UNIT 3 PRESENT STATUS AND

DEVELOPMENT
Structure
3.0 Objectives
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Milestones in Organic Farming
3.2.1 Present Status
3.2.2 Global Market
3.2.3 Standards and Regulations
3.2.4 Certification and Accreditation
3.3 Organic Farming Initiatives in India
3.3.1 India Organic
3.3.2 Facilitating Factors for Organic Farming
3.3.3 Constraints for Organic Farming
3.4 Organic Market
3.4.1 Major Organic Products from India
3.4.2 Market for Organic Products
3.4.3 Potential Customers for Organic Products in the Domestic Market
3.4.4 Products Comparative Advantage
3.5 The International Market
3.5.1 Japanese Organic Market
3.5.2 US Organic Market
3.5.3 The European Organic Market
3.5.4 Price Premium for the Organic Products
3.6 Future Development
3.7 Let Us Sum Up
3.8 Key Words
3.9 Further References
3.10 Model Answers

In the past few decades, organic farming gained considerable attention in most
of the developed countries. The number of organic farms has substantially
increased, accounting for five per cent and even more in some European countries.
At the same time, the market shares of organic products has also grown up.
Now organic products can be found in shops and supermarkets in most cities.
Today developing countries are the major producers and suppliers of organically
farmed produces to the growing market demand in developed countries. Organic
farming has increasingly gained attention as a way to manage natural resources
in a more sustainable way and to raise income especially of small holders in
developing countries. In this Unit we shall be looking at the status of organic
farming globally as well as locally. We shall also examine the market potential
and future development of organic farming.
 Present Status and
Development

Organic farming is being practised in about 120 countries in the world. The ill-
effects of chemicals used in agriculture have changed the mindset of
consumers of western countries that are now buying organic products at a
premium price. Policy makers are also promoting organic farming for restoration
of soil health and re-generation of rural economy apart from making efforts for
creating better environment. We shall be discussing these later in this unit. Now
I
let us understand the development of organic farming movement to the present
status.

I
The organic movement began as a reaction of few scientists and farmers against
the commercialization of agriculture using excessive chemical inputs. Advances
in biochemistry that led to using of urea as a source for nitrogen and development
iI in engineering that led to discovery of the internal combustion engine in the early
20th century made profound changes in farming. Ammonium nitrate, used in
ammunitions, became an abundantly cheap source of nitrogen. DDT, originally
developed by the military to control disease-carrying insects affecting troops,
I was applied to crops, launching the era of widespread pesticide use. Innovation
t
I
in all aspects of agriculture, like advances in large-scale irrigation, fertilization,
I
and the use of hybrid seeds, pushed up the agricultural output to grow in size.
The cropping became more efficient with the widespreed use of chemicals and
iI machinery resulting in reaping bumper harvests. Many of us were happy with
1 these modern farming methods that led to the Green Revolution.

However there were a few farmers and scientists who were very cautious
t about these rapid changes. They started crcitically examining the changes
I happening in the soil, environment, plants and food that is produced and
i health of the people. They also suggested alternative farming strategies to protect
the environment as well as health of the people. These initiatives formed the
basis for organic farming movement. It will be interesting to review these
. initiatives here.
The first initiative was in Germany, by Rudolf Steiner and his book Spiritual
i Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture, published in 1924. It led to

i the popularization of unique farming concept called Biodynamic Agriculture.

.This was probably the first comprehensive alternate farming system that came
up against the chemical method. The labeling of the produce from biodynamic

i farms as 'Demeter' certified came into use.

i
i
The British botanist, Sir Albert Howard studied traditional farming practices in
Bengal, India. He regarded such practices as superior to modern agricultural
practices and recorded them in his 1940 book, An Agricultural Testament.
I The term "Organic Farming" was coined by Lord Northbourne in his book
II "Look to the Earth', fromhis conception of the farm as organism.

Lady Eve Balfour, author of the organics classic The Living Soil, established
the pioneering Haughley Experiment in organic farming on her SuffoUc Farm,UK
in 1939. 45
Overview
the 1940s and published the first issue of Organic Farming a n d Gardening.

In 1962 ,Rachel Carson, a prominent scientist and naturalist, published Silent

Spring, chronicling the effects of DDT and other pesticides on the environment. i
I

It was a truly significant event in the history of organic farming. The book and i
the author are often credited with launching the worldwide environmental 4
movement. 1
,

In the early 1970's David Holmgren and Bill Mollison started to develop i
ideas that they hoped could be used to create stable agricultural systems or 1
/
permanent agriculture. A design approach called permaculture emerged with the i
publication of Permaculture One in 1978

In 1972, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements

i
1
(IFOAM) was founded in Versailles, France. IFOAM was dedicated to the
diffusion of information on the principles and practices of organic agriculture
I
I

across national and linguistic boundaries. In the 1980s, various farming and
consumer groups worldwide began pressing for government regulation of organic
production. This led to emergence of legislation and certification standards
beginning in the 1990s. Since the early 1990s, the retail market for organic

However, the volume and variety of "organic" products expanded with large
commercial farms.

Milestones in organic farming movement

1924 Demeter biodynamic label founded
1940 Sir Albert Howard publishes An Agricultural Testament
1942 J.I. Rodale publishes the first issue of Organic Farming and
Gardening
1943 Lady Eve Balfour publishes The Living Soil
1946 Soil Association founded in the UK
1967 Soil Association publishes first Organic Standards
1972 Founding of IFOAM
1974 Oregon State (US) adopts Organic Legislation
1979 First California Organic Foods Act adopted
1980 IFOAM Basic Standards published
1985 ~ r a n c "adopts
e organic legislation
1990 Organic Foods Production Act passed in the United States
1991 EU Regulation 2092191 adopted
1992 Establishment of the IFOAM Accreditation Programme
1999 Codex Alimentarius guidelines adopted
1999 EU organic livestock regulation published
2000 Japanese organic regulation published
2002 NPOP (National Programme for Organic Production).
Present Status and
~evelo~ment
Organic Farming- An 3.2.2 Global Market
Overview
Global sales of organic food and drink have increased by 43 per cent from 23
billion US$ (17.8 billion Euros) in 2002 with sales reaching 33 billion US$
(25.5 billion Euros) in 2005. The Organic Monitor expects sales to reach 100
billion US$ by 2010. Although organic agriculture is now present in most parts
of the globe, demand remains concentrated in Europe and North America. The
two regions are experiencing under supply because production is not enough to
meet the demand. Thus, large volumes of imports are coming in from other
regions.

3.2.3 Standards and Regulations

The development of a legal framework for organic production at international
level was a major activity. Many countries have passed legislation and others
have elaborated drafts or revised existing legislation. The revision process of
EU regulation 2092191 on organic agriculture, however, received the most
international attention in 2006.The process began at the end of 2005, and was
almost finahzed in December 2006 when the European Agriculture and Fisheries
Council agreed on the outline of the new organic regulation. More than 60
countries already have a regulation for organic products. India has developed
its organic standards and regulation under the name of National programme for
Organic Production (NPOP).

3.2.4 Certification and Accreditation

Currently, 395 organizations worldwide offer organic certification services. Most
certification bodies are in Europe (160), followed by Asia (93) and North
America (80). The countries with the most certification bodies are the US,
Japan, China and Germany. Some certification organizations also operate outside
their home country. Forty per cent of the certification bodies are approved by
the European Union, 32 percent have I S 0 65 accreditation, and 28 percent are
accredited under the US National Organic Program.

Lack of acceptance and recognition between the different certification and

accreditation systems contradict the objective of enhancing trade, market
development and fostering confidence. An important initiative for international
harmonization is the IFOAM Accreditation Program, which assesses certification
bodies against the IFOAM norms.

Currently 32 certification bodies operating in over 70 countries around the

world have voluntarily submitted themselves to the FOAM accreditation process.
A recent development is the International Task Force on Harmonization and
Equivalence in Organic Agriculture (ITF) aiming at a general consensus on
harmonizing the private players with the government and government standards1
regulations.
Australia is the country with most organic land. Number two is Argentina,
which had an area of 300,000 hectares, followed by China. Major increases
in organic land in the United States has made this country the number four,
followed by Italy. The top 10 countries have 23.7 million hectares together,
thus constituting more than three quarters of the world's organic land.
48
p - p p - - p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p -

Present Status and

Check Your Progress Exercise 1 Development
Note: a) Space is given below for answer.
b) Compare your answer with that given at the end of the unit.
1) Fill in the blanks
1) The global area under organic farming is about ...............million ha.
2) Organic farming is practiced in ....................countries in the world
3) The continent with most organic land is ......................................
4) The worldwide environmental movement against the use of pesticides
is attributed to the efforts made by the scientist ...........................
5) The first initiative that was made against the chemical based farming
was by ..........................................
2) Match the following
1) IFOAM Lady Eva Balfour
2) Demeter Rachel Carson
3) Living Soil Northbournes terminology
4) Permaculture 1972
5) - Organic 1999
6) Silent spring 1946
7) Codex Alimentarius guidline Biodynarnic
David Holmgren &Bill Mollison
3) Answer in one or two sentences
1) What are the reasons for rapid progress in agriculture that led to
Green Revolution?

2) Why there was increase in the consumers for organic products in the
west?

3) Which are the countries having most of organic farmi,ng area under
cultivation?
Organic Farming- An
overview 3.3 ORGANIC FARMING INITIATIVES IN INDIA
The first "scientific" approach to organic farming can be quoted back to the
Vedas of the "Later Vedic Period, 1,000 BC to 600 BC. The "Vrkshayuweda"
(Science of plants), the "Krishisastra" (Science of agriculture) and the
"Mrgayurveda" (Animal Science) are the main works. The essence of these
scriptures was to live in harmony with nature, rather than over exploit it. (Dealt
also in Unit 1).

3.3.1 India Organic

To promote the organic agriculture in India, the government took some initiative
in 2000. The National Steering Committee under the Chairmanship of the
Secretary, Commerce Ministory, outlined and approved the National.Program
for Organic Production (NPOP). Under this program, the National Organic
Standards has been evolved. It has also developed Criteria for Accreditation of
Certification Agencies, Accreditation, and Procedure Inspection and Certification
Procedures. In developin these standards and procedures due attention is paid
!
to the guidelines as e umerated by international organizations such as
International Federation for Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM), EU
Regulations and Codex Standards. As part of this program, a National Logo
for organic products on behalf of Govt. of India has also been developed.
APEDA (Agricultural and processed Food Products Expert Development
Authority) is the nodal agency to promote the Indian organic agriculture and its
exports opportunities

India Organic Logo

The Indian National Standards for Organic Production and India Organic Logo
are governed by APEDA, which provides national standards for organic products
through a National Accreditation Policy and Programme.
- The aims of the National Programme for organic production include: ( I ) to
provide the means of evaluation of certification programmes for organic agriculture
and products as per internationally approved criteria, (2) to accredit certification
programmes, (3) to facilitate certification of organic products in conformity to
the National Standards for Organic Products, (4) encourage the development
of organic farming and organic processing.

Other efforts towards promotion of organic exports include attempts to

collaborate with all the major organic importing countries. Towards this APEDA
is deliberating with European Union for inclusion of India in the list of third
countries under Article 11 of the EU regulations No 2092191 so that India's
National Programme for Organic Production gets the required recognition under
the EU regulations.
3.3.2 Facilitating Factors for Organic Farming Present Status and
Development
Organic farming provides economic opportunities for different stakeholders.
Some of the drivers that facilitate growth of organic agriculture in India are:

Growing export market for organically produced crops.

Price premium for organically produced agricultural products from10 to
100%.
Diverse agro-climatic regions across the country that provides environment
for wide range of crops can cater to market demands,
Increasing awareness and health consciousness especially among certain
sectors of domestic consumers,
Availability of comparatively cheap labor for labor-intensive organic
agriculture,
Huge numbers of small farmers who do the traditional farming with very
limited capacity to pay for most of the chemical inputs,
Presence of Non-Government Organizations (NGOS) as active promoters
of Organic farming in different agro-climatic regions,
Increasing involvement of private companies in the field of agricultural
extension, trade, consultation and allied services,
Enhanced ~ o v e h m e nattention
t and support for organic agriculture through
various policy initiations and action programs.

3.3.3 Constraints for Organic Farming

Organic farming provides a unique set of market opportunities in India. However,
it is not growing at a pace to capitalise o'n its market attractiveness. The small
and medium organic farmers face many constraints such as the lack of access
to extension services, inputs and financing.

The constraints for organic development are:

1) Organic production is a learning process that requires adequate time to

achieve their full potential.

2) Institutions and incentives providing support to conventional agriculture

(i.e. research centers, input subsidies, trained extension personnel, etc.)
are not available for organics.

3) Transaction costs for certifying products can be a distinct barrier for

small producers. Standards for different markets are diverse and not
harmonized. This increases the certification costs and also compliance
more difficult.

4) Local market demand is modest with low consumer awareness. The few
established distribution or sales outlets are often not part of the
mainstream.
Organic Fanning- An
3.4 ORGANIL ~ v l n ~ n1r , 1

Today, organic production and trade are emerging as an important sector in

India . It is seen as an important opportunity for sustainable development as
well as economic growth. We shall study the major organic products cultivated
in India and their trade.

V l gialllL 1 1U U U L W 11U l l l
1 1VliaJUl IlIUIia
1
According to the FAO study of mid-2003, India had 1,426 certified organic
farms producing approximately 14,000 tons of organic food annually. In 2005,
I
1

as per Government of India figures, approximately 190,000 acres (77,000

hectares) were under organic cultivation. The total production of organic food
1i
that year was 120,000 tons, though this largely included certified forest I
collections. i

black gram); Oilseeds (groundnut, castor, mustard and sesame): Fruits (banana,
sapota, custqd apple and papaya); and Vegetables (tomato, brinjal, and leafy
vegetables), besides honey, cotton and sugarcane (especially for jaggery).
Organic production of meat items like poultry, livestock and fisheries is yet to
figure in India.

TYpe Products
Commodity Tea, Coffee, Rice, Wheat.
Spices Cardamom, Black pepper, White pepper, Ginger, Turmeric,
Vanilla, Mustard, Tamarind, Clove, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Mace,
Chillies, Vanilla extracts, Thyme, Oregano, Parsley, Garcinia.
Pulses Red gram, Black gram, Pigeon pea, Chickpea, Green gram.
Fruits Mango, Banana, Pineapple, Passion fruit, Orange, Cashew
nut, Walnut, Custard apple and Papaya.
Vegetables Okra, Brinjal, Garlic, Onion, Tomato, Potato.
Oil seeds Sesame, Castor, Sunflower, Groundnut, Mustard.
Others Cotton, Herbal extracts, Honey, Sugarcane.

3.4.2 Market for organic Products

This accounts for 7.5% of total organic production. The market has not grown
large so far due to lack of marketing initiatives from key players (producers,
traders, NGOs,etc.), the low awareness about organic products and higher
price.

However, there seems to be increasing health awareness among the literate

population due to the pesticides presence in food. This is often dealt in the
media. The increasing awarness is expected to push up the demand for organic
products in the coming years.
A number of domestic marketing initiatives have been launched. Some of them Present Status and
have registered positive success. A semi-government operated co-operative Development
initiative has organised marketing of organic products in a number of outlets in
the major cities. Some private marketing too have begun to include organic
'
products in their banding and distribution lines. Even in rural areas, numerous
farmers' groups and NGOs have started selling organic products.

3.4.3 Potential Customers for Organic Products in the

Domestic Market '

The domestic market for organic products is not well developed as the export
market. Most organic production originates from small farmers. Wholesalers/
traders account for a 60% share in the distribution of organic products. Large
organized producers distribute their products through supermarkets as well as
through self-owned stalls. Considering the profile of existing consumers of organic
products, supermarkets and restaurants are the major marketing channels for
organic products. Major consumers of organic products are in metropolitan
cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. The
health conscious middle class families are the majority to buy organic foods.
Vegetables and fruits are the major organic products desired by the 1ndian
customers. NGOs play a very important role in promoting market for organic
products.

Awareness about the presence of organic products is quite low among the large
majority of Indians. In the metropolitan cities only 25% of the consumers was
aware of the goodness organic products. The purchase ratio of organic to
conventional products is 1:10. The organic products currently being consumed
are rice, wheat flour, pulses, vegetable and fruits.

3.4.4 Products Comparative Advantage

A new trend is developing in India to produce some of the crops organically
not only on account of the love for protection of nature but also because of the
need for having safe products for consumption. A good number of farmers
produce different food crops by organic methods for their own consumption
and also for sale in the local markets. Some of the agricultural products, that
enjoy a comparative advantage for domestic as well as international market,
can be grown organically in major producing zones. They are given blow:
Products that have a Comparative Advantage in Organic Market
Product Season States Major Locations
1) Tea Through out Assam, Kerala Darjeeling, Ooty
the year West Bengal, TN Duwahati, Dehradun,
Munnar
2) Spices Through out Kerala, TamilNadu, Cochin, Coimbatore,
the year Karnataka Idukki, Coorg
3) Coffee Through out Kerala Tamilnadu, Coimbatore, Coorg,
the year - Karnataka Wayanad, Peermade
4) Rice Kharif & Rabi Punjab, Waryana, Ambala, Patiala,
Uttar Pradesh, Bhatinda, Faridkot,
Kerala Wayouned
Organic Farming- An States Major Locations
Overview
Product Season
5) Wheat Rabi Punjab, Haryana, Amritsar,
Madhya Pradesh Jalandhar, Darrang,
Assam, Maharashtra, Ratnagiri, Kanchipuram,
Tamil Nadu Tiruvallur
6) Vegetables Through out All India Various locations
the year
7) Fruits Through out All India Various locations
the year
8) Cotton Kharif Maharashtra, Gujarat, Akola,Amravati,
Madhya Pradesh Amreli, Kheda,Indore

India is likely to grow more crops organically in the coming years for export
market. Accordingly, the area under organic cultivation for some of the export-
oriented crops will go up soon. In addition, there will be increasing production
for local consumption, as domestic market in a growing economy can also
absorb bigger quantities of organic products particularly, fruits and vegetables.
-~ -~ ~

Check Your Progress Exercise 2

Note: a) Space is given below for answer.
b) Compare your answer with that given at the end of the unit.
(I) Answer the following questions
1) Area under organic farming in India is ......................................
2) Total quantity of organic product in India is .................................
3) Major export produce from plantations are ....................................
4) Major spices exportedfrom India are ...........................................
I

5) The domestic market fbr organic products are ..............................

6) Major agency promoting organic farming in the private sector
is ..............................................

3.5 THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET

The export of organic products from the country amounts to 11,925 tons.
These account for 8% of total production and had reached a sales of 2 1,525
tons during 2006-07. The major export markets are Australia, Belgium, Canada,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, Singapore, South Africa,
Saudi Arabia, UAE, the United Kingdom and USA. Tea is exported directly by
the producers. Other organic products are produced mainly by small farmers,
and hence exported through exporters. Organic products produced by organized
players are exported directly to various countries.

Products available for the export market are rice, wheat, tea, spices, coffee,
pulses, frits and vegetables, cashew nuts, cotton, oil seeds and herbs. The
channels adopted for the export of organic products, except for tea, are mainly
through export companies. Organic tea is produced by organized tea estates
and exported directly.
 I i
3.5.1 Japanese Organic Market Present Status and
Development
The largest Asian market for organic products is Japan. The Japanese organic
market has been characterized as a market with high demand and strong
purchasing power, and with low domestic supply of organic products. The
annual growth of the organic market in Japan is about 20 per cent. Organic
products to Japan have to be labelled with the Japanese Organic State Logo
(JAS) and also the imported organic products must meet Japanese national
standards.

Japan is considered to be a major importer of organic products, mainly supplied

by Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. The most cornmonly imported
organic products are soybean, organic frozen vegetables, tea and bananas.
Estimated retail sales of Japanese organic food and beverages are at about
US$2.5-3.0 billion. In Japan, organic products are marketed through various
channels such as large companies (eg. Kirin), family businesses, the Japanese
Tei-Kei system, consumer co-operatives etc. However, delivery servicei control
the largest organic market share.

3.5.2 US Organic Market

- -
The US is the world's lakest market for ornanic products. With retail sale of
organic food and beverages worth about US dollar 12.5 billion in 2004. The
main factors in this positive growth are strong consumer awareness for health
I and environmental issues.

I In the United States, organic food is sold to consumers throkgh the following
channels:

Natural food stores (48%),

Conventional grocery stores (49%)
I
Direct to consumer markets (3%).
Fresh organic produce remains the top selling category, followed by non -
dairy beverages, breads and grains, packaged foods (frozen and dried
prepared foods, baby food, soups, and desserts), and dairy products.
Organic dairy was the most rapidly growing organic food segment during
1990s, followed closely by sales of juice, soymilk and other non-dairy
beverages. Organic meat sales accounted for 3 per cent of total organic sales
in 2000.

Normally, organic consumer in U.S. may accept price premiums of 10-20%,

or a maximum of 25 per cent. To be certain that organic products will be
accepted in the US organic market, the producerlexporter should choose a
certification body that provides access of the US market, for example, a
certification body accredited by the National Organic Programme (NOP) of
USDA 55
Organic Farming- An
Overview
3.5.3 The European Organic Market
Since the beginning of the 1990s, organic farming has rapidly developed in
almost all European countries. In 2005, about 6.9 million hectares in Europe
were managed organically by about 190,000 farms. This constitutes 3.9 per
cent of the total agricultural area. The country with the highest number of farms
and the largest organic area is Italy.

Organic land increased over 2004 survey by almost 510,000 hectares (+8 per
cent) in Europe as a whole and by 490,000 hectares (+ 8.5 per cent) in the
European Union. The increase in the EU is due to high grdwth rates in the new
member states (for instance Lithuania and Poland) as well as substantial increases
in Italy and Spain. Support for organic farming in the European Union includes
grants under the European Union's rural development programs, legal protection
under the recently revised EU regulation on organic faming (since 1992) and
the launch of the European Action Plan on Organic Food and Farming in June
2004. Countries that are not EU members-alsb get similar support.

The European market is estimated to be between Euros 13 and 14 billion as

estimated during 2005. The biggest market for organic products is Germany
with an annual turnover of Euros 3.9 billion, followed by Italy (Euros 2.4
billion) and France (Euros 2.2 billion). The highest market share of organic
products of the total market is in Switzerland with 4.5 per cent, and the
highest per capita consumption is also in that country with more than 100
Euros spent on organic food per citizen in a years. The market in the United
Kingdom is also growing strongly. Countries with mature organic markets like
Austria and Denmark show poor growth rates. Switzerland and Denniark have
the highest consumption per capita,'whereas France, Holland and Italy have
low consumption per capita. ~ n n u agrowth
l of the European market is around
ten per cent. Some countries are expedencing a shortage of organic products
availability.

European consumers are used to buying their organic products from the.
supermarket chains, natural food stores or direct from the organic producer. In
the European Union, organic products are grown according to the EU
Regulation 2092191. In Switzerland, BIO SUISSE certification plays an
important role in the marketing of organic products

3.5.4 Price Premium for the Organic Products

Prices vary widely over time due to seasonal trends in production and market.
Most of the consumers who are aware of the advantages of organic fanning are
willing to pay a certain premium for organic foods. In many countries, the
premium is 20-25 per cent. But there are instances where more than 100%
price premium is obtained for certain products like spices. The price premium
for some of the organic produce are given below:
 The Price Premium for some of the Organic Produce Present Status and
Development
Product Price Premium 9%
1) Tea 47
2) Rice 44
3) Protein grain 44
4) Spices 30
5) Vanilla 43
6) Mango 25
ti)

7) Pineapple 28
8) Banana 31
9) Nuts 40

3.6 FUTCTRE DEVELOPMENT

India has a rich heritage of agricultural traditions that are suitable for designing
organic production systems. Sophisticated crop rotation or mixed cropping
patterns, for example the famous agro-forestry systems of the Western Ghats,
facilitate the management of pests, diseases and nutrient recycling. Botanical
preparations, some of which originate from the ancient Veda scriptures, provide
a rich source for locally adapted pest and disease management techniques. The
widespread cultivation of legume crops facilitates the supply of biologically
fixed nitrogen.
India is strong in high quality production of certain crops like tea, spices, rice
specialities, ayurvedic herbs etc. In several regions of India, agriculture is not
very intensive supported by the use of agro-chemicals. Especially in mountain
areas and tribal areas, use of agrochemicals is rather low, which facilitates
conversion to organic production. Labour is relatively cheap in India, thus
favouring the conversion to less input dependent, but more labour-intensive
production systems, provided they achieve sufficient yields.
Many NGOs are engaged in promotion of organic farming and provide training,
extension services, information and marketing services to farming communities.
The Indian Government has realized the potential significance of organic
agriculture for the country and has recently moved to support organic agriculture
on large scale and on various levels. The Ministry of Agriculture announced that
support for organic producers, processors and traders would be included in the
Eleventh Five-Year Plan.

Check Your Progress Exercise 3

Note: a) Space is given below for answer.
b) Compare your answer with that given at the end of the unit.
1) Which is the largest international markets for organic products in the world?
 Present Status and
3.8 KEY WORDS -
Development

DDT : Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane is an organochlorine

insecticide, which remains for a long time as a deposit in
animal organisms. It accumulates as a breakdown product
in fatty material and gradually builds up in the food chain
as smaller animals are eaten by larger one.

Hybrid Seed : Seed of plant that got by crossing two varieties or species
*:
defferential from HYV.

Standards : Refers to Organic Standards: It is the minimum

requirements for a farm and its products to be certified
organic. Basic standards are defined on an international
level by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the
United Nations (FAO) in the Codex Alimentarius
(www.codexalimentarius.net), and by the International
Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements IFOAM
(www.ifoam.org).Organic standards for certification are
specific to certain regions (e.g. EUregulation EEC 2092/
91), or are private labels (e.g. Naturland, BIO SUISSE

Certification : The procedure by which a third party gives a written

assurance that a clearly identified process has been
methodologically assessed,such that adequate confidence
is provided that specific products confirm to specific
requirements
Accreditation : Procedure by which an authoritative body gives a formal
recognition that a body or a person is sompetent to carry
out specific tasks
USDA : United States Department of Agriculture

3.10 FURTHER REFERENCES

Altieri, Miguel and C.1. Nicholls (1999). Biodiversity, ecosystem function
and insect pest management in agricultural systems. In W W Collins and
C.O. Qualset (Eds) Biodiversity in Agroecosystems. CRC Press, Boca
Raton, FL.
Baraibar, BBrbara (2006). Data Collection and Processing. In: Willer/Yussefi
(Eds.) The World of Organic Agriculture 2006, International Federation of
'Organic Agriculture Movements, Bonn, Germany and Research Institute of
Organic Agriculture FiBL, Frick, Switzerland
Mayo, Robert (2004). Organic Agricultural Statistics and Information at
the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization: Initiatives,
Opportunities and Challenges.
FAO. (2002). Organic agriculture, environment and food security. N .
Scialabba & C. Hattam (Eds)Published as monograph Environment and Natural
Resources Series. N4. Rome: FA0
Organic Farming- An Giovannucci, Daniele. (2005a). Organic Agriculture and Poverty Reduction
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3.11 MODEL ANSWERS

Check Your Progress Exercise 1

4) Rachel Carson
5) Rudolf Steiner
2) 1) 1972
2) Biodynamic -
3) Lady Eva Balfour
4) David Holmgren & Bill Mollison
5) Northbournes terminology
6) Rachel Carson
7 ) 1999

3) 1) Advances in biochemistry that led to using of urea as a source for

nitrogen and development in engineering that led to discovery,of the
internal combustion engine in the early 20th century made profound
changes in farrning.
2) High level of toxic materials in food
Health concern
. Environmental protection
3) Australia (1 1.8 million hectares), Argentina (3.1 million hectares), China
(2.3 million hectares) and the US (1.6 million hectares)
Check Your Progress Exercise 2 Present Status and
Development
1) 1.9millionha

3) Tea, Coffee
4) Cardamom, Black Pepper, White Pepper
5) Mumbai, Bangore,Delhi, Chennai
63 NGOs
Check Your Progress Exercise 3

2) Natural food stores, conventional grocery stores and direct sales from
farms
3) Italy
4) Germany
5) Switzerland
6) APEDA