Agriculture without use of chemicals is not a new concept and has been in place since time immemorial. However, the concept is gaining momentum in recent times with agriculturists speaking about the soil depletion and industrial wastes disturbing the ecological balance.
Concept of Organic farming involves various techniques and methods to stabilise the output from agricultural process. Overall this includes the processes which aims to retain the quality of soil and keep the cultivable nature of land intact so as to ensure sustainable production. It also involves the use of organic wastes like aquatic wastes and animal wastes, biological materials in combination with the microbes that release the requisite amounts of nutrients to the crops for a pollution free environment. For a eco-friendly environment that needs to passed on to next generations as part of the responsible citizenship, it is nonetheless important to stop the ongoing exploitation of land.
While the non-renewable natural resources have been exploited for human greed, the scientists have realised that “green Revolution” needs a re-look to maintain the natural balance at all costs. The existence of life and property is equally important in a scenario where the fossil fuels are diminishing at a faster pace. The main concept of organic farming includes the following:
Maintaining the organic matter, enhancing the biological activities and intervention of machine made techniques very sparsely.
Inducing required nutrients to the crop by way of supplying nutrient sources through soil micro organisms
Recycling the organic materials like livestock manures
Attending to the issues involving the process adopted and its corresponding effect on the surrounding environment.
Using crop rotations, organic manuring and resistant variants of corps as a way out to control weeds and pests.
Allowing the livestock to exhibit their natural behaviour for re-production and other life cycles
Ensure proper returns on investments made
Socially and economically acceptable quality and quantity of food
Avoid all forms of pollutions
Success of alternate techniques
The success of this mode of agriculture is choosing not to make use of chemical techniques that are easily available in alternate modes of producing food. The yields therefore largely depends on the enthusiasm of the manager.
Initial phases are difficult
The initial years are therefore very crucial especially during the conversion of land from conventional uses. After the initial three to five year period, the returns will be higher. But it has to be observed that the pest problems persistent in this type of production method is very difficult to tackle, even when bio pesticides are used.