• Organic farming is a system which do not use synthetic inputs such as chemical fertilizers, pesticides, hormones and relies on crop rotations, crop residues, animal manures, off-farm organic waste and biological system of nutrient mobilization and plant protection.

• Organic farming promotes agro-ecosystem health and soil biodiversity and provides opportunity for export of horticultural crops.

• People are becoming health conscious and ready to purchase organically grown food and plant products.

Introduction

Green Revolution in India has created lot of ecological and

environmental problems like

• Soil deterioration due to intensive cultivation and reduction in

crop production from High Yielding Varieties.

• Decrease in input use efficiency and declining water table.

• Increase soil salinity and crop susceptibility to pest and

diseases and pest becoming highly tolerant to pesticides.

Impact of Green Revolution

• To produce chemical free healthy food and conserve genetic

diversity of crop plants.

• To maintain and enhance long term soil fertility and

encourage biological cycles involving soil flora and fauna.

• To help in soil and water conservation and minimize various

forms of pollution in agricultural practices.

• To recycle agricultural waste products and preserve

traditional and indigenous knowledge in farming system.

Objectives of Organic Farming

Approaches in Organic Farming

• Use of Green Manuring crops

• Composting and use of Organic Manure

• Biological Pest Management

• Crop Rotation for residual benefits

• Bio-fertilizer application for soil micro-flora development

• Integration of Animal husbandry in crop production

Approaches for Organic Farming

Use of Green Manuring Crops: Green manure crop like

dhaincha, sunhemp, cowpea etc incorporated in soil at proper

stage can improve soil fertility and reduces cost of external

inputs like fertilizers.

Composting and use of Organic Manure: Organic

manure like cattle dung, rural & urban composts, animal wastes,

crop residues can be recycled in to compost and used as

manure for crop production. Organic manures like FYM.

Compost, Oil Cakes, Bone meals, Blood meal can be used.

Approaches for Organic Farming

Biological Pest Management: Biological agents like

Trichoderma viride and Azadirachtin are effectively used to

control pest and diseases in crops and pests are kept below

economical threshold level.

Crop Rotation for Residual Effects: It is practice of

growing one crop after another on the same piece of land in

different timings to enhance soil fertility through selection of

crops which will help each other like Cereal crop rotated with

Pulse crop in sequence.

Approaches for Organic Farming

Integration of Animal Husbandry: Byproducts of animal

husbandry like dung and urine are used as resources in

organic farming.

Bio-fertilizer Application: Bio-fertilizers like Azotobacter,

Azospirillum, Rhizobium, mycorrhiza are preparations containing

living cells of micro-organisms that help crop plants in uptake

of nutrients by their biological interactions. It is cost effective

components of organic farming, based on renewable source of

plant nutrients.