FATE OF ORGANIC FARMING IN CONTRAST TO CONVENTIONAL FARMING SYSTEMS - A THRUST TO ORGANIC FOOD

Abstract

India had been basically a country of organic farming and after thousands years of organic farming the annual food grain production in 1951 was only about 50 million tones. The country witnessed a severe famine in 1942-43 popularly known as Bengal famine, which whirl about 4-5 million lives. This force the government to launch ?Grow more food campaign? with fertilizer as a key input. The coordinated effort of all concerned resulted in 200+ million tones of food grains through increased use of fertilizer coupled with use of high yielding varieties and better water management While it is difficult to make quantitative estimates, the productivity of organic cropping systems is considerably lower than that of conventional or integrated cropping systems. This reduced productivity could potentially lead to less land available for nonagricultural land uses such as wildlife habitat, greater negative impacts on environment and reduced sustainability. To ensure that the practice of organic farming aligns with its perception by the public, its conceptual definition must avoid misleading connotations regarding its ability to produce healthy and safe food in an environmentally sustainable manner.