Organic farming has it’s own benefits and drawbacks
Organic Farming to be implemented in HP, for improved yields. Agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity, are promoted and enhanced through organic farming, which is a comprehensive production management method. Numerous studies have demonstrated that using organic farming techniques may result in yields that are even higher than those obtained using traditional techniques.
Environmental protection is a priority in the organic process. By employing natural resources like compost, manure, and cover crops, as well as rotating crops, it encourages better soil fertility.
To encourage low-budget farming in the State, the Himachal Government has created the Prakartik Kheti-Khushal Kisan programme. An official spokeswoman added that as part of this programme, training and seminars are being held to educate farmers about natural farming.
Farmers receive a 75 percent subsidy on drums to help them provide the input for natural farming. The opening of natural resource stores in each community for the delivery of inputs in natural farming has also been provided with support up to Rs 50,000.
Additionally, farms are using more insecticides. In addition to hurting the area’s delicate environment, this has an impact on the residents’ health and forces them into debt. With a focus on preserving environmental harmony and using low-cost climate-resilient agricultural techniques, PK3Y seeks to boost farmers’ income.
You can visit- Organic Farming Research Foundation for more information on Organic Farming at https://ofrf.org/
As part of a sub-scheme of the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar stated on April 25, 2022 that around 4 lakh hectares had been placed under natural farming so far. Niti Aayog would develop a plan to build this up.
The necessity of the hour, according to Tomar, is to practise farming that works in harmony with nature, lowers production costs, and assures high-quality products. He made this statement while addressing a national workshop on creative agriculture in this location. (Source: Economic times )
Under the PK3Y programme, farmers like Devi have gotten training in creating and using natural inputs as well as financial assistance to purchase local cows (the use of their dung and urine is advised) and barrels for storing the inputs. Even if the government doesn’t offer any further assistance, she continued, “We will keep doing this farming.”
Due to PK3Y’s promotion of many and mixed crops, farmers are harvesting more. Nanak Ram from the Manvan village used to cultivate just wheat on his three bigha land in the Bilaspur district. He now eats peas, coriander, and radish. 200 kg of wheat per bigha was all I had got before. “Right now, I harvest 1,000 kg of radish, 150 kg of wheat, and 150 kg of peas,” he stated. He now spends Rs. 1,500 instead of Rs. 4,000 per bigha. Ram said, “I just purchase jaggery and pulse flour for the preparation of the inputs. I borrow the cow manure and urine from neighbours and collect leaves from the surrounding areas.
Since natural farming involves planting in lines, we need fewer seeds. Due to the specific mulch we employ, crops also require less irrigation, according to Gagan Pal of Sayar village in Bilaspur. Crop damage is minimal, he continued, even if there is an abundance of rain. (Source: Down to Earth)
Little difficulty exists:
- Candidates frequently lack knowledge about the government’s initiatives;
- The availability of training facilities varies across the nation; the majority of training facilities are located in remote places, forcing candidates to relocate for training
- Lack of demand-based training. Numerous people are being taught for a certain career, yet there is no need for those trained individuals.
- Trainers and techniques are of poor quality since they do not reflect the most recent skills needed by the business.
- Improvements need to be made to the infrastructure of current training facilities, and efficiency monitoring systems should be set up.
According to some farmers, their entire families work in the fields because it’s not always possible to hire outside labour or buy agricultural machinery. Consequently, implementing natural farming is difficult and demands the farmers’ and their families’ consistent efforts.
State and Union governments must fund research and innovation in order to smooth the transition and guarantee that their efforts are worthwhile. Incorporating several chemical-free techniques might be the first step in helping growers determine which ones work best for them.
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