organic farming - organic food - current status of organic food in India - challenges in organic farming - Principles - Concepts - Organic Certification - Plant protection - Animal Husbandry - Statistics of organic farming - future prospects of organic farming

1. NEW CONCEPTS AND
APPROACHES IN
ORGANIC FARMING
S.ASHOKH ARAVIND
(2020602004)

2. What is organic farming?
• The word organic farming means growing/rearing plants or
animals without the use of synthetic inputs such as fertilizers,
hormones, allopathic medicines and pesticides.
• Organic cultivation of crops and organic rearing of livestock is
not only safe and gives healthy food but are also ecologically
sustainable ensuring welfare of all living beings.

3. Comparison of organic and conventional agriculture

4. Why organic farming?
• Organic farming offers many advantages, both for producers
and consumers, as well as for nature and the climate.
Therefore, it is not surprising that this form of agriculture is
gaining increasing attention from the society and politics
worldwide.
Improvement of income
Reduced external dependance
Protection and promotion of natural resources
Healthier food
Sustainable cultivation with a promising future

7. Promotion of organic farming by Government of India
• Recently, the Government of India has implemented a number of programs and
schemes for boosting organic farming in the country. Among these the most important
include
(1) The Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana,
(2) Organic Value Chain Development in North Eastern Region Scheme,
(3) Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana,
(4) The mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (a. National Horticulture
Mission, b. Horticulture Mission for North East and Himalayan states, c. National
Bamboo Mission, d. National Horticulture Board, e. Coconut Development Board, d.
Central Institute for Horticulture, Nagaland),
(5) National Programme for Organic Production,
(6) National Project on Organic Farming, and
(7) National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture.
(8)Model village concept under Network Project on Organic Farming-Tribal Sub Plan
(NPOF-TSP) with financial assistance from ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming System
Research, Modipuram
(9)Manar Vanadesa Farmers Group

8. What is organic food?
• Organic food means any form of food or its raw material (such
as grains, oils, spices, etc) produced in a manner close to
nature without using any synthetic manmade inputs such as
fertilizers, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, etc. Organic
farming also prohibits the use of genetically modified organisms
(GMOs).

9. Why organic food?
• As organic food is grown, produced and processed through
natural inputs and natural processes, it is absolutely free from
chemical residues, have balance of all macro and micro
nutrients and is considered safe and healthy for animals and
human beings.
• Organic food is also known to be the best source of immunity
and synthetic resistance against diseases and deficiencies.

11. Most important challenges on organic farms

13. Principles of organic agriculture

14. The main principles of organic farming

15. How do I identify organic food in the market
• The only way to identify the organic food in market is to verify its
certification and quality mark in the form of a logo, considering
the similar appearance of organic produce vs conventional.
• As per the requirement of Food Safety and Standards (Organic
Foods) Regulations, 2017, all organic food must carry a JAIVK
BHARAT logo along with its certification logo.

16. Certification systems
• India has two organic certification systems in place. Although
both the systems are based upon common national standards
but adapt different approach for verification and documentation.
a. National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) for
export and
b. Participatory Guarantee system for India (PGS-India) for
domestic and local markets.

17. NPOP Certification
• NPOP certification is a kind of third party certification, in which,
the farm or the processing of the agriculture produce is certified
in accordance with national or international organic standards
by an accredited organic certification agency.
• NPOP certification is facilitated by Agriculture Processed Food
and Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of
Commerce and Industries, Govt. of India.

19. Concepts of organic farming
Organic farming is very much native to India. This concept of organic
farming is based on following principles:
• Nature is the best role model for farming, since it does not use any inputs
nor demand unreasonable quantities of water.
• The entire system is based on intimate understanding of nature's ways
of replenishment. The system does not believe in mining of the soil of its
nutrients and do not degrade it in any way.
• The soil in this system is considered as a living entity
• The soil's living population of microbes and other organisms are
significant contributors to its fertility on a sustained basis and must be
protected and nurtured, at all cost.
• The total environment of the soil, from soil structure to soil cover is more
important and must be preserved.

20. Soil fertility as the basis of organic production
• Weakened and degraded soils cannot produce good yield-
depends on good natural soil fertility.
• Depends on activity and composition of soil organisms and
also the conditions of soil.
• Humus content of the soil- important nutrient and water
stores, and contribute to a stable soil structure.
• A humus rich and biologically active soil is easy to work,
absorbs rainwater well thanks to its porous structure, and is
robust against silting and erosion.
• Earthworms as builders of fertile soils- With a lifespan of 5–
8 years, earthworms are the longest-lived soil animals. They
play a central role in building soil fertility in different ways.

21. Processes in the soil promoted by soil organism
Table 3: Processes in the soil promoted by soil organisms
Biological decomposition Dissolution processes at the source rock by metabolic products.
Microstructure/ crumb formation Mixing of organic substances with mineral soil particles to form stable
clay-humus complexes.
Aggregate formation Consolidation of soil particles and increase of crumb stability.
Mineralisation Decomposition and degradation of organic substances to inorganic
compounds, which become available again as nutrients for plants.
Humification Conversion of dead organic matter into stable humus complexes that
improvesoilstructureandfertility.
Nitrification/Denitrification Binding and conversion of nitrogen.

22. Gentle and effective tillage
• Intensive tillage has increased rates of erosion and led to the
loss of around 30 percent of arable soils worldwide over the
past 40 years.
• Organic farmers instead try to avoid intensive tilling practices,
aiming to work the soil as gently as possible.
• Intensive and deep mixing of the soil with reversible ploughs
and tillers, combined with heavy machinery and tractors is
avoided.
• Ideally, organic tillage aims to maintain the natural stratification
of the soil as much as possible, turning only the topsoil, to
promote soil fertility.
• In case of soil compaction, the subsoil is deeply loosened.

23. Reduced tillage systems in comparison with conventional tillage

24. Soil structure and humus building
• A high soil humus content is of central importance for soil
fertility. A decrease in humus content leads to poor soil structure
that is prone to compaction, has a lower water absorption
capacity and nitrogen supply potential.
• An increase in humus content, on the other hand, results in a
more biologically active and crumbly soil with a pH in the neutral
range, gene rally better nutrient availability, and higher nitro-
gen supply.
• The effects of humus depletion due to unsustainable
management are usually only noticeable after several years.
Accordingly, building humus in soils takes years.
• The fastest way to increase humus content is by adding green
manure or manure compost. Perennial leys, implemented as
part of a humus enhancing crop rotation, are of great
importance in a medium and long term

25. How to increase humus
content in the long term
and increase the
nutrient supply in the
short term?
and increase the nutrient supply in the short term?
Green waste and manure compost: Provide
stable humus compounds that mostly resist
decomposition.
Humus buildup:
●●●●
Nutrient supply:
●
Woody crop residues: Promote lignin-degrad-
ing, slow-growing soil fungi that add diversity
to soil flora.
Humus buildup:
●●●●
Nutrient supply:
●
Perennial clover grass: Provides considera-
ble amounts of easily degradable root mass
for earthworms and microorganisms and for
humus buildup.
Humus buildup:
●●●
Nutrient supply:
●●●●
Green manures: Form large amounts of more
or less easily degradable biomass, can store
nutrients, fix atmospheric nitrogen (legumes)
and make it plant-available. Perennial green
manures significantly foster humus buildup.
Humus buildup:
●●
Nutrient supply:
●●●
Reduced tillage: Increases humus content in
topsoil, promotes biological activity and good
soil structure, thereby essentially increasing the
soil‘s water retention capacity.
Humus buildup:
●●
Nutrient supply:
●

26. Goals of crop rotation design on organic farms
Central role of legumes in crop rotation
 Promoting soil fertility
 Building atmospheric nitrogen
 Dissolving nutrients in the soil
 Loosening the soil
Legume fatigue as a challenge
Effects of legume fatigue
• Reduced nitrogen fixation capacity
• Spread of weeds
• Reduced forage production
Causes and measures
• Cultivation breaks
• Variety selection
• Use healthy seed
• Promote rapid youth development
• Organic fertilization
• Favourable pH and nutrient supply
Humus build-up through good crop
rotation planning
Crop rotations
optimizing short and long-term goals

27. Balanced nutrient supply from organic sources
• Organic nutrient sources instead of synthetic mineral fertilizers
• Soil microorganisms as fertilization drivers
• Making optimal use of on-farm nutrient sources
• Avoiding nutrient losses
• Good nitrogen management
• Supplement nutrient supply- supply of farm fertilizers, use of
commercial fertilizers
• Important organic fertilizers- slurry, manure, compost, digestate or
liquid manure
• Organic commercial fertilizers- animal origin (horn products, feather
meal, meat bone meal), plant origin (potato fruit water and
concentrates, residues from maize processing), other (legume
fertilizers, biosol, hydrolysates).
• Valuable intercrops

28. Plant nutrition via the soil

29. Properties of the main organic fertilizers

30. Location Cropping system Sources
Jabalpur (MP) Basmati rice-wheat-berseem
(seed)
Vermicompost (VC) + Farm Yard Manure (FYM) + Non Edible Oil Cakes(NEOC)
@ 1/3 N
Coimbatore
(TN)
Cotton-maize-GM
Chillies-sunflower-GM
FYM + NEOC @ ½ N each +Panchagavya (PG)
Raipur (CG) Rice-chickpea Enriched compost (EC) + FYM + NEOC@ 1/3 N each + Bio dynamic (BD)+PG
Calicut
(Kerala)
Ginger-fallow FYM + Neem Cake (NC) + 2VC + PG + biodynamic + Rock phosphate(RP)
Dharwad
(Karnataka)
Groundnut-sorghum
Maize-chickpea
Chilli +onion
EC + VC + Green leaf manure (GLM) + biodynamic spray @ 12 g/ha with PG
spray
Karjat
(Maharashtra)
Rice-red pumpkin
Rice-cucumber
FYM + rice straw + glyricidia @ 1/3rd each of N during kharif and FYM + NC + VC
@ 1/3 each of N during rabi along with spray of PG
Ludhiana
(Punjab)
Maize-wheat-summer moong FYM + PG + BD in maize, FYM +PG inwheat and FYM alone in moong
Bhopal (MP) Soybean-wheat
Soybean-chickpea
Soybean-maize
FYM+PG + BD
Pantnagar
(Uttarakhand)
Basmati rice-wheat
Basmati rice-chickpea
Basmati rice-vegetable pea
FYM + VC + NC + EC @ ¼ N each + BD + PG
Ranchi
(Jharkhand)
Rice-wheat
Rice-potato
VC+ Karanj cake (KC) + BD+ PG
Umiam
(Meghalaya)
Rice-maize
Rice-toria
FYM + VC + PG

31. Weed control: prevent and regulate mechanically
• Avoidance of herbicides
• Combination of different measures
• Weed controlling crop rotation
• Efficient direct weed control with suitable equipment
• The most important cultivation practices- managing the
weed seed stock (false seedbed technique), blind
harrowing, regulation of annual weed seeds,

32. Identified weed management packages for various locations
Centre Cropping System Recommended practice
Raipur (CG) Rice-mustard Conoweeder with square planting for riceStale
seed bed for mustard
Coimbatore(TN) Rice-blackgram-GM 2 hand weeding + spray of aqueous leafextract at
3-4 leaf stage of weeds
Jabalpur (MP) Rice-wheat 2 hand weeding + spray at 3-4 leaf stageaqueous
spray of weeds
Dharwad
(Karnataka)
Groundnut Spray of cassia and Prosopis juliflora aspost
emergent
Ludhiana
(Punjab)
Basmati rice-wheat High density planting + hand weeding at25-30
DAT
Pantnagar
(Uttarakhand)
Basmati rice-wheat-
sesbania
one hand weeding at 25-30 DAT during kharif and 2
hand weeding at 25-30 and 45-50 DAS during rabi
Umiam
(Meghalaya)
Maize-mustard Mulching with fresh eupatorium/ambrosia@ 10 t/ha
(after earthing up)

33. Organic plant protection: prevention and protection

34. • Healthy soil-healthy
plants
• Suitable choice of
species and varieties
• Targeted direct crop
protection
• Gentle biological
plant protection
• Targeted use of
biopesticides

35. Identified pest and disease management packages for various locations
Centre Cropping System Pest/disease Recommended practice
Modipuram
(Uttar Pradesh)
Basmati rice-chickpea
Basmati rice-mustard
- Summer ploughing +
green manure
incorporation
Calicut
(Kerala)
Ginger-fallow Shoot borer GEB 17 & 18, GRB 57
Bajaura
(Himachal
Pradesh)
Cauliflower-peas-
tomato
Fruit borer &Fruit rot Karvi (Roylea cinerea) @
10% aqeous leaf extract +
cow urine (3%) + tween-
80 (0.05%) as emulsifier
Umiam
(Meghalaya)
Maize +
soyabean
Monolapta Mylloceros
EphilechmaLeaf folder
Derisom (3 ml/l) + PG @
10% and cow urine 3%
Anomin 3 ml/litre or PG@
3%.
Rust PG @ 3% + lantana @
10% + vermiwash @ 10%

36. Preparation of bio-pesticide inputs recommended for organic farming
Name of the input Time, rate and purpose of application
Panchagavya 3% solution was found to be most effective compared to the higher and lower
concentrations investigated. 3 litres of Panchagavya to every 100 litres of water is ideal for
all crops.
Lantana leaf extract
10%
The extract is diluted with water @ 10% before spraying. This foliar spray act as insect-pest
repellent. It can be sprayed 3-4 times during the crop duration according to pest infestation.
Derisom It is applied as foliar spray @ 0.2% or 2 ml/lt. of water. It can be sprayed 2-3 times during
the crop duration according to pest infestation. Derisom has Karanjin as active principle and
acts as antifeedant and also acts on central nervous system of the Mites and Insect pests.
Derisom works as Acaricide (Miticide) and Insecticide.
Pestoneem It is a bio-based pest controller containing 0.5% Azadirachtin and other vital bio-energizers.
Application of pestoneem increase resistance to infestation of pest and disease.
Vermiwash This liquid manure is applied as foliar spray (10% solution) to the plants for better growth
and insect-pest and disease Management
Botanicals These extracts are applied as seed treatment before sowing which stimulates plant growth
and productivity and act as biopesticide too. Foliar spray and soil drenching were also done
in some cases.
Anonine Organic pesticide used as foliar spray @ 3 ml/lit.

37. Pest control formulations
• Liquid manures such as sanjivak, jivamrut, amritpani,
panchagavya, enriched panchagavya (or Dashagavya)
• Cow urine
• Fermented curd water
• Dashparni extract
• Neem-cow urine extract
• Mixed leaves extract
• Chilli-garlic extract
• Broad spectrum formulation-1 & 2.

39. Animal husbandry: adapted to species and location
Key points
 Linking of crop production
and Animal Husbandry
 Animal-friendly husbandry
 Species & performance-
appropriate feeding
 Preventive animal health

40. Cropping Systems being experimented under Network Project on Organic farming under ICAR

41. Analysis of research data from various centres revealed the following
• Yield advantage (after 8th cycle across the locations): Basmati rice,
soybean, garlic, groundnut, cauliflower, tomato (4-6 %) & greengram,
onion, chilli, cabbage, turmeric (7-14 %).
• Yield reduction (after 8th cycle across the locations): Wheat, mustard,
lentil, potato, French bean (5-8 %).
• Soil organic carbon increased by 22 % under organic production over
inorganic in 6 years.
• Increase in soil microbes (fungi, bacteria, actinomycetes) was observed in
all locations.
• Slight improvement in nutritional quality was observed in soybean,
turmeric, ginger under organic production.
[Indian Council of Agricultural Research took up a research programme on organic farming
during 10th Five-Year Plan, by establishing a ‘Network Project on Organic Farming (NPOF)’, to
study some agronomic aspects of organic farming and develop package of practices in arable
crops at 13 centres. Further, seven new centres were approved in XII plan to cover additional
crops (seed spices and tuber crops) and areas (hilly and rainfed regions)].

42. Statistics of organic agriculture
Global and country level

45. 27 June 2022

46. 27 June 2022
46

47. 27 June 2022
47

48. Production
• India produced around 2.75 million MT (2019-20) of certified organic
products which includes all varieties of food products namely Oil
Seeds, Sugar cane, Cereals & Millets, Cotton, Pulses, Aromatic
& Medicinal Plants, Tea, Coffee, Fruits, Spices, Dry Fruits,
Vegetables, Processed foods etc.
• The production is not limited to the edible sector but also produces
organic cotton fiber, functional food products etc.
• Among different states Madhya Pradesh is the largest producer
followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
• In terms of commodities Oil seeds are the single largest category
followed by Sugar crops, Cereals and Millets, Tea & Coffee, Fiber
crops, fodder, Pulses, Medicinal/ Herbal and Aromatic plants and
Spices & Condiments.

50. The ten countries with the largest organic agricultural land 2013

51. The ten countries with highest growth of organic land 2013

52. Exports
• The total volume of export during 2019-20 was 6.389 lakh
MT. The organic food export realization was around INR 4,686
crore (689 million USD).
• Organic products are exported to USA, European Union,
Canada, Switzerland, Australia, Japan, Israel, UAE, New
Zealand, Vietnam etc.
• In terms of export value realization Processed foods including
soya meal(45.87%) lead among the products followed by
Oilseeds (13.25%), Plantation crop products such as Tea and
Coffee(9.61%), Cereals and millets (8.19%), Spices and
condiments (5.20%), Dry fruits (4.98%,Sugar(3.91), Medicinal
plants(3.84%) and others.

53. As per the available statistics,
India's rank 8th in terms of World's
Organic Agricultural land and 1st in
terms of total number of producers
as per 2020 data
(Source: FIBL & IFOAM Year Book, 2020).

55. Future prospects of organic farming in India
• Indian traditional farmers possess a deep insight based on their
knowledge, extensive observation, perseverance and practices for
maintaining soil fertility, and pest management which are found effective in
strengthening organic production and subsequent economic growth in
India.
• Various newer technologies have been invented in the field of organic
farming such as integration of mycorrhizal fungi and nano
biostimulants (to increase the agricultural productivity in an
environmentally friendly manner), mapping cultivation areas more
consciously through sensor technology and spatial geodata, 3D
printers (to help the country’s smallholder), production from side
streams and waste along with main commodities, promotion and
improvement of sustainable agriculture through innovation in drip
irrigation, precision agriculture, and agro-ecological practices.
• Another advancement in the development of organic farming is Bee
Scanning App, through which beekeepers can fight the Varroa destructor
parasite mite and also forms a basis for population modelling and
breeding programmes.

56. Future prospects of organic farming in India
• Inhana Rational Farming Technology developed on the principle
‘Element Energy Activation’ is a comprehensive organic method
for ensuring ecologically and economically sustainable crop
production and it is based on ancient Indian philosophy and modern
scientific knowledge.
• The technology works towards
(1) Energization of soil system: reactivation of soil-plant-
microflora dynamics by restoration of the population and efficiency of
the native soil microflora and
(2) Energization of plant system: restoration of the two defence
mechanisms of the plant kingdom that are nutrient use efficiency and
superior plant immunity against pest/disease infection.

57. Conclusion
• Organic farming yields more nutritious and safe food. The popularity of
organic food is growing dramatically as consumer seeks the organic foods
that are thought to be healthier and safer. Thus, organic food perhaps
ensures food safety from farm to plate.
• The organic farming process is more eco-friendly than conventional
farming. Organic farming keeps soil healthy and maintains environment
integrity thereby, promoting the health of consumers.
• Moreover, the organic produce market is now the fastest growing market
all over the world including India.
• Organic agriculture promotes the health of consumers of a nation, the
ecological health of a nation, and the economic growth of a nation by
income generation holistically.
• India, at present, is the world’s largest organic producers and with this
vision, we can conclude that encouraging organic farming in India can
build a nutritionally, ecologically, and economically healthy nation in near
future.

58. References
• Das, Suryatapa, Annalakshmi Chatterjee, and Tapan Kumar Pal.
"Organic farming in India: a vision towards a healthy nation." Food
Quality and Safety 4, no. 2 (2020): 69-76.
• The world of organic agriculture statistics and emerging trends
(2021), https://www.fibl.org/fileadmin/documents/shop/1150-organic-
world-2021.pdf
• Dierauer, Hansueli; Niggli, Jeremias; Thanner, Sophie and van den
Berge, Paul (2021) Organic farming - Basic principles and good
practices. 1 edition. Dossier / Faktenblatt. Research Institute of
Organic Agriculture FiBL, CH-Frick.
• https://www.icar.org.in/files/Base-Paper-Organic-Farming-%20Base-
16-03-2015.pdf
• https://midh.gov.in/technology/Organic_Management_NHM.pdf