Organic Farming: Key Elements and Characteristics - CED

CED Documentation is for your personal reference and study only

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Vikas Vani Journal, 01 Jan 2008

Organic Farming: Key Elements and Characteristics Ansu Abraham1

Organic farming is often understood as a form of agriculture which uses organic inputs for the cultivation practices. But it is also about the environment, agricultural traditions, traditional seeds, animal welfare, farming communities, sensible energy use, and soil and water conservation. It is also about our family, health and welfare. Its aim is to support and strengthen the biological processes without the application of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and genetic modification of organisms. It also addresses the economic and social aspect of agricultural production. According to International Federation for Organic Agricultural Movement (IFOAM), "the role of organic agriculture, whether in farming, processing, distribution, or consumption, is to sustain and enhance the health of ecosystems and organisms from the smallest in the soil to the human beings/' It means that the technology for "feeding the earth" should not harm the farm, the farmer, the environment or those who consume the food. Keeping this in mind, the focus of this paper is to study the key elements and characteristics of organic farming. Organic Farming in India - The Present Status Organic farming is becoming popular with the Indian farmers. The certified area under cultivation has risen 40 per cent in 2006-07, from 2.5 million hectare a year earlier. The production in 2005-06 was 0.29 million tons and it has risen more than 20 per cent in 2006-07. The exports rose to Rs. 180 crore in 2006-07, an increase of 20 per cent from the previous year, according to the data from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority of India (APEDA). India largely exports organic honey, tea, spices and rice to the European Union, particularly to the United Kingdom. However, organic food consumption in India is very low. The cultivable farm lands in India is very much suitable for organic farming, as 70 per cent of arable land (which is mainly under-rainfed) is cultivated with negligible amount of fertilizers (Rai, 2005). The north-eastern region of India provides considerable opportunity for organic farming as very little chemicals are used there. Fertilizer consumption in the north-eastern states is very less, compared to the national average of 98Kg/ha. The whole of the 1

Faculty, Xavier Institute (XIDAS), Jabalpur—Email: [email protected]


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north-east consumes merely 31 kg/ha of fertilizers, and the consumption rate of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim is very less with only 2.7kg/ha and 3.1 kg/ha respectively (Kashyap, 2006). It is estimated that 18 million hectares of such land is available in the north-east which can be exploited for organic production (Ramesh Mohan and Subba Rao, 2005). Moreover, dry land farming and farming in the tribal regions and hill states is similar to organic farming, and therefore the transition will be easy. With sizeable acreage under naturally organic/default organic cultivation in the tribal belts, India has tremendous potential to grow crops organically and emerge as a major supplier of organic products to the world's organic market. Unfortunately, we are not able to tap these opportunities fully, due to several reasons. For achieving this, the sector has to be organized, taking into account, the problems and prospects of farms, farmers, consumers, markets and organizations, which are involved in this technology. A brief review of the above aspects of organics farming is presented below narrating the characteristics of organic farmer, organic consumers, organic markets and organizations. Characteristics of an Organic Farmer According to Dr. Prabha Mahale 1 , most of the farmers are not comfortable with the existing agricultural system, especially due to the health hazards that it creates. The farmers are also worried about the sustenance of the ecosystem. The farmers in irrigated areas have already converted to organic farming, considering the hazards of chemical inputs (Mahale, 2001). On the other hand, the farmers in the rain-fed areas and the tribal belts, who are following the traditional eco-friendly farming, are less aware of the scope of their cultivation practices. They use organic manure as a source of nutrients that are readily available in their own farm or in their locality. Though these farmers have a good understanding of the ecological system they have created, they lack competent marketing skills, and quite often they fail to sell their produce with a premium. They sell their produce in the open market along with the conventionally grown produce at the same price. These farmers will never opt for organic certification due to the high certification cost and extensive documentation that is required for the process. They are not certified farmers and they fall under the category - 'organic by default' There is another group of farmers who like to convert to organic farming, but the land tenure stands as a constraint to the adoption. It is difficult for these 1

Dr Prabha Mahale is a World Board Member of the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM).


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tenant farmers to invest the necessary labour and to sustain the difficult conversion period, without some guarantee of access to the land in the later years. There is yet another group of farmers who are just attracted to the premiums. But most often, when the promise of higher prices does not materialize quickly enough, they revert to the earlier methods. Studies conducted in Uttaranchal showed that some farmers reverted to conventional methods due to the failures aroused from the lack of training and support in organic methods. The farmers who wish to convert to organic farming have to undergo a conversion period of two to three years depending on the type of crop and the history of the farm. So, the farmers have to be really patient, as the profitability will be little less during the initial years. Because of fewer yields during the conversion period, some of the farmers are reluctant to take up organic farming. However, there are several farmers who have taken up organic farming very successfully. Some rural districts have turned entirely organic due to the farmer's awareness. Karnalu, a small village in Doddaballapur taluk near Bangalore has gone organic, as all the farmers of this village have stopped the usage of chemical fertilizers (The Hindu, 05 Sep 2007). Instead, they have taken up vermicompost to support their organic venture. They took up this venture under the initiative of the Bio-Resource Project of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore. The villagers have also formed an organic growers' association to strengthen this attempt. Going organic would straight away save the village about Rs. 13 lakh a year, which was previously being spent on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The Bio-Resource Project authorities are making enquires to export the organic ragi being grown here to Japan as it is likely to fetch high prices. Similarly, there is another village in Tamilnadu that has totally converted to organic farming — Kothavasal village in Nannilam Taluka, Tiruvarur District. This village has got a bumper yield by organic cultivation of paddy. About 300 acres of land is under cultivation mainly for paddy and vegetables {The Hindu, 13 Sep 2007). Moreover, the hill states, like Uttaranchal and Mizoram, have declared themselves as organic states. Though there are so many success stories to be quoted, many of the farmers lack technical know-how on the cultivation practices and also the care that has to be taken during the storage and processing. This turns out to be a reason for getting a low price for their organic products. What the Farmers Need a) Farmers' Organizations: Most of the small farmers do not seek to get the certification due to its high cost. In some cases, the 'certificate7 of some of the farms is with the private organizations. So, the farmers must form their own


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organizations in order to uphold their interest. The certification cost will also become less when the certification is done for a group, rather than for individual farmers. The farmers themselves can facilitate inspection, certification, monitoring, and supervision. They can even get registered with the district authorities constituted under the Department of Agriculture or Horticulture. b) Simplified Documentation Process: The documentation work for the certification must be made comfortable for the illiterate farmers. Moreover, the farmers must also take the initiative to learn the documentation techniques. For this, an educated farmer can be given training and he may be assigned the responsibility of maintaining the records. c) Alternative Way of Certification: Now most of the certification is done by foreign companies, and it turns out to be quite expensive. On an average, the inspection costs range between Rs. 3,500 and Rs. 13,000 per day (Mahale, 2001). So, the farmers must look for an alternative way of certification that is adapted to different economic, social and cultural realities of small farmers all over the world. For this, the development of local/regional certification capacity in different export sectors can be thought of. d) Participatory Guarantee System: IFOAM is promoting a PGS system, which attempts to do away with the 'outsider' who visits the farm and checks on the farmer and his farming practices. The fulcrum of PGS is trust. In this, each member of the farmer's group is expected to follow the norms of the internal control system, where each member keeps a check on the other and ensures the organic integrity of the produce. This system is definitely more authentic when compared to the system of a single annual visit by an external inspector (Mahale, 2005). e) Reliable Market Information: Market information on organic products, trade, trends, quality requirements and prices should be passed on to the farmers. Moreover, pre-harvest prices should be announced, so that the farmers do not suffer when the produce is ready. The farmers should also have the market intelligence to decide what to grow, how to grow, how much to grow, when to grow, where to sell, when to sell, etc. f) Testing Facilities: The testing facilities for inputs, such as, seeds, fertilizers, water and soil have to be popularized, and processing facilities have to be established in the remote areas of cultivation. Marketing and distribution of bio-fertilizers should also be made popular among the farmers. Now the government is giving subsidy to start agri-clinics and agri-business centers. The farmers must make use of these facilities.


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g) Guarantee of Land: The tenant farmers should be given some guarantee of access to the land in later years, when the benefits of organic production emerge. The Characteristics of the Consumers The success of organic farming lies with the consumers. The farmers will get the profit, only if there is demand from the consumers for the organic food. According to International Trade Centre Projections, there is an interest in the consumption of organic food among the higher income, better-educated population in almost every country (Sinate, 2001). However, it is the consumers in the United States of America, Europe and Japan who drive the worldwide demand expansion, as they are willing to spend more on greener, healthier and natural foodstuff. The consumers' preferences are to nutritive value, freshness, flavour, and general appearance of the food. Again, these preferences are influenced by socio-economic factors, such as, gender, age, income and education (Yiridoe, 2004). Studies conducted in Europe and Canada reported that the likelihood to purchase organic products and pay a premium for it increases with the increase in income and education level. However, studies in USA found income and education to be negatively correlated to willingness to pay a premium for organic food (Yiridoe, 2004). In general, we can conclude that the consumers in the developed countries are more health conscious and educated than those in the developing countries and that is the reason why India is exporting its organic products to USA and Europe. In contrast, the demand for organic food is less in the developing countries due to lack of awareness and education among the consumers. A market research was conducted in Delhi in 1998 (Yardee & Soree, 1997) to determine the consumer preferences and awareness, and it was found that 46% of the people were prepared to try out organic products. But only 36% of the older housewives and 27% of the younger ones knew about the existence of organic farms. The situation is almost similar in other Metros also. In Bangalore, a consumer cooperative shop (Coco) engaged in the marketing of organic fresh fruits and vegetables had to close the shop. In Mumbai and Delhi, entrepreneurs had to stop the local marketing of organic products due to noncooperation from the consumers. All these examples show the lack of awareness among the consumers on organic products. However, now the situation is slowly improving. Recently, A.C. Nielsen, a leading market research firm, surveyed about 21,000 regular Internet users in 38 countries to find their preference for functional foods. The survey revealed that India was among the top ten countries where the


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consumers demanded healthy food, including organic food. The most important reason for buying organic food was the concern for the health of children, with over 66 per cent of the parents preferring organic food to non-organic food. Though organic food in India is priced over 25 per cent more than the conventional food, many parents are willing to pay this higher premium due to the perceived health benefits of organic food. Because of increasing consumer preferences, many organic food stores are spurring up in India. Now every supermarket has an organic food store and every large city in India has numerous organic food stores and restaurants. However, the Indian organic food consumer needs education. Though India has strong tradition in healthy foods and ecologically sound farming, the consumer needs more awareness on health, certification and labeling. What can be done? a) Awareness on Health: Awareness must be created among the consumers regarding the health hazards of chemical farming. Articles and booklets describing the ill-effects of chemical farming and the existence of pesticides and herbicides in the food can be distributed among the consumers. b) Awareness on Labeling: Many consumers are unaware of the difference between natural and organic food. Many people purchase products labelled as natural thinking that they are organic. They must remember that while all the organic food is natural, all natural food is not organic. c) Awareness on Certification: Consumers are not aware of the certification system. Since certification is not compulsory for domestic retail in India, many fake organic products are available in the market. The consumers should understand that the organic label is a process claim rather than a product claim. So, the consumers should opt for the fresh, green fruits/vegetables from the neighbourhood or friends rather than going for certified products. This will definitely help the small farmers who are not able to afford the certification processes. d) Organic Food Trade Fairs: Fairs can be conducted to showcase food that is free from pesticides, chemicals and antibiotics. But at present trade fairs and fair price markets are few and far between, and usually too localized to have a larger impact. In November 2005, for the first time, ICCOA, along with the government of Karnataka and APEDA, organized a pan-Indian trade fair in Bangalore, and this has given immense scope for opening new market opportunities.


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Characteristics of an Organic Market The major organic products sold in the world market include dried fruits and nuts, processed fruits and vegetables, spices, herbs and oil crops. According to FAO, the total market for organic food in 2006 was around $ 24 billion. While the growth rate of the conventional food market is less than 5 per cent a year, the average growth rate of the organic food market is about 20 per cent. The growth has geared up in the recent years, due to the fear of genetic risk involved in genetically engineered (GE) crops. In India, organic food products are priced about 20-30% higher than non-organic food products. This is a very high premium for most of the Indian population where the per capita income is merely US$ 800. Though the salaries in India are increasing rapidly, the domestic market is not sufficient to consume the entire organic food produced in the country. According to Economic and Political Weekly, (June 2007), around 85% of the total organic production of India heads for the exports market, and enjoys little favour with the local consumer, as the cost continues to be high. However, the five star hotels and airline caterers are showing a serious interest in fresh organic fruits and vegetables. Many farmers groups and NGOs, such as, Peermade Society, Keystone and Navadanya, have organized marketing for the rural/tribal farmers with whom they work. The Indian Institute of Rural Development, Aurangabad, organizes weekly organic markets and direct producer-consumer marketing. In Delhi, some NGOs have taken up the initiative for the home delivery of the organic products. 'Meer Organic and Agro Products' in Delhi has started the home delivery system and the results are amazing. Apart from Meer Organic, the producers and the sellers in the capital include Fab India, Swasa, Morarka Foundation, Lifeline, Navbharat Enterprises, Fresh Health and Atik. Though India enjoys a comparative advantage in the market due to favourable climatic conditions, the mechanism for the organic market is quite different from that of the regular market. What are the Requirements? a) Domestic Marketing Channels: Domestic markets must be improved for helping the small farmers through weekly market and buyer-seller meets. Organic bazaars can also be promoted for domestic markets. A careful selection and development of target markets and distribution channels are of utmost importance. b) Innovative Products: The promotion of marketing through innovative products, such as, organic fruit drinks (e.g. Purity Prayag), organic bakery, (e.g. Boulanger), organic instant coffee, etc., are to be taken up.


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c) Strengthening the Retail Outlets: Retailing efforts has been a failure in many places due to insufficient product range, irregular supply of organic products and inconveniently located outlets. The small farmers still have no significant retail platforms unless picked up by cooperatives or NGOs. The Alibag organic farmers' cooperative in Delhi started the home-delivery basket scheme. But according to their spokesperson, these are difficult, expensive and eventually quite ineffective methods of selling. Hence, the retail outlets need to be strengthened. d) Green Lined Super Markets: In developed countries, especially in Europe and USA, every supermarket has a green line where a complete range of certified organic products are available. India is just beginning to manage a toehold in some supermarkets, e.g., Food Bazaar, the foods division of Pantaloon Retail, has 32 outlets and 200,000 sq ft of retail space across India. Characteristics of Organizations Some of the problems faced by organic farmers, consumers and organic markets have been described above. Considering these problems, we must work for a strong organizational support for further penetration of organic agriculture in India. The government, the private sector and the associations of producers have a necessary role to play in promoting and facilitating the marketing of organic products. The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, has formulated a scheme in the Tenth FiveYerar Plan for giving a major push to organic farming in the country. The scheme envisages the setting up of a National Institute of Organic Farming (NIOF) which will be responsible for the promotion of organic farming, setting standards wherever necessary, expanding the regulatory mechanism to cover the requirements of small and marginal farmers, etc. Likewise, NGOs, Private Companies and farmers' associations are playing a major role in the promotion of organic farming. a) Private/Contract Companies Some of the private companies that have entered the field of organic farming are Indian Organic Foods, Grewal's Organic Agriculture Farms and L. T. Overseas (Basmati Rice), Burma Trading Company, Tata Tea, Maikaal (cotton, wheat, soybean etc.), and Kurunji (dry fruits). All of them deal with exports. Some farmers have converted into organic agriculture by the initiatives from the trading companies and contractors. But in most of the cases, the farmers have limited understanding of the concepts of organic farming, and due to this, they have little voice about their role and the benefits they receive. When


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the companies consider organic farming as mere business, the farmers will be considered merely as agents of production. However, the data show that these contract companies are very effective in reaching organic markets, as they have enough market experience. Unfortunately, they have their own profit motives and these may not match with the needs of the farmers. In most cases, the company pays the certification cost and hence the 'certificate' for the certified organic farms is usually in the company's name. They provide a buy-back guarantee to the farmers. Some companies do care for the farmers, and the farmers receive considerable benefits (Mahale, 2001). b) Non-Government Organizations India is a country with a large number of NGOs and most of the NGOs strongly promote organic agriculture among small-scale farmers operating under various forms of collective organization. Many have started working in the field of sustainable agriculture and funds are also flowing from the Indian Government, CAPART, as well as from foreign donors. Unlike the private companies, most of the NGOs do not have the necessary business skills to succeed in marketing. But they are very good in establishing demonstration plots and in supporting practical research that is reported to be very beneficial to the local farmers. For example, a model farm in Karnataka conducts research and development for testing and standardization of organic practices and provides both on-site and off-site training. NGOs also excel in resource management. c) The Government In October 2000, the Ministry of Agriculture set up a task force on organic agriculture, to give advice and also to promote organic agriculture in general. In Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Orissa, the state governments have set up organic model farms, with assistance from APEDA. In Gujarat, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamilnadu the respective state governments have already started the procedures for setting up model farms. Uttaranchal, which comprises the Western Himalayas, promotes composting as the first step towards organic agriculture, as their hill lands are extremely vulnerable. The Uttaranchal government established the Uttaranchal Organic Commodity Board (UOCB) to meet their marketing needs. In the 'Uttarkandh Organic' initiative, an organic model has been promoted as an integral part of several rural development projects. The Agriculture Department of Delhi started an organic farming project on 10,000 hectares of land to encourage farmers to adopt organic farming. For this, the government is to extend subsidies, training, seeds and other forms of support to grow vegetables, flowers, wheat, rice and spices. APEDA has set up four model farms (for aromatic


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rice, sugarcane, passion fruit and pineapple), and all the four have got organic certification. In Kerala, the Department of Agriculture is now promoting the production of organic food by launching "Jaiva Kerala". The Confederation of Indian Industry and a few tourism groups are branding the God's own Country as a " safe food destination" (www.kissankerala.com). d) Farmers' Organization The organizational structures supporting smallholder organic agriculture in India fall into four forms — farmers organized by a company, farmers organized through an NGO, farmers organized by the government and farmers forming their own organization (Das, 2007). The state of Karnataka is trying to establish farmer-owned companies that can serve as full time managers for the post-harvest, processing and marketing needs, thereby allowing farmers to fully concentrate on farming. Case studies in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh show that farmer's organizations appear to adopt organic farming in a more holistic way and have better results in the field. Farmer organizations in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Kerala received a higher percentage of selling prices. In Kerala, the farmers of Marappanmoola village in Pulpally Panchayat have formed a Highland Farmers Cooperative Society to take on the challenges of conversion from chemical to organic farming and 500 hectares have been declared to be 'organic farming zone'. The produce is sold at a premium price in the domestic market through weekly markets and export enquiries are on the rise (Surendran, 2003). These farmers' organization creates a platform for farmers to exchange experiences and ideas and it helps to improve quality control. This helps the illiterate farmers to receive technical support from the association. Self-Help Groups, which are also a form of farmers' organizations, are already established in rural areas as a base to promote organic farming. Uttaranchal and Kerala are the best examples for SHGs working in this field. What the Organizations must do a) Extension of Knowledge: Technology for organic farming must reach from the lab to land. For this, training on the latest technology and farm techniques must be extended to the farmers. NGOs must give training to the farmers to manage the contracts and transactions with processors, exporters and other intermediaries. For this, they can also set up demonstration plots. b) Scientific Research: Research must be promoted to develop crop varieties suitable for organic farming, especially for dry land and mountainous regions. Regional conditions require locally adapted systems. So, the state agricultural universities must carry out research for better agronomic, biological and mechanical methods that suit the region.


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c) Documentation of Research: Research institutes must mobilize and disseminate the traditional knowledge and innovations introduced by successful farmers for more responsive agricultural research. Results of collective farmers' research can also be documented for further use. d) Establishing Resource Centres: Institute of Rural Development, Aurangabad has set up a separate school for organic agriculture. UAS Bangalore has set up Bio-Resource Centre for the farmers and some of the rural villages have totally converted into organic. Other rural institutes can also follow this model. e) Contract Farming: Private Companies can take up contract farming. But the state government must create an appropriate legal framework to enforce the contracts, so that it will turn beneficial for the poor and marginalized farmers. Madhya Pradesh has taken up contract farming in a successful way. f) Global Organic Standards: There is a need for global standards, as different countries follow different standards. Moreover, if a farmer has to export to the EU market, he has not only to adhere to the EU standards, but also to those of the member states. So, the policy-makers must recognize this problem and should work towards harmonizing global organic standards. This will help to remove the trade barriers and this will in turn help the farmer (Mahale, 2005). g) Government Approach: The Government must approach organic farming as an alternative model for agricultural development, rather than a means of earning export revenue. Capacity building initiatives, such as, National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF) must be strengthened. The Government can also take steps to promote collaboration with NGOs in order to succeed in marketing. An Example from Khandhamal A study was conducted during 2007 in Khandhamal district of Orissa, to know the cultivation practices and marketing prospects of organic turmeric. The findings are briefly explained below. Kandhamal district is very famous for the cultivation of organic turmeric. This region is a tribal belt and the people have been carrying out eco-friendly cultivation from time immemorial. All the three species of turmeric, namely, Curcuma longa, Curcuma auromatica and Curcuma amda, are found in the natural habitat of Kandhamal. Of these, curcuma aromatica is the predominant


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genotype. The agro-climatic condition prevailing in the district is best suitable for the growth and production of turmeric. Well-drained sandy loam soil is available in an area of 1.43-lakh hectare of uplands, which is very much suitable for its cultivation. Here, turmeric is grown in an area of about 14,000 hectares with an annual production of about 28,900 MT (Gupta, 2007). The people of this district live mostly in the interior surrounded by forest. Fortunately, exploitative chemical farming has not yet infected them and until today they practice traditional, primitive methods of cultivation. But most of them are not aware of the scope of marketing their product as organic product. Some organizations are also working there who help in collecting their produce. Characteristics of the Farm Turmeric is grown during the 2kharif season in uplands and is purely rain fed. Crop rotation is being followed. Cereals or oilseeds are cultivated and this helps to avoid soil-borne diseases like rhizome rot or wilt. No fertilizer or compost is added before or after sowing. As these plots are below the mountains, soil fertility is naturally maintained by addition of forest litter by rainwater. The soil fertility is maintained through crop rotation, summer fallow, green manuring and mulching. The land is mulched with dry leaves of shorea robusta, which is predominant in that area. Intercropping is done with arhar, cowpea, colocasia, castor and maize. Harvesting is done manually in 8 to 9 months and packaging is done in gunny bags after drying. No pest attack is reported during its cultivation. Characteristics of the Farmers The majority of the farmers are small and marginalized. They practice traditional, eco-friendly methods of cultivation. There is high level of awareness among them about the importance of organic farming of turmeric. Due to debt and poverty, all the small and marginal farmers sell turmeric immediately after harvest. Only the big farmers store turmeric and sell it at a good rate. Most of the farmers are not aware of the organic standards and certifications that have to be followed to sell their product as organic. Most of them are unaware of the scope of value addition for turmeric. Normally they sell their product in the local market. Characteristics of the Market Some shopkeepers (middlemen) try to give credit to the farmers during the year, either in the form of money or in the form of daily use commodities. In this way, the shopkeepers fix the price of the turmeric before the harvest. So,


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the farmers are forced to sell the raw turmeric to the same shopkeeper who has given credit to them. In this way, the shopkeepers try to entrap the farmers. Some local shopkeepers and local traders try to fix the price of raw turmeric for the whole field, instead of weight. Hence, the farmers are not able to judge the exact quantity and the right price. The product finally reaches the big mandis in Tamilnadu and Cuttak through middlemen and big traders. Characteristics of the Organizations There are four organizations working among the turmeric farmers in Khandhamal. Kandhamal Apex Spices Association for Marketing (KASAM) is an initiative of the state government for the promotion of spice development, and it has taken up systematic steps for the organic certification of this area. The profit accrued from business is given back to the members for their economic development. Till now the organization has facilitated 65 spice development societies in five blocks of Kandhamal districts covering 12,200 farmers. They collect raw turmeric through their collection centers. For this, the transportation cost is charged at the rate of Re. 1 per km. At present, KASAM doesn't have the export license and the export is done through export agencies. Apart from export, KASAM has taken steps to provide organic turmeric powder to domestic customers in consumer packs, in collaboration with Orissa Milk Federation (OMFED), Orissa. Sansar is a cooperative working for the development of the turmeric farmers. They purchase the raw turmeric directly from the farmers. They store the raw turmeric and sell it when there is demand. Sansar does not supply the product directly to the domestic, national or international market. They supply it only to NAFED. Large Size Multipurpose Commodity Services (LAMPCS) is another cooperative society, which is also an initiative of the state government. They give credit to the farmers for agricultural purpose at a very reasonable rate. The cooperative collects the turmeric from the farmers. It sells all the collected rawT turmeric to the big traders in the Berhampur market. Jagruti is an NGO, which concentrates its work on the farmers through the formation of SHGs. It facilitates the selling of raw turmeric through SHGs by eliminating the middlemen. At present, it has formed a total of 165 SHGs. They also give information about different packages regarding turmeric.


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Suggestions for Khandhamal Though the region is untouched by chemical inputs, the farmers are not able to get a premium for their produce due to lack of marketing skills. Many of the farmers still fall under the category - organic by default. Though many organizations are working for them, none of them seems to export the product directly to the export market. Most of the farmers sell their product to big traders in Tamilnadu and Cuttak and these big traders mix their inorganic produce with the organic produce of Kandhamal. Instead, if the Kandhamal people can sell either to the processing units or if they can take the inorganic produce from Cuttak and Tamilnadu and mix it in Kandhamal, they can fetch much higher price. They can also think of starting a processing unit exclusively for organic spices. Conclusion Nature has blessed India with many precious gifts. Its immense potential for agricultural sector is one. At present, we are looking forward for the evergreen revolution and conversion to organic farming is a need. As our country has varied agro climatic zones, we are able to cultivate almost all the crops that have demands in the world market. Moreover, the majority of the geographical land is untouched by chemical fertilizers and this gives immense scope for its further progress. Now there is a sudden interest in organic farming and foods, and the driving force is the farming community, the increasing number of consumers who prefer healthy food, the government, the NGOs and the private sector. India's organic exports can take off, provided the industry, the government and the NGOs come together to work with the farmers. But according to FAO, the data models on the productivity of organic, as opposed to conventional farming, shows that the potential of organic agriculture is far from large enough to feed the world. It will be difficult to feed the six billion people today and nine billion in 2050 without judicious use of chemical fertilizers, says FAO Director General, Jacques Diouf, in a statement issued in Rome. However, we cannot oppose organic agriculture or its promotion, as higher prices commanded by these products help the farmers to earn more. But we should make sure that this technology really helps the resource poor farmers. For this, all the organizations must work together. Whatever organizational structure we follow, it should not turn into mere agribusiness. Rather, the government must take this technology as an alternative model for agricultural development. Organic farming: key elements and characteristics Ansu Abraham Vikas Vani Journal 01/01/2008 Characteristics of an Organic Farmer According to Dr. Prabha Mahale1, most of the farmers are not comfortable with the existing agricultural system, especially due to the health hazards that it creates. The farmers are also worried about the sustenance of the ecosystem. The farmers in irrigated areas have already converted to organic farming, considering the hazards of chemical inputs (Mahale, 2001). On the other hand, the farmers in the rain-fed areas and the tribal belts, who are following the traditional eco-friendly farming, are less aware of the scope of their cultivation practices. They use organic manure as a source of nutrients that are readily available in their own farm or in their locality. Though these farmers have a good understanding of the ecological system they have created, they lack competent marketing skills, and quite often they fail to sell their produce with a premium. They sell their produce in the open market