Regular interactions with experienced organic farmers encouraged me to start organic farming in my village Moutorh, Purulia, West Bengal because organic products are often appraised for their benefits to health and the environment. With the increase in global health consciousness, organic food is set to knock every door and make its way in healthy kitchens worldwide. The soil in organic procedures is known to produce healthier items with higher antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E and many more. Fruits and vegetables grown in organic farms taste much better as it contains higher polyphenol. They are much tastier and nutritious as they take a long time to flourish. With reference to environmental protection, organic farming benefits the climate as it stores carbon in the soil and minimize energy uses as the methods require physical labour more often than mechanical equipment. Soil on organic farms tends to have higher organic carbon content, possibly reduced soil erosion, and improved physical and nutrient qualities, with more abundant soil fauna. This approach is practically eco-friendly.
The Green Revolution took shape in India during the early 1960s, and with the introduction of modern chemical fertilisers, synthetic pesticides, germicides, herbicides and Genetically Engineered (GE) seeds, along with the introduction of new and modern techniques for farming the food grain production in the country boosted up. The success of the Green Revolution was attributed to the use of chemicals that became completely uncontrolled and started polluting the complete supply chain. Greed and minimal access to relevant information to the farmers have resulted many areas of land reached a stage where they no longer produce anything. Also, use of synthetic agricultural chemicals is one of the biggest problems for pollinators like bees. For example- Glyphosate and neonicotinoids are majorly responsible for devastating certain pollinators’ populations. On the other hand, the farming procedures that involve chemical ingredients for cultivation are prone to develop health issues in the future such as neurological disease, headache, the myriads of bothersome symptoms, migraines and others.
Despite knowing the benefits of organic agriculture and adverse impact of chemicals on human being and environment, many farmers in my village strongly criticized and condemn my effort to organic farming as a backward and romanticized version of agriculture that would lead to low production and financial loss. Of course I cannot blame them because I faced major barriers such as - there is no steady and sustainable market for organic produce though one organic farmer who is practicing far away from my village gave assurance to take care of selling my paddy and confidence that lower production/my losses would be compensated but in reality the condition stipulated by him for selling was not at all sustainable. Also, like the MSP for the normal crop, Government couldn’t come out with MSP for the organic crop considering its production cost. Unfortunately, no machine is available in this area to process this type of paddy. Thereby all my organic produce had to be sold in local dealer at the rate of Rs 17 per kg with huge loss. Today, living in a culture where commuting long distances and online ordering is the norm, organic produce is at a disadvantage.
Consumer’s trust is the key to organic produce as there is no straightforward method to verify this organic product. Anyone can sell anything, under the label of ‘organic’ leading to a lot of trust-deficit without any certificate because organic farms have to go through tough certification processes. If an organic farm fails to meet these standards, it may have to face the consequences.
Despite the obvious health benefits, organic products are generally more susceptible to decay for various reasons. Thereby organic products need to be consumed sooner to ensure food safety and appeal. Organic foods have a shorter shelf life as compared to conventional food because organic food materials are not treated with waxes or preservatives, unlike conventional methods, to store it for a long time.
One final challenge of organic farming is that production yields are lower compared to conventionally grown food. Production cost in organic farming is quite higher as it requires more manpower. Thereby, many of the environmental benefits of organic agriculture diminish once lower yields are accounted for. In the Indian perspective, customers usually opt for cheaper options and this factor hugely impacts the organic produce market. Without any subsidy, there will always be a huge risk involved in organic procedures such as weather changes.
Based on my experience in practicing organic farming it may be stated that production is the ultimate purpose of agriculture. In view of this, assessment of the benefits and costs per unit of production output was carried out with reference to i) Production comprising yield and yield stability, ii) the environment (biodiversity, soil quality, climate change mitigation, water quality and quantity), iii) producers (farmer and farm worker livelihoods and health), and iv) consumers (consumer health and access).
Apart from this, public awareness and knowledge are also important for people to understand the benefits of organic food in the long run. The organic farmers should have sufficient knowledge and skills about localized soil systems, meteorology, type of cropping system, ecology, and other factors that influence crop growth. Without the proper knowledge, an individual organic farmer will be unable to protect his crop in critical stages that may arise while farming processes.
Now there is emergent need to provide an unbiased assessment of organic farming as a means of sustainable agriculture, rather than approaching the question from the usual “What does organic farming do well/badly?” angle, we must deeply think “What constitutes successful sustainable agriculture?” then measure organic farming against this yardstick.
(Dr Debapriya Mukherjee is a former Senior Scientist, Central Pollution Control Board. Views are personal. Email: dpmcpcb@yahoo.com)