Organic Farming

Background

Organic farming is a system of agriculture that avoids synthetic inputs such as:
→ Chemical fertilisers
→ Synthetic pesticides
→ Growth regulators
→ Livestock feed additives

Instead, it relies on ecological processes and biological inputs like:

• Crop rotation and crop residues
• Animal manures and green manures
• Legumes and bio-fertilisers
• Compost and off-farm organic wastes
• Mineral-bearing rocks for soil fertility

Core idea: Feed the soil, not the plant.

Soil Health: The Foundation of Organic Farming

Organic farmers build healthy soils by nourishing soil microorganisms—bacteria, fungi, protozoa—because these organisms:

• Release, transform, and transport nutrients
• Build soil organic matter
• Improve soil structure and water-holding capacity

Practices include:

• Cover crops
• Compost
• Biologically based soil amendments

Healthy soils make crops naturally resilient.

Pest, Disease, and Weed Management: Prevention First

Pest & Disease Control

The primary strategy is prevention, achieved through:

• Balanced plant nutrition
• Sophisticated crop rotations
• Altering field ecology to disrupt pest habitats

Organic farmers rely on → Beneficial insects, Birds, Diverse soil organisms

If imbalance occurs, they use → Insect predators, Mating disruption, Traps and barriers

Weed Control

Weeds are managed through:
→ Crop rotation
→ Mechanical tillage and hand-weeding
→ Cover crops and mulches
→ Flame weeding and other physical methods

👉 Chemicals are replaced by ecological intelligence.

Bio-fertilisers

For sustainability, agriculture must use renewable, low-impact inputs.
Bio-fertilisers exploit the ability of certain microorganisms to:
→ Fix atmospheric nitrogen
→ Solubilise phosphorus
→ Decompose organic matter
→ Oxidise sulphur

Definition:
Bio-fertilisers are living microbial inoculants (bacteria, algae, fungi—alone or in combination) that enrich soil fertility and enhance crop growth.

Major Types of Bio-fertilisers

(a) Rhizobium

• Symbiotic bacteria forming root nodules in legumes
• Fix atmospheric nitrogen (N₂)
• Surplus nitrogen enriches the soil
• More efficient than free-living nitrogen fixers

(b) Azotobacter

• Free-living, aerobic nitrogen fixers
• Live in the rhizosphere of cereals
• Produce growth-promoting hormones
• Enhance yield and plant vigour

(c) Azospirillum

• Aerobic bacteria living in associative symbiosis
• Do not form nodules; live on root surfaces of grasses
• Supply growth hormones and vitamins
• Widely used in commercial inoculants

(d) Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)

• Examples: Nostoc, Anabaena
• Free-living, photosynthetic nitrogen fixers
• Extremely useful in flooded rice fields

(e) Azolla–Anabaena System

• Azolla is a water fern hosting Anabaena
• Contains 2–3% nitrogen (wet basis)
• Adds organic matter to soil
• Constraint: requires standing water (summer limitation)

(f) Phosphorus-Solubilising Microorganisms (PSM)

• Convert immobilised phosphorus into plant-available forms
• Crucial for root growth and nodulation

(g) Mycorrhizal Fungi

• Symbiotic fungi associated with roots
• Improve uptake of phosphorus and micronutrients
• Provide:
  • Disease resistance
  • Drought and salinity tolerance
  • Tolerance to pH extremes, heat, and heavy metals

Compost Tea: Liquid Biology

Compost tea is an aerobic liquid fertiliser prepared by extracting microbes from compost.

• Contains beneficial: Bacteria, Fungi, Protozoa, Nematodes

Application: Sprayed on leaves

• Occupies infection sites
• Beneficial microbes are held by plant-released sugars
• Acts as a biological shield against pathogens

Biochar: Carbon-Rich Soil Amendment

What Is Biochar?

• A charcoal-like substance used as a soil amendment
• Produced by pyrolysis (heating biomass in low oxygen)

Historic evidence comes from Amazon’s Terra Preta soils, which revealed biochar’s remarkable soil-enhancing properties.

Production & By-products

• Pyrolysis becomes self-sustaining
• By-products:
  • Syngas (H₂ + CO)
  • Minor methane
  • Organic acids
  • Excess heat (usable for bioenergy)

Benefits of Biochar

Agricultural Benefits

✔ Improves yields in degraded soils
✔ Reduces fertiliser runoff and leaching
✔ Enhances soil moisture retention
✔ Adds stable organic carbon
✔ Promotes beneficial microbes (esp. mycorrhiza)
✔ Reduces soil acidity (moderates pH)
✔ Enhances disease resistance

Environmental Benefits

• Soils store 3.3 times more carbon than the atmosphere
• Biochar is stable for millennia
• Acts as a permanent carbon sink when returned to soil
• Helps mitigate climate change by sequestering CO₂

Present Status of Organic Farming in India

• India ranks 1st in number of organic farmers
• Ranks 8th globally in area under organic farming

Milestones

• Sikkim became India’s first 100% organic state (January 2016)
• Lakshadweep is the first UT to be 100% organic
• North-Eastern states have traditionally low chemical use

Area & Leading States

• 2.78 million hectares under organic cultivation
• ~2% of India’s net sown area
• Madhya Pradesh leads with ~0.76 million ha (~27% of India’s organic area)
• Top states: MP, Rajasthan, Maharashtra (≈ 50% combined)

Exports

• Major organic exports:
  • Flax seeds, sesame, soybeans
  • Tea, medicinal plants
  • Rice and pulses
• Leading exporting states:
  • Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland

Why Government Intervention Was Needed?

Organic farming delivers environmental and health benefits, but farmers face three major hurdles:

1. Certification cost and complexity
2. Market access (domestic & export)
3. Transition period losses

Hence, India adopted a scheme + certification + branding approach.

Major Schemes Promoting Organic Farming

Two Core Schemes

1. Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCD-NER)
2. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)

Both schemes promote organic farming but serve different geographies and markets.

Certification Framework: PGS & NPOP

India follows two parallel organic certification systems:

(a) Participatory Guarantee System (PGS)

• Target: Domestic market
• Promoted under PKVY
• Based on peer-based certification

(b) National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP)

• Target: Export market
• Promoted under MOVCD-NER
• Based on third-party certification

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) notified the Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations, 2017, which align with PGS and NPOP standards.

👉 Consumer Tip (Prelims favourite):

• Look for FSSAI + Jaivik Bharat / PGS Organic India logos
• PGS Green → chemical-free produce under 3-year transition (not fully organic yet)

Mission Organic Value Chain Development for NER (MOVCD-NER)

Key Features

• Central Sector Scheme
• Sub-mission under National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture
• Launched by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
• Implemented in all North-Eastern states, including Sikkim

Objective

To develop certified organic production in a complete value-chain mode, linking farmers directly with consumers.

What Makes MOVCD Unique?

It supports end-to-end value chain development:

• Inputs & seeds
• Certification (NPOP)
• Collection & aggregation
• Processing & marketing
• Branding & export facilitation

👉 MOVCD recognises that organic farming fails without marketing support.

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)

Scheme Profile

• Centrally Sponsored Scheme
• Launched in 2015
• Sub-component of Soil Health Management (SHM) under NMSA
• Certification through PGS

Objectives

✔ Promote commercial organic production
✔ Ensure pesticide residue-free food
✔ Increase farmers’ income
✔ Ensure long-term soil fertility
✔ Support climate change adaptation & mitigation

Cluster-Based Model

• Minimum 50 farmers
• 50 acres land
• Financial assistance: ₹20,000 per acre for 3 years
  • Seeds
  • Inputs
  • Harvesting
  • Transport to market

👉 Cluster approach reduces costs, risks, and certification burden.

National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP)

Implemented Since 2001 by → Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Implementing Agency → Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)

Objectives of NPOP

1. Accreditation of certification bodies
2. Certification of organic products
3. Harmonisation with importing countries’ standards
4. Promotion of organic exports
5. Development of organic processing

👉 NPOP is mandatory for organic exports from India.

Participatory Guarantee Scheme (PGS) – In Detail

What is PGS?

• Introduced by the Union Agriculture Ministry
• A peer-review based organic certification system
• Operates outside third-party certification
• Implemented through National Centre of Organic Farming, Ghaziabad

How It Works

• Farmers inspect each other
• Collective decision on certification
• Emphasis on trust, transparency, and local knowledge

Advantages of PGS

✔ Simple procedures & local language
✔ Low cost due to peer surveillance
✔ Better compliance due to community monitoring
✔ Mutual recognition among PGS groups
✔ Individual certificate for each farmer
✔ Ideal for local/direct sales
✔ Ensures traceability till PGS group custody

Limitations of PGS

Ø Only for grouped farmers (minimum 5)
Ø Not applicable to individual farmers
Ø Limited to production, processing & livestock
Ø Not ideal for exports due to credibility concerns

Large Area Certification (LAC) – A Major Innovation

What is LAC?

• Introduced under PKVY
• Designed to quickly certify traditionally organic regions

Key Features

• Entire village = one cluster
• Mass certification of all farms
• Annual renewal through PGS peer appraisal
• Financial assistance available under PGS or NPOP

LAC vs Traditional Certification

Aspect	Traditional Certification	LAC
Transition Period	2–3 years mandatory	Almost immediate
Documentation	Complex	Simple
Cost	High	Low
Speed	Slow	Fast
Suitability	Input-intensive areas	Traditionally organic areas

👉 LAC removes the waiting penalty for farmers who were already organic.

Case Study: Car Nicobar & Nancowry Islands

• 14,491 ha certified under LAC
• Location: Car Nicobar & Nancowry Islands
• UT: Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Why Certified So Easily?

• Traditionally organic for centuries
• Complete ban on chemical inputs & GMO seeds
• Verified by expert committee
• Declared organic under PGS-India

👉 Perfect example of policy adapting to local realities.