Enhancing farmers' income through organic farming by Dr. L. Jeebit
- 1. Dr. L. Jeebit Singh Asst. Project Officer Manipur Organic Mission Agency Department of Hort. & Soil Conservation Government of Manipur
- 2. PRESENT SITUATION AND REQUIREMENTS • Quick rise in population – More people to feed • Greater need for production – Farms required to produce more • Increase in urbanisation – Less farms to do more work • Wide-spread ecological impacts – Faith in technological, political and economic fixes
- 3. SOLUTION TILL DATE = CONVENTIONAL FARMING (CHEMICAL FARMING) But the big question Whether conventional farming is SUSTAINABLE ????
- 4. Sustainability of Conventional Farming is DOUBTFUL Because Environmental factors (e.g., pesticides disrupt ecological balances, herbicides pollute the ground water) Food quality (e.g., pesticides contaminate food, high levels of nitrate, negative effect on taste)
- 5. Sustainability of Conventional Farming is DOUBTFUL Agronomic factors – heavy use of chemical fertilisers leads to weak plants more susceptible to diseases erosion, insect resistance to insecticides, limited crop rotations increase pest and diseases and exhaustion of the soil, genetic engineering, loss in biodiversity, …) Economical factors (e.g., labour force in agriculture greatly reduced, production of excess food, shift to large and mechanised farms, farms more specialised , …)
- 6. What will be the solution???? ORGANIC FARMING
- 7. Now what is ORGANIC FARMING ? • Definition (Codex Alimentarius Commission) • ‘food production management systems, which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity.’ In simple words ORGANIC FARMING = No synthetic inputs + natural processes of farming
- 8. PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIC FARMING Sustain and enhance the health of soil, plant, animal, human and planet as one and indivisible. Based on living ecological systems and cycles, work with them, emulate them and help sustain them. Build on relationships that ensure fairness with regard to the common environment and life opportunities. Managed in a precautionary and responsible manner to protect the health and well-being of current and future generations and the environment. HEALTH ECOLOGY FAIRNESS CARE
- 9. OK We shall go for ORGANIC FARMING BUT We (debaters and critics) have two questions always and forever: 1. Can ORGANIC FARMING feeds the world?? (think about yield) 2. Is INCOME of ORGANIC FARMING be high enough to make it PROFITABLE?? (think about the cost involved) Answer is interestingly YES (in both cases)
- 10. If ALL FARMERS switched to ORGANIC AGRICULTURE could the world produce ENOUGH FOOD? • Hunger in the world is not caused by insufficient food stocks but by uneven distribution. • Enough food in the world for everyone to eat: – poor people cannot afford to buy it. – many people suffer from excess food consumption. • Solving world hunger is a complex challenge that require – balancing population control, – distribution issues, and – non-food demands on agricultural land. • Surprisingly organic agriculture can be both efficient and compatible with “FEEDING THE WORLD.”
- 11. How to enhance FARMERS INCOME ??? INCOME - COST OF PRODUCTION = +ve then profits -ve then losses * Income depends on price and yield * Cost of production is a factor of various inputs
- 12. A. COSTS OF PRODUCTION 1. Land • Largest single production expenditure. • Both conventional and organic farming the land cost remains the same. • However, in some cases, organic farm may be costlier due to need of chemical free region in the surrounding also.
- 13. A. COSTS OF PRODUCTION (contd.) 2. Fertilizer - • Avery costly affairs • No chemical fertilizer in organic farming • Organic farming uses legumes in the crop rotation and apply manure or compost. • Manure/compost are cheap and usually produce in the field itself by farmer themselves.
- 14. A. COSTS OF PRODUCTION (contd.) 3. Seed – • Cost of organic seeds are more than normal seeds • Certified organic seeds add upto the cost more • But cost of seeds account for a small % of overall costs of production.
- 15. A. COSTS OF PRODUCTION (contd.) 4. Pesticides • Organic farmers never use chemical pesticides on field crops • Bio-pesticides which are cheap and easy to manufacture are used in organic farming • Organic farming also rely mostly on preventive measures and use of natural enemies • On the other hand, chemical farming involves heavy cost in these aspects
- 16. A. COSTS OF PRODUCTION (contd.) 5. Machinery, fuel, repairs, and machine hire - • Chemical farming uses more of machineries and other accessories therefore cost is more • Organic farming however also need use of machineries if in large scale but lower than chemical farming • However, in small scale farming the livestock serves the purposes.
- 17. A. COSTS OF PRODUCTION (contd.) 6. Labour - • Single most important cost factors of organic farming • The average cost in this sector can be still be reduced if organic farmers adopt the modern new technology of farming. • Chemical farming has high advantage in cost effectiveness in these aspects
- 18. To sum up, the cost of production of both chemical and organic farming depends on: COMPARISON BETWEEN THE COST OF LABOUR AND COST OF CHEMICAL INPUT
- 19. B. YIELD • People assume organic agriculture produces low yields. • Yes, it holds true for some crops and some situations but NOT ALWAYS. • During organic transition crop yields usually DECLINE • However, after five or more years of organic management, yields on many organic farms recover to the same level or sometimes higher levels than when the same fields were under conventional management.
- 20. C. PRICE • Organic foods usually cost more. • So if some production costs are higher and others lower, yields are the same or lower, and price is higher, what is the bottom line for farm profitability in organic agriculture? • Once certified (transition period will be over), yields generally improve and the farm products can get a significant price premium. • For these reasons, established organic farms are often more profitable than their conventional counterparts.
- 21. Organic opportunities Organic production for the market big opportunity for farmers in developing countries But organic farming also leads to more sustainable production: Less dependency on external inputs More efficient production (recycling, soil and water conservation) less waste (erosion) Improvements of yield particularly in marginal areas with poor soils Improved nutrition through wider crop rotations Good potential for organic agriculture to contribute to more sustainable production among poor farmers (not just for the market)
- 22. Why farmers should choose organic production? Better cash income Better crop security (diversity of products) Why consumer should choose organic produce? Health of the family Better for the environment
- 23. 23