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INTRODUCTION
We did not leave anything; water, air, soil, forest, everything is being destroyed. We did all this in the name of growth. But now karma has come for us. If we continued this further, no one would be left to benefit from all this growth and development. One region is agriculture. We have already destroyed soil for several decades by using chemical fertilizers. Now the land is no longer fertile. In this situation, only organic farming can save us.
What Is Organic Farming?
Organic farming is a holistic system designed to optimize the productivity and fitness of diverse communities within the agroecosystem, including soil organisms, plants, livestock, and people. The goal of organic farming is to develop enterprises that are sustainable and harmonious with the environment.
Why is it needed now?
After the start of the green revolution in the 1960s, with it came chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and they became more and more common. Now everyone uses these chemicals. In the beginning, this vastly increased production output. However, the overuse of chemical fertilizers has resulted in severe soil degradation, nitrogen leaching, soil compaction, a decrease in soil organic matter, and a loss of soil carbon. In addition, the efficacy of chemical fertilizers on crop yield has decreased over time. Thus we have to use more and more chemical fertilizers every time, which also becomes economically unsustainable. Thus, we have to move towards organic farming.
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The Benefits of Organic Farming
It reduces exposure to harmful chemicals.
Organic farming, in principle, discourages the use of harsh chemicals and, therefore, contributes to preserving the natural environment. Research studies have revealed that organic farming can eliminate about 500 million pounds of pesticides and chemicals from entering the environment annually.
It consumes less energy.
Organic farming does not rely on synthetic fertilizers as opposed to conventional techniques that are generous with these external chemicals. Avoiding fertilizers contributes to a more significant cause of energy conservation. This is because manufacturing synthetic fertilizers consumes a substantial amount of energy. On average, it’s safe to say that energy usage is lower by at least 30–50% in organic farming systems. According to one of their reports, the British Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, organic crops and dairying use 35% and 74% less energy than their conventionally grown counterparts.
Pollution caused by nitrogen run-off is reduced.
The nitrogen release negatively impacts biodiversity and pollutes the water bodies. In contrast, organic farming does not lead to such nitrogen run-off due to a lack of dependence on synthetic nitrogen-based chemicals.
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It facilitates healthy soil formation.
Organic farming is all about natural cultivation practices, which are superior to chemical soil management in terms of the ultimate impact on soil. With its practices closely mimicking nature, organic farming ensures that the earth remains unaffected by externally exposed chemicals. This retains the soil’s natural ability to thrive sustainably.
Organic methods ensure that the soil is healthier and more valuable, with its carbon and nitrogen cycle well balanced. Additionally, due to the significant retention of beneficial bacteria, the natural nitrogen fixation in the soil also gets a boost. Studies point out that only a teaspoon of organic soil rich in compost can host up to 1 billion helpful bacteria from 15,000 species. This is in stark contrast to the same amount of chemically treated soil that is home to beneficial bacteria, less than 100 in the count.
SWITCHING TO ORGANIC FARMING
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Sikkim, the world’s first organic state
To make Sikkim an organic state, 75,000 hectares of land were converted to organic. The emphasis was laid on the use of organic instead of chemical. The Sikkim government’s action plan included a ban on chemical fertilizers. Whoever didn’t follow the law could be imprisoned for up to three months with a one lakh fine.
Then the CM, Pawan Chamling, formed a board. A partnership was also made with research organizations in the country and abroad, such as biological research from Switzerland.
In 2003, Sikkim started all this; in 2016, it became the world’s first organic state. The United Nations’s Fertilizer and Agriculture Organization (FAO) gave Sikkim the Oscar Award for its best policies to acquire 100% organic farming.
CONCLUSION
Like Sikkim, we must move towards organic farming for a better future and protect nature and future generations. We can achieve it together, all of us—one step at a time.
Written by: Anurag Yadav
NSS IIT Bombay 