At the turn of the century, millions of Indian farming communities did not earn a substantial income from their practices, even after the four decades of green revolution practices, thus, in efforts to keep up with the growing demands of the Indian market, Indian farmers are forced to adapt and to rely on chemical fertilizers to keep their crop viable.
However, At what Cost?
Over the years, it has abundantly clear that usage or in many cases overuses of chemical fertilizer, have taken the toil in many farming communities, making the decline in soil fertility inevitable.
A decline in soil fertility means a weakened soil structure, reduction in water retention in the land, more vulnerability to diseases and of course a lower yield, directly impacting the earning potential.. Needless to say, a change in the approach was long overdues.
That is where the need of organic farming practices comes back into the picture.
With new technology readily available, more knowledge and well connected and crucially, a shift in the market towards more healthy naturally sourced products, there hasn’t been a better time to adopt organic farming as a core principle in your life.
Not convinced? Don’t worry I got you covered. In this blog, I’ll go over both the advantages and disadvantages of organic farming in India to help you get a picture of how viable and importance of organic farming in India is.
Top 5 Benefits of Organic Farming in India
With all that in mind, here are the crucial benefits of organic farming in india.
Indian Consumer Are Becoming More Health Consciences
In the post pandemic world there is swifting happening toward more healthier choices in the heart of indian consumers.
Which certainly can be seen with rising demand for organic products in the market. While conventional farming produces crops faster and even cheaper, it is no doubt that today’s consumer considers them a low value product.
Opening up market opportunities for more naturally obtained products to reach the market proudly.
That’s why organic farming is soaring in India and around the world. Adhering to organic farming helps companies preserve the integrity of organic labels and consumers receive a healthier and valuable product.
Key Takeaways:
- Thanks to rising demands, Indian organic farmers now have potential to go global.
- But at the same time more stringent regulations are placed on Indian farms that are looking to export their products.
- People actively dislike inauthentic products and demands are rising for all natural organically farmed products. This has created a swiftness in the market when it comes to people’s willingness to a higher price for natural organic products,
- Going organic also is great as a marketing strategy allowing farms and businesses to stand out and build better trust with the customers.
Boost the Sustainability of Soil condition and Pollinators Environment
A safe habitat is a core essential for pollinators like bees, and over the years their suffering has become a regular sight we often ignore.
However, by adopting organic farming practices, we can improve soil health and restore biodiversity. While the advantages and disadvantages of organic farming exist, eliminating synthetic chemicals helps create a safer habitat, benefiting both crops and pollinators.
So, you are somebody looking to make a difference and promote biodiversity, organic farming is the way to go.
Key Takeaways:-
- Build reliance on natural processes. Which allows sustainable practices and long term contribution to better biodiversity to become easy to achieve.
- Healthier soils means improved nutrient level. Also better presence of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E and rich antioxidants in crops.
- Encourages diverse ecosystems and natural reliance on biodiversity. Meaning a safer environment for pollinators like bees.
Help You Craft A More Better Environment for Hired Hands
Due to erratic weather conditions and financial uncertainties many farmers were already facing physical dangers in their lifestyle, but over the years exposure to harmful synthetic chemicals has taken the top spot in harming their well being.
Many Indian farming communities suffer a lack of awareness and safety gears to effectively utilize these chemicals in their farm without harming themselves. It often leads to mild headaches to life altering neurological disorders.
By adopting the practices of organic farming in their life they can put a stop to the usage of life altering synthetic chemicals in their daily life.
Key Takeaways
- The fewer toxic substances around them, the lower their risk of illness.
- Healthier working conditions are essential.
- Pledges to organic farming ensure that one can live a long productive life.
- Adopting the practice also boosts morale and job satisfaction of the farmer and their families.
Help You Deliver on the Promise of Better Taste and Health
The over reliance on chemicals in the farming practices has caused a significant impact on the individuals fruits and vegetables. They are less flavorful and less nutrition, hurting consumer health and satisfaction.
Still to keep their demand high in the market, there are many farms and companies that have to rely on artificial taste enhancers to bring the low grade product to market standard.
Getting rid of non-organic farming practices in favor of adopting dedicated organic farming practices cut this issue from the root. Organically grown fruits and vegetables not only ensure a more natural flavor but also ensure farmers weed out the bad ones using their instincts.
This benefits both the farmer who can have control over the final product look and taste and also the customer who finds better health and proper satisfaction in the consumption.
Key Takeaways:
- Unlike non-organic chemical laced fruit and vegetables, organic tastes much more pleasant, increasing customer satisfaction.
- Thanks to careful cultivation under organic farming practices a crop grows with more nurturing crops and healthier.
- Engacing in organic practices allow farmers to control the final look, taste and feel of the product they are aiming to grow.
Help You Bring Opportunities and Better Life at a Local Level
Helping farming communities lie at the center of organic farming. Joint effort of adopting more organic practices and lowering the reliance on non-organic practices, directly allow the local agriculture communities to have even playing fields when it comes to market their products improving their economic conditions and wellbeing.
Also, unlike the non-organic practices the chemical does not end up in the river and drinkable ground water, the farm and people surrounding don’t suffer from water pollution, leading to better quality of life.
Key Takeaways
- Switching to non-toxic chemical free organic practices ensures better well being from the local communities.
- Avoiding chemicals directly lowers the amount of water pollution and lower overall water usage for the locals.
- Allows farmers to have an even playing field and better position their products in the market.
Top 5 Disadvantages Of Organic Farming In India
Now that we have gone through the benefits and need of organic farming it’s time we also look at the disadvantages of organic farming in India to get the complete look at the practice.
Cold Chain Infrastructure In India Is Lacking
The biggest disadvantage of adopting the practices of organic farming is the lack of cold chain infrastructure in India. India has the 2nd largest agriculture land in the world. Yet, its cold chain infrastructure is inadequate for preserving the yield for a long time.
While the pledge of growing crops without chemicals ensures they stay healthy and nutritious, at the same time it also affects the longevity of the fruits and vegetables.
So, without insufficient refrigerated transport and facilities to process, crops grown with organic practices face risk of food wastage and spoilage.
Key Takeaways:
- Due to the lack of cold infrastructure in India, nearly 40% of all fruits and vegetables face the risk of spoilage. Crops that are not chemically altered and are grown using organic practices face this risk even more acutely.
- Organic farmers encounter challenges due to the lack of processing facilities and cold storage options necessary to access markets across India.
- In contrast, non-organic food has a longer shelf life and can reach every corner of the Indian market, often without relying entirely on cold chain infrastructure.
State Requires Certification and Compliance Costs for Organic
Before any farmer markets their organic product as a healthier alternative in India, they face the Indian bureaucracy and get proper certification and pay the compliance costs associated with it.
This time consuming practices impose additional burdens on organic farming ventures. While it is done so for ensuring authenticity and quality of the organic product at the same time it deters new farmers from adopting the practice from long term.
Key Takeaways:
- If a farm wants to promote its products as authentic and unaltered when entering the market, it must obtain the appropriate certification from the Indian state.
- Organic farmers will encounter challenges in accessing the organic market if they cannot meet the requirements necessary to sell their products to the state.
- The certification, issued by the state, is mandatory, creating issues for farmers aiming to use the organic approach due to the high costs.
Unfortunate Risk of Strong Biodiversity
Adopting the practice of organic farming often has a positive effect on the biodiversity at the farm. This encore for habits for a wide range for animal species and many types of wild plant in the farm.
While it is a good thing if you are looking to make an inclusive natural environment to support things like pollination of bees. At the same time, It is no doubt a big hassle for farmers looking to get the full potential from their yield.
Simply, lack of synthetic chemicals increases the risk of illness and pests for the crop. While it can be managed for an authentic outcome it is still a hassle and requires dedicated management.
Key Takeaways:
- While it is good that organic practices promote biodiversity and cross pollination and even importantly healthy food for Indian consumers, it is also true that it makes crops more susceptible to pests.
- Lack of synthetic chemicals in the soil makes the crop more healthy for human consumption and lets the soil remain viable for a long time. It is also true a single mishap during the planting process could heavily impact the end product cause simply, chemicals aren’t there to manage control of illness like the root rot disease.
More Risk After Erratic Weather and Irrigation Conditions
Life of an Indian farmer relies heavily on erratic irrigation and weather of the Indian season. While it is true that India has the world’s most extensive irrigation infrastructure, nearly 60% of all Indian farmers still have to rely on seasonal rainfall or monsoons for their crops.
This makes farm lands more susceptible to droughts, inadequate water supply, flooding, drainage issues and pests born out of changing weather conditions.
With non-organic practices, farmers by chemically altering plants have managed to make plants more durable and long lasting to stay fine in this changing times, however best organic farmer in india, with their pledge of staying chemical free often lack this advantage and face more risk of spoilage and altercation in the final product.
Key Takeaways:
- 60% of all Indian farmers have to rely on the monsoon season to fulfil their water needs. However the nature of the climate is often unpredictable in India so farmers face both drought and flooding in their field. Unfortunately, white it can be managed organic farmers are more susceptible to this erratic weather condition.
- Depending on the management, organic farms may face both drainage issues, inadequate water supply. This uncertainty often causes a direct impact on the profitability from the organic farmer.
Educating and Reeducating for Skilled Labor Requirements
Over the years non organic farming practices have become standardized. This makes the process of managing a farm with less personnel possible.
However, in organic farming the process is not standardized. In-fact as more natural methods to managing pests and effective crop rotations are introduced their lack of knowledge continues to create a gap. Thus, Any farm seeking to adopt organic practices might face a skilled labor shortage at the farm.
While it is true you can educate them, one should keep in mind that this education will happen because the laborer has to unlearn their old methodology and practices to keep the plant as natural as possible. All in all it makes a more demanding endeavor for the leader at the farm.
Key Takeaways:
- Learning the process of adopting the organic all natural practices requires the farmer to unlearn the already methodology of managing the plant using chemicals.
- Organic farmers need to be more skillful in identifying diseases and spotting marks made by pests to provide the plants the necessary treatment in time.
- Organic farming requires better crop rotation practices and deeper understanding of managing diseases compared to non organic. This more hand on requirement can become an issue given the size of the farm.
Concluion: Advantages and Disadvantages of Organic Farming
Hopefully, after learning about the advantages and disadvantages of organic farming you are feeling confident in your decision. I assure you, armed with knowledge above you are ready to face any challenges.
