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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | The government needs to midwife Indian agriculture to an organic revolution -Abhik Roy and Nikhil Kumar

The government needs to midwife Indian agriculture to an organic revolution -Abhik Roy and Nikhil Kumar

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published Published on Oct 13, 2019   modified Modified on Oct 13, 2019
-Down to Earth

Instead of making it difficult for the organic farmers, government should devise methods to reduce the complexity of the certification process

Organic farming is native to India. However, since 1966, with the inception of the Green Revolution in India, it has taken a backseat.

The transition from traditional agriculture to modern agriculture shifted the objective of farming. The need to change the methods of farming to meet the demands of the growing population was inevitable. The emphasis was laid on intensive agriculture practices which later proved detrimental to the environment.

The history of organic agriculture in India dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization. Mostly, traditional forms of agriculture prevailed in India. Farmers then practiced sustainable agriculture for their subsistence.

They used wide a variety of organic techniques including recycling all organic materials, the use of indigenous strains, crop rotations and intercropping, incorporating legumes and biological pest control. Livestock rearing was an integral part of farming.         

The period of British colonisation saw extensive change. The farmers were compelled to grow mostly cash crops such as cotton, indigo and opium for the external market. As a result, poverty increased and land fertility reduced.

After independence, the main aim of the government was to ensure food supplies to the growing population. Therefore, they adopted new USA-developed high yielding varieties of wheat (Norin 10) and rice (IR-8) in the Green Revolution of the 1960s.

These demanded high inputs of irrigation and chemicals. Yields increased substantially but there were costs to be paid. Many small farmers who were unable to afford seeds and inputs, were driven off land while others found themselves caught in a credit trap.

Repeated cultivation of similar type of crops resulted in deterioration of soil fertility and soil productivity. The physio-chemical properties of soil like soil structure, soil aeration, infiltration and soil reaction started degrading gradually.

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Down to Earth, 10 October, 2019, https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/agriculture/the-government-needs-to-midwife-indian-agriculture-to-an-organic-revolution-67177


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