Organic agriculture can
be called as Eco-Farming as it is a way of
agriculture that preserves the ecosystem. It eliminates the use of harmful
chemicals & fertilizers. Symbiotic life forms & weed & pest control
ensured by this method & optimal soil biological activity maintains
fertility.
Organic farming
is one of the several approaches found to meet the objectives of sustainable agriculture.
Many techniques used in organic farming like inter-cropping, mulching and
integration of crops and livestock are not alien to various agriculture systems
including the traditional agriculture practiced in old countries like India.
However, organic farming is based on various laws and certification programmes,
which prohibit the use of almost all synthetic inputs, and health of the soil
is recognized as the central theme of the method.
Adverse effects of modern agricultural practices not
only on the farm but also on the health of all living things and thus on the environment
have been well documented all over the world. Application of technology,
particularly in terms of the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides all
around us has persuaded people to think aloud. Their negative effects on the
environment are manifested through soil erosion, water shortages, salination,
soil contamination, genetic erosion, etc.
There are several definitions of organic farming and
the one given by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is considered the most coherent and stringent. It
is defined as a system that is designed and maintained to produce agricultural
products by the use of methods and substances that maintain the integrity of
organic agricultural products until they reach the consumer.
Organic farming involves management of the agro-eco
system as autonomous, based on the capacity of the soil in the given local
climatic conditions. In spite of the ridicule poured out on organic farming by
many, it has come to stay and is spreading steadily but slowly all over the
world. India has been very slow to adopt it but it has made Inroads into our
conventional farming system. One advantage we have here is the fact that the
farming techniques practiced in this country before the advent of the green
revolution were basically eco-friendly and they have not faded away from the
memories of the present elder generation of our farming community.
Biotechnology is the branch of biological science,
which deals with the manipulation through genetic engineering of living organisms or their
components to produce useful products for various applications in biological
sciences. Biotechnology is the rapidly growing segment in biological sciences.
It has diversified applications in sustainable agriculture. The review deals
with microbes in biotechnology and their diversified applications in
agriculture as biofertilizers,
biopesticides, bioherbicides, bioinsecticides, fungal
based bioinsecticides and viral based bioinsecticides.
The major impact of agricultural microbiology on sustainable
agriculture would be to substitute agrochemicals (mineral fertilizers,
pesticides) with microbial preparations. However, this substitution is usually
partial and only sometimes may be complete, e.g. in recently domesticated
leguminous crops, which retain a high potential for symbiotrophic N nutrition,
typical for many wild legumes. The further development of agricultural
microbiology faces several important ecological and genetic challenges imposed
by the broad application of symbiotic microbes. Some of these challenges are
associated with opportunistic or even regular human pathogens, which are
frequently found in endophytic communities, including Bacillus, Burkholderia, Enterobacter,
Escherichia, Klebsiella, Salmonella and Staphylococcus
species.
The principles of organic farming are more
scientific than those of the conventional. Kerala’s productivity of many crops
is the lowest in the world in spite of the increase in the conventional input
use. The decline in soil nutrients, particularly in areas where the chemical
inputs are increasingly being used in the absence of adequate organic matter is
cited as a reason for low productivity.
The concept of quality food has undergone a drastic
change over the past few decades. It does give emphasis on the characteristics
of the end product, but the process and method of production and transport are
now considered equally important. Not only the importers but also the domestic
retailers have their own quality specifications or standards, which in many
cases are tougher than those of the government regulations. Consumers have
become health conscious and are willing to pay for the clean, healthy and natural
food. Many developed countries have various support programmes to help organic
farming with financial incentives and technical guidance.
An important progress towards organic agriculture
made by Kerala is the increasing awareness of the ill effects of the modern
farming system, which the state adopted about 35 years ago. The threat poised
by the conventional food products to the human health and the damage done to
the ecology are being viewed seriously. Efforts are made to produce healthy
foods and the demand. For them is increasing. The importance of the marketing
of the organic products is highlighted for the promotion of organic
agriculture. Several individuals and associations have taken to organic farming
and organic products are available in the large cities to a very limited
extent. Several people have taken to organic farming in the state fully
convinced of its beneficial effects on man and nature. A farmer who took
organic farming as a mission in the district of Kottayam was an example. His
estate grew only green crops, from vegetables to rubber. When the rubber
plantation was raised on organic methods, the yields were low during the
initial years. On the application of the organic inputs, they increased and
after three years the yields were on par with the conventional rubber trees.
Organic
Sustainability of Kerala - A Global Model
An initiative to make the state of Kerala fully
organic has begun with the formulation of a draft policy in 2003. A workshop on
Organic Sustainability of Kerala - A Global Model was organized jointly by the
state agriculture department and the Confederation of Indian Industry to
deliberate on the organic farming in Kerala. The government policy will focus
on conversion of land, produces and budgetary support. Assistance will also be
available for certification and inputs, promoting the local certifying bodies,
development of agronomic practices, extension support and training to farmers.
Creation of consumer awareness, quality considerations, and emphasis on income
rather than on yield will also be part of the policy. A campaign to promote
organic farming on the lines of the programme on Literate Kerala is proposed to
be launched. Organic farming, it is suggested, can be promoted among the
educated youth who are presently averse to conventional agriculture.
'Jaivam' or organic is the catchword now gaining
popularity in Kerala. The tide seems to be turning in favor of bio-manure,
biopest control and bio-disease control in all forms of agriculture. The state
controlled Vegetable and Fruits Promotion Council, Kerala (VFPCK) is also
taking slow steps in promoting the 'bio' trend as against the overriding
importance given to the chemical methods of farming. Bio control agents can
eliminate the harmful effects of chemical pesticides and also protect our soil
for next generation.
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