Organic farming promotes the use of crop rotations, cover crops, and encourages balanced host / predator relationships. Organic residues and nutrients produced on the farm are recycled back to the soil. Cover crops and compost manure are used to maintain soil organic matter and fertility. Organic farming, a sustainable agricultural system, uses ecological based pest controls and biological fertilizers derived largely from animal and plant wastes and nitrogen fixation cover crops. Modern organic farming was developed as a response to the environmental harms caused by the use of chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers in conventional agriculture and it has numerous ecological benefits.
Compared with conventional agriculture, organic farming uses fewer pesticides, reduces soil erosion, decreases nitrate leaching into groundwater and surface water, and regulates animal wastes back into the farm. These benefits are counter balanced by higher food costs for consumers and generally lower yields, about 20 to 30 percent. The challenge for future organic agriculture will be to maintain its environmental benefits, increase yield, and reduce prices while meeting the challenges of climate change and an increasing world population. Bacteria Bacellus thuringiensis, pyrethrins, neem oil are used for pest control. Sulpher and copper may be used as these are quite safe.
In India, organic farming was started in 2016 in Sikhism, Karla, Mizoram, Goa, Rajasthan, Meghalaya, and Andhra Pradesh. In 2018 India had the largest number of organic producers, about 835,000 certified organic producers. It is very important for Punjab to adopt organic farming. Intensive farming and the growing of rice crop on a large area has created many problems like pollution of soil and water with pesticides and chemical fertilizers, degradation of soil, destruction of many parasites and predators, and pollinators. The water level has declined to dangerous levels and Punjab is going to be a barren land in the near future. It is of paramount importance to take action to solve this serious problem.
Comments