A win-win alternative

It's hard to fathom that just 3.8 million hectares (ha) — 2.7 per cent of the country's net-sown area — is under organic and natural farming despite two decades of government efforts to upscale the practices.

The Union government passed its first policy on organic farming in 2005, and introduced the flagship Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) in 2015-16.

Some of the prime reasons that hinder the shift is a lack of conviction among policymakers; limited consensus among the scientific community in favour of organic and natural farming; and the tendency to evaluate the non-chemical agricultural practices only on the basis of yield.

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based non-profit, has recently consolidated long-term evidence on holistic benefits of organic and natural farming.

It analysed the results of 89 scientific studies, conducted across the country over the last decade, and the findings of the government's own All India Network Project on Organic Farming (AI-NPOF) going on in 16 states since 2004.

CSE researchers analysed these key aspects: Crop yield, cost of cultivation, income and livelihood, soil health and environment, and food quality.

On yield

Long-term trends of crop yield from the AI-NPOF experiment show that the organic approach is better than inorganic and is at par with integrated methods.

Of the 504 times yield results recorded during 2014-19, some 41 per cent of the yields were highest with the organic approach, followed by 33 per cent with integrated.

For vegetables, oilseeds and cereals, the yield with organic approach was better than integrated and inorganic. In pulses and spices, yield with integrated approach was higher than with organic or inorganic approach.

In case of natural farming, crops like maize, groundnut, sugarcane, finger millet, soyabean, jowar (sorghum) and turmeric also show higher yields.

The studies highlight the importance of organic and bio-inputs like farmyard manure, vermicompost, poultry manure, green manure, liquid biofertilizers, Jeevamrutha, Beejamritha, Ghanajeevamritha, Panchagavya and fish-protein hydrolysate.

Some also find a positive role played by seed soaking with liquid manure, mulching and intercropping in organic farming. After switching to organic practices, crops such as wheat, maize, rice, cluster bean, sesame, cumin and psyllium husk take a few years to produce a comparable or more yield than inorganic, while crops like potato take a year, the findings show.

On profit

The AI-NPOF project shows that the cost of cultivation is higher with the organic approach than integrated. The CSE report explains that the high-cost is because organic and bio-inputs used in AI-NPOF are largely purchased from the market. Whereas, organic inputs cost is less if produced on-farm by farmers.

Despite the high cost of cultivation at AI-NPOF's farms, net returns are highest in 63 per cent of cropping systems with an organic approach. Similarly, in the case of integrated approach, net returns are highest in 11 per cent cropping systems.

Along with minimised cost of production and premium prices for the produce, incomes and profits under natural farming are higher than conventional farming.

On an average, even without certification, produce from natural farming fetches twice the income of conventional farming.

On soil health

Healthy soils are the basis for healthy food production. And the AI-NPOF project shows that organic approach is better at ensuring soil macro- and micro-nutrients, organic carbon and rhizosphere microbiome.

While mean organic carbon is highest in 91 per cent cropping systems with organic approach, macronutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are higher than inorganic approach in 42 per cent cropping systems.

Soil micronutrients like iron, manganese, zinc and copper are also higher (by 76 per cent) with an organic approach.

Though the integrated approach led to better results than inorganic in all cases, suggesting that lesser chemicals lead to better results in sustainability parameters, AI-NPOF results show that organic is even better than integrated in all except the cases of potassium, iron, manganese and bulk density.

Soil health and fertility, macro and micro nutrients, soil organic carbon, soil enzymes, earthworms, soil respiration and microbial biomass increase after adoption of natural farming and Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF).

Natural farming also improves overall resilience of crops to adverse climatic conditions and improves energy and water efficiency. It also has the potential to reduce carbon emissions.

The studies highlight that ZBNF can help prevent over-extraction of groundwater, enable aquifer recharge and contribute to increasing water table.

On food quality

Food quality and nutrition with the organic approach are found to be better than inorganic, and slightly better than integrated.

The AI-NPOF study for crops from five food groups (vegetables, oilseeds, pulses, spices and cereals) shows that in 67 per cent cases, results are higher with organic approach and in 64 per cent cases, they are higher with integrated approach. In 12 of the 15 crops, parameters were found highest with organic approach.

Evidence collated from the other scientific studies show that the quality parameters like total carotenoids, total soluble solids, vitamin C, total sugars and lycopene are higher with the organic approach in vegetables and fruits.

Organically grown maize, strawberries and marionberries have significantly higher (around 30 per cent) levels of cancer-fighting antioxidants. In the case of papaya, the quality parameters were higher with organic as compared to recommended dose of fertilisers. Organically grown taro had higher nutrient content.

Organic farming also improved the physical attributes of vegetables such as cabbage, tomato and cowpea. Organically grown rice showed higher nutritive values than that grown with chemicals.

Setting agenda

It is important that the country's larger scientific community, trained in chemical-based agriculture, does not outrightly reject the evidence due to any bias and instead carefully review results of the work done by its scientific colleagues in different parts of the country.

Benefits of organic farming related to profitability and sustainability strongly outweigh those with inorganic approaches.

The existing programmes to support organic and natural farming should therefore be scaled up, expanded and properly funded.

Develop a roadmap that sets the long-term agenda for adoption of agro-ecological approaches across different parts of the country in view of its holistic benefits such as nutrition, livelihood of farmers, natural resource conservation, biodiversity, resource efficiency, soil-health, disease resilience and mitigation of climate crisis.

This roadmap should also consider mechanisms for incentivising farmers to adopt agro-ecological practices such as payments for ecosystem services, and specifically focus on supporting farmers during the transition to organic and natural farming through technical and financial support.

There is an urgent need for a targeted, ambitious and well-funded nationwide programme to drive the change. This includes bringing together ministries and programmes; outlining the centre-state relationship in terms of funds, accountability and coordination; and establishing a vibrant market.

Measures to adequately produce and make available quality organic fertilisers and biofertilizers at low cost should be the priority. To help the agriculture extension system support the transition on the ground, a capacity among extension officials should be developed.

The organic certification process should be improved to make it farmer-friendly and low-cost. Measures should be taken to address the concerns about the PGS-India (Participatory Guarantee System of India) certification system and its implementation.

An alternative certification that is simpler for farmers and trustworthy for consumers could be explored for well-connected local markets.

States can be instrumental in helping farmers sell organic and natural produce by developing value chains, procuring produce and getting remunerative prices. DTE

The article is co-written by Amit Khurana, Mohammad Abdul Halim & Abhay Kumar Singh. Views expressed are personal