Jharkhand and Organic Agriculture

Organic farming is not a recent origin in India. In ancient literature such as Rig-Veda, the use of animal dung as manure was highly emphasized. Approximately two-thirds of a million of the farmer populations in India are cultivating organically, but this a tiny portion of the farming community. As there are few states that have not done much development in organic farming like Jharkhand which became independent as a separate state 16 years ago. Approximately 0.08% of Jharkhand’s cultivatable land is being promoted to be free from chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Out of the net cultivated area of 31 lakh hectare (ha), only 26,310 ha is the area where organic cultivation is promoted. When we compare it with the states like Sikkim and Meghalaya, which have been or will be certified organic state by 2020, we get the real picture of farmers who are lagging behind. Lack of certification, lengthy procedure and low production initially are some of the reasons because of which farmers don’t opt for organic agriculture. Initiatives like Public Private Partnership, promoting animal husbandry, Contract Organic farming (COF), Participatory Guarantee System (PGS), Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) and raising public awareness are some steps that are required to develop organic agriculture, to improve human health and to save the environment.