Presented by:Ekta Negi

VCSG College of HorticultureUUHF Bharsar

ORGANIC FARMING IN VEGETABLES

Instructor:Dr. Shailja punetha

• 1.4 million organic producers

• 26 m ha area under organic farming

• In India area under organic farming 1.18m ha and % of total area is 0.66.

• Oceania, Europe and Latin America largest organic producing continents

• Australia, Argentina and USA are countries with largest area NCOF, 2010

Growing Organic in India

• Grown 25 fold in last seven years

• It is a combined effect of farmers’ efforts, NGOs work, Govt. interventions and market forces push

• Producing wide range of commodities

• Developing domestic market

• Growing awareness for safe and healthy contamination free food

What is Organic Farming ?• According to US Department of Agriculture “A system that is designed and mailed to produce

the agricultural products by the use of methods, and substances that maintain the integrity of organic agricultural products until they reach the consumer”.

• Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies

on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control

Organic Conventional

Size Relatively small-scale, independent operations (eg: the family farm)

Large-scale, often owned by or economically tied to major food corporations

Methods Low use of purchased fertilizers and other inputs and low mechanization of growing and harvesting process

Intensive chemical programs and mechanized production, using specialized equipment and facilities

Markets Mostly local, direct to consumer, through on-farm stands and farmers markets ( local food)

Wholesale, with products distributed across huge territories (average supermarket produce travels hundreds to thousands of miles)

The differences between organic farming and modern conventional

farming

Harmful effects of chemicals Every year 5.33 million tonnes of soil erodes in India

and with it 53.3 lakh tonnes of NPK flows away.

Pesticide and other chemical residues have led cancer and reduced bodily immunity.

Immense commercialization of agriculture has negative effect on environment.

Use of pesticides has led to chemical buildup in our environment, in soil, water, air, in animals and even in our own bodies.

Fertilizers have short-term effect on productivity.

Longer-term negative effect on the environment.

Remain for years after leaching and running off contaminating ground water and water bodies.

Use of hybrid seeds, GMO and the practice of monoculture have led to a severe threat to local and indigenous varieties.

Pesticides commonly found in our foodInternational Development Research Centre

(Ottawa) has claimed that about 10000 people die every year and another 4,00,000 suffer from various effects of pesticide poisoning in the developing countries.

Farm laborers employed for spraying operations are the worst affected.

Case of blindness, cancer deformities, diseases of liver and nervous system from pesticide poisoning.

Why organic farming is necessary

• Imbalance in production• Dependency on synthetic chemical fertilizers• Increase in secondary & micronutrient deficiencies• Increase in pesticide use• Unscientific water management and distribution• Reduction in productivity• Reduction in quality of the produce• Environmental pollution• Imbalance in social and economic status

BIOFERTILIZERS: AN ECOFRIENDLY WAY TO REPLACE CHEMICAL

FERTILIZERSWhat is biofertilizer? A number of micro-organisms (bacteria fungi and algae)

are considered as beneficial for agriculture and used as biofertilizers.

Microbes used as Biofertilizer1.Rhizobia2.Azorhizobium3.Bradyrhizobium

Benefits of Organic FarmingHelps in maintaining environment Reduces human and animal health hazards.

Helps in keeping agricultural production at a higher level and makes it sustainable.

Reduces the cost of agricultural production and improves the soil health.

Ensures optimum utilization of natural resources for short term benefit and conserving them for future generation.

Saves energy for both animal and machine.

Reduces risk of crop failure.

Protects the wildlife (birds, insects etc.).

Gives better quality products with good taste and better storage properties.

Some examples of vegetable crops

Carrot

Carrots are considered to be one of the easiest crops to grow organically due to the limited number of

pests. Pumpkins and squash – Pumpkins and the various types of summer and winter squash are also potential crops for organic production. They are not prone to many insect pest or disease.

Potato While not highly recommended for organic production in

potatoes have been successfully grown organically by a few producers.

Onion Organic production of onions is very risky, due to the high

likelihood the crop will be infested with onion maggots without the use of conventional pesticides.

Cole crops

Vegetables in this group are not recommended for organic production, due to the high incidence of pests. This family includes, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, radish, turnip etc.

Compost Nutrient content (% of dry matter)

N P2O5 K2O

Vermicompost 1.6 2.2 0.7

Rural compost 1.2 1.1 1.5

Urban compost 1.2 1.9 1.5

Paddy stalk compost 0.9 2.1 0.9

Maize stalk compost 1.1 1.3 1.0

Poultry manure 2.9 2.9 2.4

Neem 5.2 1.0 1.4

Table : Average nutrient content of vermicompost and other composts

Organic farming in hilly states of India

• NCF has also identified organic farming as an important tool for second green revolution in the rainfed and hilly areas of the country.

• In NEH region, Mizoram and Sikkim have declared their intensions to shift towards total organic farming.

• Such pockets are spread through out the entire hill agriculture. They will be more inclined to transform the traditional agriculture to organic agriculture because they are not exposed to chemical agriculture.

• Such pockets are spread through out the entire hill

agriculture. They will be more inclined to transform the traditional agriculture to organic agriculture because they are not exposed to chemical agriculture.

• The Sikkim government has ambitious plans to make the state fully organic by 2015 and make it a hotspot for organic products, according to state Agriculture Minister D N.Takarpa.

• The Uttarakhand Organic Commodity Board (UOCB), was registered under the Societies Act in May, 2003.

Initially, a pilot programme of demonstration of certain technologies was taken up in 16 villages of Uttarakhand. Later, it was expanded to 212 villages.

Presently, 1,200 bio villages are covered under the organic programme and 20,000 farmers have been sensitized.

Farmers in some areas are practicing traditional farming with out any use of chemicals. Such areas are chemical free areas.

Constraints in Organic Farming• Organic manures contain fewer amounts of nutrients.

• Benefit of organic practices are not seen immediately

• Chemicals are easy to use and largely available

• Large quantities of organic inputs are require

• Organic manures are quite expensive especially when it involves transportation.

• Unorganized market for organically grown produce.

• No experimental evidence on the cost benefit ratio of organic farming.

• Government effort to propagate organic farming is very little.

• Lack of knowledge about organic agriculture.

• Lack of economic and political advocacy.

• Population pressures encourage intensification.

• The high cost of certification by foreign organizations.

Conclusion• Neither conventional farming with inorganic alone nor

organic farming only with the use organic inputs can face this challenge. The combination of organic and inorganic is undoubtedly the best option as on today unless the existing dietary system is changed.

• organic production is coming from farmers movement and consumer choice which cannot be ignored.

• Efforts may be made to promote organic green food or ecofriendly food (which allows the use of limited and specified agrochemicals of safe level in the line of standard made by local Public Health Department) as being practiced by China on large scale.

ReferencesRamesh, P., Panwar, N. P., Singh, A. B and Ramana, S., Effect of

organic manures on productivity, Soil fertility and economic of soybean- drum wheat cropping system under organic farming in vertisols. Indian J. Agric. Sci., 2008, 78, 1033-1037.

APEDA, National programme for organic production (NPOP). Present status in India.

Willer, H. and L. Kilcher(Eds.) 2010. The world of organic agriculture- statistics and Emerging trends 2011. IFOAM, Bonn and Fibl, Frick .

Thankyou