Organic farming is a farming method that relies on natural systems and not chemical compounds.
How organic farming works?
- It mostly avoids or largely excludes the use of synthetically compounded fertilizers (NPK/Urea), pesticides, growth regulators for crops or the use of genetically modified organisms and livestock food additives.
- To the maximize the benefits from organic farming, farmers rely on a system of crop rotations, use of past crop residues, animal manures, legumes, green manures, off-farm organic wastes, and biofertilizers to improve their yield.
- The use of mechanical cultivation, mineral-bearing rocks are also recommended to maintain soil productivity and tilth which would supply plant nutrients and control insect, weeds and other pests in the fields.
Advantages of Organic Farming
- It helps in maintaining the health of the environment by reducing the level of pollution.
- It also reduces the human and animal health hazards by reducing the level of residues in the product.
- It is both economically and environmentally cost-competitive.
- Organic farming ensures the optimum utilization of natural resources for short-term human benefit and also helps in conserving them for the future generation.
- Organic farming also reduces the risk of crop failure.
- It also improves the topsoil’s chemical properties such as supply and retention of soil nutrients, reduces nutrient loss into water bodies and environment (averting algal bloom).
Why Organic farming?
Organic farming is a complete agricultural management program that promotes and improves the health of the agro-ecosystem. This includes improving biodiversity. Several studies have shown that organic farming methods can produce even higher yields than conventional methods.