The Rebirth of Organic Farming in India

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We may feel that the wave of sustainable,
healthy, anti-chemical farming is new and has
been embraced after following western trends. But
if we look at Indias history and its agriculture
graph, we might be surprised to discover that the
country and its farmers have always been
quintessentially organically-inclined. Use of
plant and animal products for agriculture
procedures and pest control was a common
phenomenon. That should explain why cows were
respected so much and why dung and other
bio-fertilizers were in prevalence. The
agriculture, in terms of land, and productivity
was prosperous and prolific before the
colonialism wave hit India. The farming and rural
segment in India suffered a setback after the
British arrived and took over the country on many
frontiers. Then with the destruction and scarcity
brought by the calamities during the 1950s and
1960s, and the pressures brought by population
explosion, the crisis of food scarcity kept
growing.
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Hence, there was a need to increase the countrys
food production in a serious and exponential way
as the Government was crumbling under the burden
of importing food grains from other nations.
There was a dire need of reinstating food
security and stability in the agriculture realm
in India. Under the able leadership of M. S.
Swaminathan, the country worked towards the Green
Revolution in a diligent and comprehensive way.
Addressing fragmentation of land, land reforms
and import of seeds as well as pesticides were
used for redefining the agricultural sector in
India. This impacted the fading of natural
organic materials for farming in India. Slowly
chemicals and pesticides became more commonplace
and perceived to be linked with high
productivity. The outcomes of the Green
Revolution started becoming visible as the
countrys food imports decreased and
self-reliance in food production was accomplished
gradually but strongly.
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With this progress and a growing cognizance of
environmental issues that the planet was facing
on the whole, we also started noting the
repercussions of chemical-intensive farming. Loss
of land fertility, an increase in pest immunity
levels and expensive dependence on fertilizers
started showing its actual impact. Farmers
realised that no matter how costly a fertiliser
they used by chemical means, the control of pests
would be hard to achieve. Then they started
re-looking at historical means used by their
forefathers. The growing adoption of healthy
lifestyle and readiness to pay for organic
produce encouraged this shift and made farmers as
well as the agriculture industry more confident
about organic farming. The transition is coming
at the right time as farmers face yield problems
in a scenario when land degradation is a
paramount concern. Everyone, whether it is the
producer or the consumer, now wants to gravitate
towards what is healthier, more responsible and
more sustainable.
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People are also being driven towards the health
appeal of organic food at a large scale. Laws and
standards being imposed on food production
further bolster this movement towards organic
farming. This revolution is here to stay. More
so, as organic food is not only providing a
better alternative for production, but also in
terms of food stability, control of
deforestation, solving soil erosion and in
encouraging better land use. Conventional means
of farming are making a comeback, and smart
consumers are welcoming this new paradigm with
healthier lifestyles, prudent choices, and wise
shopping habits.
Thank You...