In an organic market that values over 106 Billion Euros with practice across 187 countries and by 3.1 million farmers, Organic farming is the new trend. Let us look into what it means, how it’s done, and finally derive an analogy with the conventional farming system.
Table of Contents
What is organic farming?
Organic farming is a system that uses ecologically based farm inputs and various farming techniques to lower environmental pollution and reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses. It includes the cultivation of plants, the rearing of animals, and all such activities associated with it.
It includes processes like soil management, crop diversity, green manure, weed management, livestock management, genetic modifications, etc.
Objectives of organic farming
Enhance biological diversity: it concentrates on the impact of farming on a wider environmental level by creating a suitable habitat for wild species. It concentrates on the mix of microorganisms, plants, and animals that sustain life.
Soil management: protecting and maintaining the soil for long-term use is one of the prime objectives. Keeping the soil healthy while enriching its nutrients, maintaining fertility, organic mattes, etc. through processes like crop rotation, careful mechanical intervention, green manure, and many more.
Rely on renewable sources: the use of solar energy, biomass energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, hydropower, and methods that are self-sufficient and recyclable should be implemented in farming activities.
Conversion management: A farm has the appropriate amount, time, and method of production and management keeping in mind the site-specific and demand-specific factors in mind.
Components of organic farming
Crop and soil management
Crop management refers to activities that help the growth and development of a crop. It starts even before the crop is grown and continues after it has been harvested, it includes seedbed preparation, cultivating and maintenance, harvest, storing, and marketing.
Various decisions regarding crop productivity and management are taken considering the weather, crop type, method, season, and many more. A farm manager develops a sequence of best practices that are followed for optimum production and efficiency. Crop diversity and Crop rotation are the two prominent crop management techniques.
Soil management refers to the process of maintaining soil and its nutrients to sustain it for long-term use. Under organic farming, it is done through constant maintenance and development of soil health and nutrients. Maintaining organic carbon and nitrogen is the most challenging part of organic soil management. The use of organic inputs and natural methods of farming helps the soil retain such qualities. It uses various methods of tillage, cover crops, green manure and compost, crop rotation, intercropping, etc. to do so.
Weed management
One of the widely used organic weed management practices is to have an annual rotation of crops. This means that a single crop shouldn’t be grown on the same land without an intervening crop. With such crop rotation, the growths of natural microorganisms which suppress unwanted common weeds are promoted.
Living mulch, organic mulch, and mechanical, thermal, and biological weed controls are a few organic weed management practices. These are practiced right from the start of the cultivating cycle to suppress weed, rather than to eliminate it.
Water management
Water management practices are performed to maintain soil moisture, reduce evaporation and effectively use natural sources of water. It includes management decisions for water storage, irrigation system, optimal usage, etc.
A few methods of harvesting water are planting pits, contour bunds, and increasing infiltration. These are then efficiently utilized for successful farming both at times of excess and scarcity of water.
Nutrient management- Bio fertilizers
As roots are considered nutritional absorbers and are always in contact with the soil, it becomes important to build healthy soil that is rich in organic and nutritional aspects. Its methods include green manure, biodynamic farming, bio-fertilizers, composting, microorganisms, etc.
Bio-fertilizers: they are fertilizers, which are infused through seed or soil which when applied accelerates the certain microbial process in the soil which increases the uptake of crop nutrients. It acts as a supplement to chemical fertilizers for sustainable agriculture.
Pesticide and disease management
Under organic farming, importance is given to the prevention of disease and pesticides rather than their control and elimination. Therefore there are organic techniques like beetle banks, companion plants, hedges, flower strips, water traps, fruit bagging, colour traps, etc.
All these can only be achieved through proper management practice of the cropping system, nutrients management, seed selection, soil management, organic inputs, proper spacing and sanitation.
Soil cultivation and tillage
It refers to the preparation of soil for cultivation. It is done through turning, mixing, ploughing, tilling, digging hoeing, harrowing the soil for better aeration, infiltration, repairing soil compaction, reducing evaporation, warming up, etc.
Tillage: tillage refers to the process of manoeuvring soil post and pre-harvest. It is done to control pests, kill the weed, aerate and help better water management. Excessive or less tilling can harm the soil and is prone to soil erosion.
Advantages of organic farming
Organic products: organic farming uses organic methods and inputs in farming activities, reducing risks of contamination, mutation, diseases, etc. Thus such products are safe, nutritious, and healthy.
More nutrition: it is scientifically proven that organically produced products possess more nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, iron, and magnesium in a natural way than in the conventional method.
Protects soil: soil in agriculture is a vital aspect, and organic farming promotes soil protection and development using soil erosion and carbon protection techniques to enrich and protect the soil.
Safe food and safer environment: under the conventional method the use of chemical inputs like fertilizers, and pesticides not only harms the produce but affects the workers and the environment.
Sustainable: the main purpose of organic farming is the protection of nature and building diversity. Therefore by organic and sustainable agricultural practices, all natural resources are developed and protected.
Challenges of organic farming
Knowledge-intensive: a huge amount of data and critical decisions have to be made during farm management, which requires technical knowledge and expertise. Organic farming includes various methods and technique which has to be implemented keeping in mind what the crop needs, environment protection, and the current scenario.
Lack of support: no government subsidy is one of the reasons organic products are high-priced. The lack of full support and infrastructure has made it difficult to reduce costs.
Increased cost: when compared with conventional farming methods, organic farming is slow, skill-labor intensive and low productivity. This has led to an increase in cost.
Difficulty marketing: there is lots of competition from non-organic products concerning price and availability, keeping organic products at bay.
Conclusion
By now, it’s clear that organic farming is better than the conventional method in terms of safety and environmental protection. Organic farming methods have a larger reach in terms of managing resources like land, water, livestock, etc. in agricultural activities to build a regenerative food system. It also promotes diversity while protecting the natural habitat. Therefore organic farming must be considered as the starting point over the threats that the conventional farming system produces. With proper research and development over the years, organic farming will become the new normal in agriculture.
Summary
Does agriculture affect climate change? Are the current farming practices affecting our environment? Look at how organic farming is the future in protecting both the environment and the produce. Learn about different farming methods, techniques, decisions, and advantages of organic farming and how it is shaping to be the next best possible solution to the food and agriculture industry.