
rotations, crop residues, animal manures, off-farm organic waste, mineral grade
rock additives and biological system of nutrient mobilization and plant
protection”.
The organic
farming concept emerged in 20th century as a solution for the problems coming
under the conventional farming. At present, it accounts for 1-2% of crop
cultivation all over the world. However, its extent grows annually. Austria,
Italy, and Czech Republic
are the major organic food producers in the world.
3) Organic
farming certification
It is a process of
certification of producers of organically grown crop products. Farmers have to
strictly follow the guidelines of the certification body from the land
preparation to transport of the products.
Farmers are beneficial
from the certification of their organically cultivated products. Because, the
world’s demand for the organic foods increases day by day and most of people
are ready to pay extra to purchase the healthy vegetables, spices and fruits
for their nourishment.
4) Techniques
involve in organic farming
Most of the environmental problems
associated with conventional farming can be addressed by using the techniques
and methods in the organic farming. Thereby, it helps to continue the farming
in the same land for years.
Crop rotation:
It is the practice of growing different type’s crop species in the same land
area in different seasons. This farming techniques help the crop species with
different nutrient requirement to flourish in different season. Thereby, the
depletion of same group of nutrients is avoided in the farm land. So, it
reduces the nourishment of the land with the excessive use of fertilizers.
Use of green manure:
Simply the green manure crops can be grown among crops in the farm land or
parts of such crops grown elsewhere can be incorporated into the cultivation.
Numerous species of grasses, legumes and non-legumes are functioned as
the green manure. Legumes like peas, beans, peanuts, cloves, and tamarind can
be grown as cover crops next to the raw crops. These nitrogen fixing bacteria
in the legumes may releases nitrate into the soil. Application of tender
leaves, twigs and branches of non-legume plant species like Albizia lebbeck,sunflower,
and Azardirachta indica releases the essential nutrients and organic
matter into the soil.
Application of compost:
The compost results from the degradation of plant materials should be applied
as a soil stabilizer and an enhancer rather than a fertilizer. Because
nutrients availability in the compost is very less compare to the fertilizers
and green manure. The organic matter content in the compost provides extra
cation and anion exchange sites for the soil. Thereby, it increases the
availability of the soil. Furthermore, the organic matter accelerates the
binding and formation of the soil aggregations. Thereby, the compost help to
improve the structure of the soil. The microorganisms in the compost has the
ability kill the plant pathogens in the soil.
Mitigation of the soil
erosion: Instead of growing mono cultures, cultivation of the
mix cultivation facilitate the growth of crops with dense foliage and deep root
systems. In addition, bushes with fibrous root system like lemon grasses can be
planted in spaces of the lands. The organic matter results from the degradation
of plant materials of them and their abundance roots system help to form soil
aggregates. Their canopy prevents the
direct contacts of rain droplets with the soil particles.
Biological pest control
methods: One strategy of natural control of pests is the use
of the relationship of predator-prey. The natural enemies of the pests
can be attracted to the farm lands. Frogs and birds are often insectivores and
they feed on the insects pests attracting to the crops.
Another strategy for the
pest control is use of plants. Plants like Chrysanthemums have unique scent
that has ability to repel the agricultural pest out of the lands. Extracts from
some herbal species like turmeric and Azardirachta indica can be sprayed
over the land to get rid of the pests.
Control of weeds:
The growth of weeds in the organic farming can be discouraged in various ways.
Attaining a vigorous crop growth is important to eliminate the weeds though the
competition. Selection of seeds with good inherent characteristics, good soil
quality, well-drained soil, and optimal land preparation techniques help the
crops to sustain and retard the growth of the weeds. The growth of weeds is
also controlled by growing the crops species with allelopathy effects. Allelopathic
plants like wheat and sunflowers release toxic chemicals and cause detrimental
effects to weeds and their emerging seedlings. When selecting the crops for the
cultivation, it is better to select crops with relatively dense canopy.
Because, canopy interrupts the light penetration to floor. So, it discourages
the growth of weeds.
Encourage natural pollination:
As the use of synthesized pesticides, herbicides and fungicides is avoided, the
pollinators like honey bees, butterflies and flies come to the crops for
forage. The attraction of the pollinators can be increased to the farm by
providing their requirements. Wildflowers with red, yellow and white colors can
be planted at the edge of the farm. Small, shallow water tanks can be placed in
farm for their drinking and bathing.
5) Advantages of organic
farming
1) Reduce the cost of
farming
In organic farming,
expenses associated with the crop cultivation is drastically reduced. Because,
the use of synthesized fertilizers, growth hormones, pesticides, fungicides and
herbicides is avoided. Capital, operational and maintain costs of use of the heavy
machineries are also cut down.
2) Increase the taste and
minimize the chemicals residues in the vegetables and fruits:
The binding of flavonoids with sugar in the plants are responsible
for the taste of foods. In the food harvested from conventional farming, these
flavonoids are destroyed due to exposure to excessive amount of synthesized
pesticides. As the organically grown foods are not exposed to chemicals like
conventional farming, high availability of flavonoids in them increase the
taste of the foods.
The chemical substances or byproducts is rarely found in the organic
foods as they are not exposed to chemicals. Therefore, organic foods are healthier
than the food growing in convention framing systems.
3) Increase the job
opportunities
As the most of the works
in the organic cultivation are done manually, it generates more job
opportunities for the villagers. The land preparation, seed, application of
fertilizers, removal of weeds, and harvesting are done by the hands.
4) Increase the
biodiversity
As the all practices in
organic farming are done in environmental friendly way, it encourages the visiting
and establishments of animals through giving their basic requirements and
proving them micro habitats. The reduction of usage of synthesized chemicals in
the agricultural fields provides an ideal feeding ground and habitats for the
pollinators like honey bees and butterflies, pest control animals like frogs,
and Greater Coucal, and soil structure enhancers like earth worms.
In addition to
maintaining the animal diversity, as the cover crops, green manure crops,
nitrogen fixing crops, and wild varieties of crops are grown in the organic
farms, it also help to increase the diversity of plants as well.
5) Regulate the climate
change
The massive scale
greenhouse gas emission results from the conventional farming is minimized in
the organic farming. Because, as the use of heavy machineries is prevented, the
burning of fossil fuels is also cut down.
Soil preparation works are also done with a
minimum disturbance to the soil. The loss of top soil layers by the soil
erosion is also minimized. This actions preserve the carbon sequestration
potential of the soil. And also, cultivation of various types of crop within a
single land increases the carbon sequestration potential in the living biomass
of the lands.
6) Preserve the health of
workers
Unlike the conventional
farming, the health of the workers employed in organic farming is not get
affected. Because, the chronic and acute exposure to synthesized pesticides causes
serious illness in the workers. Most of the workers do not follow the
guidelines and take necessary to minimize their exposure to the chemicals. People
involved in spraying pesticides often reluctant to Wearing personal protection
equipment like gloves, boots, goggles, protective suits, and respirators which
help them to prevent acute exposure. Irregular disposal of pesticides into
nearby water bodies contaminates the drinking water sources of the workers and
causes chronic exposure to these chemicals and their byproducts in the
environments.
7) Minimize the ground
water pollution
Deep percolation and
leeching of nutrients like nitrate and phosphate and heavy metals is minimized
due the prevention of the excess use of fertilizers and pesticides. The
improved soil quality and soil structure assist the soil particles to hold the
nutrients and heavy metals onto their cations and anion exchange sites.
8) Enhanced water quality
of adjacent surface water bodies
As the organic farming
pays special attention towards the controlling the soil erosion, majority of
soil particles from the nutrients rich top soil layers do not wash away by the
runoff. As the degree of the sedimentation is reduced, water quality and
aquatic life are also minimally affected.
9) As a tourist
destination: People live in big cities with busy life
style and highly polluted environments love to visit the rural area and spend
few days there. There is a growing trend of tourists visiting the organic farm
and doing some brain relaxing works while tasting the foods prepared from the
farms. It is a good opportunity for the owner of these farmers to transfer the
knowledge on organic farming, traditions and culture of local people. It
generate new income for the farm and surrounding people are also benefited.
6) Disadvantages of organic farming
1) Harvest from the
organic farming is relatively less compare to conventional farming. Because,
unlike conventional farming, the inputs including fertilizers to organic
farming is low.
2) Due to inability to
produce foods in large quantities, organic farming alone cannot feed all the
world’s populations. So, most of the people still have to rely on food production
from the conventional farming techniques.
3) Organically grown
foods are unaffordable for the people with low income. Because, organic foods
are sold at high prices compare to the foods coming from conventional farming.
4) Producers find
difficulty to sell their products in the markets. Because, the marketing of the
organically cultivated foods is not successful due to its small scale
production.
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