Emerging trend of
Organic Farming.
Organic farming is simply farming without
chemicals. It is a system that seeks to exclude the direct or routine use of
synthetic fertilizers, biocides, veterinary drugs, hormones, additives,
preservatives, growth regulators and other agrochemicals. It relies upon crop
rotations, crop residues, livestock manures, cattle dung, composted municipal
garbage, vermin-compost, organic wastes such as rice husk, wheat husk, cotton
lint and mineral bearing rocks i.e. used to feed the soil and supplies the
nutrients required by plants. It is also called green food production.
Health hazards are drastically
increasing day by day due to the use of food commodities accumulating a great
amount of toxins contributed by pesticides and fertilizers. Chemicals
extensively used for commercial vegetables, fruits and cereals production
contains carcinogenic compounds which permeate into the final produce. The
noticeable ill effects of pesticides are respiratory problems, cancers, less
reproductive ability and many more. The conventional farmers use synthetic
pesticides and fertilizers more extensively in order to attain more yield and maximum
benefits irrespective of their ill effects on human health. They have no
concern with the human health. Wild life is diminishing such as the earth worms
have become scarce and the soil seems dead. Sulphure and sulphure-containing
pesticides are destructive for beneficial insects and arthropods. Go organic
for a genuine, cost-effective, healthier and environmentally safer future
The
organic food on the whole is nutrition and meets anatomical and physiological
requirements of human. It also helps in interaction of food clean like
production, processing, packaging and trading within the environment and the
social structures. For keeping good health it becomes necessary to avoid use of
such vegetables. Organic food has a better taste and a great variety. It
contains on average 50 percent more vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other micro
nutrients than intensively farmed produce.
Organic cultivation replenishes and
maintains long term soil fertility by reducing nitrate leaching. Increasing and
improving wild life habitant. Naturally occurring microorganisms in soil play
an important role in nitrogen cycle and decrease pathogenic fungus and
bacteria. It encourages the use of natural and renewable recourses. It is to
ensure healthy farm livestock. It provides more predicable economic returns. It
boosts farm income and promotes sustainability. It maintains the genetic
diversity of agricultural ecosystems. It ensures sustainable and healthy
conditions for future generations.
In world the total area under organic farming
was 31million hectares and there were total 633891 farms managed organically
round the world. (By the FiBL Survey
2007). While in Pakistan at present there are 20'310 hectares under organic
farming and 28 farms managed organically. (By the FiBL Survey 2005-07). The
studies show that 30.4 million hectares are currently certified according to
organic standards. It is commercially practiced in 120 countries. The global
market for organic products reached a value of over 40 billion US Dollars.
As Organic farmers are not allowed
to use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers therefore use of such toxic
chemicals should be completely avoided. Good agricultural practices are needed
to be carried out. The integrated pest management system is to be adopted.
Weeds managed manually or mechanically. Green manuring has a positive influence
on physical and chemical properties of soil. It maintains organic matter status
of soil and increases its water holding capacity .Soil microbial population is
also multiplied and soil aeration is improved. The organic wastes are also
recycled.
The dawn of third millennium bears immense
concerns about potentially environmental hazards throughout the world. Public
apathy and official indifferences on environment protection is not a secret.
There is a dire need to decimate polluted environment. Organic farms are better
than conventional farms at sustaining diverse ecosystems, i.e. population of
plants and animals creating environment friendly atmosphere. Organic farming
helps to minimize the greenhouse effect and global warming through its ability
to sequester carbon in the soil. Organic farms support nature, whereas,
intensive conventional farming has led to dramatic erosion of soil, fall of
wild birds, destruction of ancient hedgerows, and extinction of some species
like butterflies, frogs, grass snakes and wild mammals.
The basic standards for organic
production are published by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture
Movements IFOAM. These IFOAM basic standards define how organic products are
grown produced processed and handled. The organic farmers have to meet these
standards. Certification, accreditation and labeling the produce as ‘organic’
must be made by the certified and registered agencies. In Pakistan
most of the Organic Farms
are certified by Control Union Certifications Zwolle, the Netherlands for
organic production methods and USDA-NOP standards.
The mostly grown commodities are
organic rice, organic cotton, organic wheat, organic sugar, organic sucrose,
Organic Kinno fruit and juice concentrate, and Organic Mango fruit and pulp and
seasonal fresh vegetables.
Prospects in Pakistan
Pakistan
has a great potential for organic farming by delineating million of acres of
most fertile and productive land. Progressive farmers community is destined
turning towards organic cultivation. The area under organic farming will
increase as public awareness and health consciousness are boosted up by the media.
Organic farming here in Pakistan has many challenges to conduct. Organically
produced commodities are relatively more perishable.
The
reasons for slow progress of organic farming include lack of awareness among
people about its benefits. Export of organic produce is at very limited level.
There is also lack of inspection and certification agencies. Government price
policies and monopolies on market of agriculture produce, causing low
agricultural income.
The
organic food market is growing rapidly in the entire world. Various alternative
organic standards are also emerging. Some are also implementing new approaches
to defining and buying food. Farmers have to reap market premium for certified production.
The organic commodities will have high prices in domestic as well as in super
markets. Hence the economy will grow with a potential to alleviate poverty. Organic
food is also often linked with the fair trade movement, based on the principle
that social and environmental sustainability are inextricably interdependent. Initiatives
should be taken to organize marketing of organic food through creation of
awareness and establishment of markets. Pakistan has large area which has used
minimal pesticides and chemicals, where potential for conversion exists. It is
envisaged that a reasonable percentage of production shall be organic in coming
five years. The major organic food markets for Pakistan are Europe, the USA,
Japan and Middle East. There is bright future which indicates impressive
opportunities of different organic food products by Pakistan to export. Organic
farming is also compulsory in order to withstand WTO standards to increase
export of our agricultural produce. Future
prospects show proper utilization of recourses and profitable use of farm wastes.
Soil water and air pollution would be reduced. Organic farming will provide an
avocation to the land less laborers. Its objective are to develop low capital
less labor intensive, high yielding, better quality and healthy organic
farming. Reducing the cost of production to minimum to achieve self-sufficiency
in all inputs. It is recognized as a long-term solution to the problem caused
by nitrate pollution. Organic agriculture in the beginnings shows lower yields
than conventional cropping but as its input are lower than conventional
agriculture and labor in Pakistan is cheap, in long when organic agricultural
methods have improved soil characteristics, soil fauna and established worm
activity and large production of vermicasts, the yields will surpass the
conventional methods.
It
is concluded to be a very vast and diversified field. There is growing demand
of organic food products throughout the world. The researches and developments
on national level are strictly needed to be made. The government should provide
subsidy, financial and technical support to the farmers for organic crops
cultivation. It is needed to shift our agriculture trends towards saving the
nature. This will give us safe agricultural products and the power we use to
dispose off our solid wastes. It is right of our next generation that if we
can’t give them a better environment, we have no right to worsen it any more.
