Concept Of Organic Farming - Hill Agric

Concept of Organic FarmingSS RANASR SCIENTIST

Concept2— Organic farming endorses the concept that the soil,plant, animals and human beings are linked.— Inphilosophical terms organic farming means“farming in sprits of organic relationship”. In thissystem everything is connected with everything else.— Therefore, its goal is to create an integrated,environmentally sound, safe and economicallysustainable agriculture production system.Concept of Organic Farming

3— Since organic farming means placing farming on integralrelationship, we should be well aware about therelationshipØ between the soil, water and plants,Ø between soil-soil microbes and waste products,between the vegetable kingdom and the animalkingdom of which the apex animal is the humanbeing,Ø between agriculture and forestry,Ø between soil, water and atmosphere etc.— It is the totality of these relationships that is the bedrockof organic farming.Concept of Organic Farming

4— The farmer manages self-regulating ecological and————biological processes for sustainable and economicproduction of products.Organic farming systems are based on developmentof biological diversity and the maintenance andreplenishment of soil productivity.The soil in this system is a living entity.The total environment of the soil, from soil structureto soil cover is more important.It must have to be protected and nurtured at all cost.Concept of Organic Farming

5— Feed the soil, it will feed the crop.— The soil’s living population of microbes and otherorganisms are significant contributors to its fertilityon a sustained basis.— It conserves soil fertility and soil erosion throughimplementation of appropriate conservationpractices.Concept of Organic Farming

Key characterization of organic farming inrelation to soil fertility and crop production6— Protecting the long-term fertility of soil by maintaining soil————organic matter levels, fostering soil and biological activity andcareful mechanical inversion,Plant nutrients supply through relatively insoluble nutrientsources (organic sources) made available by the action of soilmicrobes,Meeting crop need of nitrogen through nitrogen fixation byleguminous crops in the cropping systems and recycling offarm organic materials including crop residues and livestockwastes,Importance of crop rotation, natural predators, resistancevarieties and other agronomic manipulations of plantprotection including weed management, andBiodiversity management, soil and environmental health.Concept of Organic Farming

Concept7— Natural ecosystems can be a model for organicfarming systems. The natural ecosystems neither useany input nor demands unreasonable quantities ofwater. The art of organic farming is to make the bestuse of ecological principles and processes. Organicfarmers can learn a lot from studying theinteractions in natural ecosystems such as forests.— Theentire system is based on intimateunderstanding of nature’s ways. The system does notbelieve in mining of the soil of its nutrients and donot degrade it any way for today’s needs.Concept of Organic Farming

Natural v/s Organic production systems8Nutrients flowNutrient cycles inforestsRecycling nutrientsin organic farmsSoil fertilitySoil fertility inforestsSoil protection inorganic farmsDiversityDiversity in forests Crop diversity inorganic farmsSelf-regulationEco-balance inforestsConcept of Organic FarmingBio-control inorganic farms

Nutrient cycles in forests9— Trees and other plants take up nutrients from thesoil and incorporate them in their biomass (leaves,branches etc.). The nutrients go back to the soil whenleaves fall or plants die. Part of the biomass is eatenby various animals (including insects), and theirexcrements return the nutrients to the soil. In thesoil, a huge number of soil organisms are involved inthe decomposition of organic material which makesnutrients available to the plant roots again. Thedense root system of the forest collects the releasednutrients almost completely.Concept of Organic Farming

»Recycling nutrients in organic farms10— Organic nutrient management is based on biodegradablematerial, i.e. plant and animal residues which can bedecomposed. Nutrient cycles are closed with the help ofcomposting, mulching, green manuring, crop rotationetc. Farm animal can play an important role in thenutrient cycle: their dung is of high value and its useallows to recycle nutrients provided with the fodder. Ifcarefully managed, losses of nutrients due to leaching,soil erosion and gasification can be reduced to theminimum. This reduces the dependency on externalinputs and helps to save costs. However, nutrientsexported from the farm with the sold produce need to bereplaced in some way.Concept of Organic Farming

Soil fertility in forests11— Soil and its fertility both together constitute thecentre of the natural ecosystem. A more or lesspermanent soil cover prevents soil erosion and ithelps to build up soil fertility. The continuous supplyof organic material feeds a huge number of soilorganisms and provides an ideal environment forthem. As a result the soil becomes soft and capable oftaking up and storing large quantities of water.Concept of Organic Farming

»Soil protection in organic farms12— Organic farmers give central importance to themaintenance and improvement of soil fertility. Theystimulate the activity of soil organisms with organicmanures and avoid harming them with chemicalpesticides. Mulching and cover crops are used amongother methods to prevent soil erosion.Concept of Organic Farming

Diversity in forests13— Forests host a high diversity of plant varieties ofdifferent size, root systems and requirements.Animals are also part of the system. If one organismdrops out, it is immediately replaced by another onewhich fills the gap. Thus space, light, water andnutrients are used to the optimum. The result is avery stable system,Concept of Organic Farming

»Crop diversity in organic farms14— Organic farms grow several crops including trees,either as mixed cropping or in rotation. Animals arean integrated part of the farm system. The diversitynot only allows optimum use of the resources butalso serves as an economic security in case of pest ordisease attack or low market prices for certain crops.Concept of Organic Farming

Eco-balance in forests15— Pests and diseases do occur in natural ecosystems,but they rerely cause a big damage. Due to thediversity it is difficult for them to spread. Plantsusually can recover from an infestation on their own.And many pests are controlled by other organismssuch as insects or birds.Concept of Organic Farming

»Bio-control in organic farm16— Organic farmers try to keep pests and diseases at alevel which does not cause economic damage. Themain focus is on supporting the health andresistance of the crop. Beneficial insects arepromoted by offering them a habitat and food. Ifpests reach critical levels, natural enemies andherbal preparations are used.Concept of Organic Farming

Back to nature17— Organic farming wants to follow the law of nature.Does it mean that organic farms must be as close tonatural systems as possible. Within the organicmovement one will find farmers who focus onnatural farming, and others who take a purelycommercial approach. The majority of organicfarmers probably somewhat in between these twoextremes. Most farmers will expect to get sufficientproduction from the farm to make a living. For themthe challenge is to follow the principles of nature toachieve a high productivity.Concept of Organic Farming

Organic farming – a system approach18— Conventional farming puts its focus on achievingmaximum yields of a specific crop. It is based on arather simple understanding: crop yields areincreased by nutrient inputs and they get reducedthrough pests, diseases and weeds, which thereforemust be combated.— Organic agriculture is a holistic way of farming:besides production of goods of high quality, animportant aim is the conservation of the naturalresources fertile soil, clean water and richbiodiversity.Concept of Organic Farming

19— Organic farming is not a step back to traditionalmethods but a modern approach.— Become familiar with the advantages, but also withthe limitations of organic farming.— Understanding the difference between organicagriculture and related systems.Concept of Organic Farming

Concept of Organic Farming 3 ŠSince organic farming means placing farming on integral relationship, we should be well aware about the relationship Ø between the soil, water and plants, Ø between soil-soil microbes and waste products, between the vegetable kingdom and