Organic Farming

Organic agriculture is a holistic production management system that promotes the health of the agro-ecosystem related to biodiversity, nutrient biological cycles, soil microbial and biochemical activity.

Biodynamic farming(File referring to external site opens in a new window)  is a principal of organic farming where chemical fertilizers are replaced by microbial nutrient givers like algae, fungi, bacteria, micorhiza and actinomycetes. Biological pest management is the process of using the natural predators of pests like birds and parasites instead of chemical pesticides. Composting, green manuring, crop rotation, mixed cropping, bird perches and trap crops are other principles of organic farming. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research(External website that opens in a new window) and the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation(External website that opens in a new window) are involved in promoting organic farming in India

Organic manure covers manure made from cattle dung, excreta of other animals, rural and urban composts, other animal wastes, crop residues and green manures. This is how these wastes are useful in improving the fertility and productivity of soils:

• Cattle dung leads to soil porosity, excreta from other animals betters the water stable aggregates.
• Rural and urban compost improves the water holding capacity of the soil.
• Other animal wastes betters the infiltration rate.
• Crop residues and green manures improve hydraulic conductivity.

Most farmers choose to use farmland manure because it is commonly available. Other advantages are its ability to improve the soil, tilth and aeration, increase the water holding capacity of the soil and stimulate the activity of microorganisms that make plant food elements in the soil.

Composting is the process of reducing vegetable and animal waste to a quickly utilizable condition. This is done through the action of microorganisms on the wastes. These wastes may include leaves, roots, stubbles, crop residues, straw, hedge clippings, weeds, water hyacinth, saw dust, kitchen wastes and human habitation wastes. The waste materials undergo intensive decomposition under medium-high temperatures in heaps or pits with adequate moisture for around 3-6 months. The finished compost is an amorphous, brown to dark brown mix of humified materials.

There are basically two types of composting - Aerobic and Anaerobic.

In Aerobic compositing, the used bedding of cattle, the sweeping from cattle sheds and some urine soaked earth from the stable floor are removed every day. This is mixed with cattle dung and two or three handfuls of wood ash and is deposited on a well-drained site. Gradually a low pile of around 30 to 45 centimeters in height forms. The pile in built up before the start of the rainy season. After the first heavy showers, the welted material in a 1.2 metre strip of each side is turned with a rake on to a 2.4 metre wide strip in the middle, thus raising the height of the heap to nearly 1 metre. This process prevents a loss of moisture and ensures a quick start to decomposition. When the heap sinks after three to four weeks, it is given a second turning and made into a fresh heap by mixing outside material with that from inside. After about a month or more, depending on the amount of rain, the heap is given a final turning on a cloudy day. The compost can be put to use after around four months.

In Anaerobic Composting, the farm residues are collected in pits of a convenient size, say around 4.5 metres X 1.5 metres X 1 metre. Each day’s collection is spread in a thin layer, sprinkled with a mixture of fresh cow dung (4.5 kgs), ash (140 to 170 gms) and water (18 to 22 litres). This is then made compact. The pit is filled till the raw material stands 30 to 46 centimeters above its edge and is then plastered with a mixture of mud and cow dung. The compact moist materials become compost in about four to five months without any further attention. This compost usually contains around 0.8 to 1 per cent of nitrogen.

Green manuring involves the cultivation of leguminous plants that are used due to their symbiotic nitrogen or N fixing capacity. In some areas, non-leguminous plants may also be used due to their local availability, drought tolerance, quick growth and adaptation to adverse conditions.

The best green manure should possess the following traits:

1. Show early establishment and high seedling vigour
2. Be tolerant to drought, shade, flood and adverse temperature
3. Possess early onset of N fixation and its efficient sustenance
4. Have an ability to accumulate large bio mass and nitrogen in 4-6 weeks
5. Is easy to incorporate
6. Is quickly decomposable
7. Is tolerant to pest and diseases

In Madhya Pradesh, organic farming is being implemented under the guidance of a team of experts comprising scientists, environmentalists and food management personnel in 1565 villages. Nutrients to the crops are provided through green manuring, composts, phosphocomposts and fermented preparations prepared from cow dung and urine. Pests are managed through the use of neem and cow urine based fermented preparations. Eight different ways of composting are recommended in Madhya Pradesh. They are the Indore method, nadep compost, nadep phospho compost, vermi compost, bhabhut amrit pani, amrit sanjeevani, pitcher khad, biogas slurry, green manures and bio fertilizer.