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The Green Revolution, the unforgettable turning point in the history of Indian agriculture, had produced a noticeable difference in the food production with the miracle of wonder seeds. However, when green revolution gave the right answer to the great food security of India, what we lost in our ecosystem was its sustainability. Along with adoption of modern crop raising, we invited a severe incidence of pests and diseases to our crop fields. As a result of high quantity of pesticide application to manage those situation, along with dumping of chemical fertilizers, eventually the soil lost its vitality and productivity. Followed by this the increased costs of cultivation came into the picture. This led farmers to a new era of agriculture, where food crops became non-attractive and most of them shifted to raising cash crops. The scenario was evident especially in Kerala. However the chemical intensive farming and its prevalence in Kerala for the last decade have resulted in near stagnant levels of productivity of many of the economically important crops like coconut, cashew, pepper, coffee, tea, cardamom, arecanut, etc. This situation calls for importance of sustainable agriculture.
According to Rao and Singh (1993), sustainable agriculture involves the use of low cost on-farm resources and manageable technologies that is ecologically compatible, environment friendly and economically profitable. Francis (1990) opined that sustainable agriculture is represented by organic farming to maximize economic yields. Organic agriculture is wholistic production of management system which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity.
In November, 2007, the Government of Kerala has brought about a policy document on organic farming with an objective of conventional agriculture in the state to organic farming with a conversion rate of 20 percent annually over a period of five years. The policy document entitled " Kerala State Organic Farming Policy, Strategy and Action Plan" had a vision statement to "make Kerala's farming sustainable, rewarding and competitive ensuring poison-free water, soil and food to every citizen".
The policy statement clearly identifies the need for shifting to organic farming to save the environment for future generations and to sustainably use state's natural resource base. The policy envisages a 24-point strategy with a clear action plan under each strategy mentioned.
I am currently doing a study as part of my PhD work with an overall objective of assessing the current status of organic farming in Kerala with the following specific objectives:
- To document the organic farming initiatives and traditional farming systems of Kerala (which are organic by default).
- To analyse the current organic farming scenario in the state in the light of Kerala State Organic Farming Policy, strategy and Action Plan.
- To study the cases of few organic farming initiatives in selected district of Kerala and the scope for their upscaling in the state.
- To map the advocacy strategies for implementing organic farming policy strategy and action plan in Kerala.
Comments, inputs or suggestions are invited |
