CONCEPT OF ORGANIC FARMING
Organic farming system
in India
is not new and is being followed from ancient time. It is a method of farming
system which primarily aimed at cultivating the land and raising crops in such
a way, as to keep the soil alive and in good health by use of organic wastes
(crop, animal and farm wastes, aquatic wastes) and other biological materials
along with beneficial microbes (bio-fertilizers) to release nutrients to crops
for increased sustainable production in an eco friendly pollution free
environment.
As per the definition
of the USDA study team on organic farming “organic
farming is a system which avoids or largely excludes the use of synthetic inputs
(such as fertilizers, pesticides, hormones, feed additives etc) and to the
maximum extent feasible rely upon crop rotations, crop residues, animal
manures, off-farm organic waste, mineral grade rock additives and biological
system of nutrient mobilization and plant protection”.
In another definition
FAO suggested that “Organic agriculture
is a unique production management system which promotes and enhances
agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil
biological activity, and this is accomplished by using on-farm agronomic,
biological and mechanical methods in exclusion of all synthetic off-farm inputs”.