How is organic farming better than conventional farming in India ?

Filed under BLOGS

03 Jul

Agriculture is at crossroads in India . With the rising population and socioeconomic disparities, it is more important than ever to increase the effectiveness of our food system. What is the best way to grow crops and feed the world? Should we go organic, or is conventional agriculture the only way to meet our needs? Whenever we hear about organic farming, we would eventually tend to nod on how agreeable it compared to the commercialized method of gardening or farming.

Organic farming has been gaining adherents over the years, some of them with non-farming backgrounds. India has the largest number of organic producers in the world, according to the World of Organic Agriculture Report 2018 published in February. With 835,000 certified organic producers, it is home to more than 30 per cent of total number of organic producers (2.7 million) in the world.

Organic Farming

Organic farming minimizes chemical usage
Organic farming promotes biodiversity
Soil health is improved with organic farming practices
Only natural methods are used in organic farming

Of course a lot of people, especially those who are involved in agricultural business, go for the commercialized farming. They use pesticides, fertilizers, and plant growing regulators, and because of all of this the soil will soon be too acidic, and the vegetables unsafe to be eaten without washing and cooking it properly. On the other hand, eating vegetables that were cultivated through organic farming is totally safe from harmful chemicals, since the method only involves crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control.

Vegetables that were cultivated through organic farming is totally safe from harmful chemicals, since the method only involves crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control.

Conventional farming makes use of chemicals, synthetics, and other materials to manage weeds and pests

Conventional farming uses unnatural farming methods

Conventional farming use of pesticides has garnered attention towards acceptable levels of toxicity, and whether there should actually be an acceptable level

Pesticides used in conventional farming can be damaging to your health.

Looking at the ill effects of conventional farming , the health conscious people are looking for healthy options and shifting towards organic products. In a recent report by Yes Bank, rapid growth of 20% in organic food sector has been mentioned. Number of retail organic outlets in Mumbai is more than 100 whereas in Bangalore the number is more than 60.

Organic agriculture is the best insurance policy that India can have for its population with better performance on productivity, environmental impact, economic viability and social well-being.

Focusing only on higher yields at the expense of other sustainability pillars (economics, environment and society) is not the food production system that India needs. What India needs is an integrated system that gives equal importance to all sustainability dimensions across the value chain and thus helps establish a healthy and well-fed society.

Orgpick is an emerging platform that aims at serving this growing demand for Organic fruits and vegetables directly from farms to the end-consumers doorstep.

Stay tuned for more updates on organic farming and its trends in India .