Sustainable Agriculture Initiatives through Organic Farming in India

Abstract

The desire of human beings to get more and more from natural resources results in degradation of biodiversity and different portions of the environment. Sustainability is much more important at present to save the natural resources of the planet. Sustainable agriculture is nothing but a successful supervision of resources to satisfy the changing human requirements by  enhancing the quality of environment and conserving natural resources. Davinder Singh, et al (2018) defined “ Organic farming as a system of production that trusts on animal manures, organic wastes, crop rotations, legumes and aspects of biological pest control that are not strange to agriculture systems including the traditional agricultural practices. However, uses of pesticides and  fertilizers impede the  growth and development of organic production system. It is the management production system that promotes and improves biodiversity, biological cycles and biological activity of the soil. Thus, making the soil capable of supplying all the essential nutrients to the crop for its proper growth and development.

Organic farming is a production system which avoids or largely excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers and growth regulators. To the maximum extent, viable organic farming systems rely on crop rotations, crop residues, animal manures, legumes, green manures, off farm organic wastes and aspects of biological pest control. These practices result in maintaining  soil productivity and in  supplying  plant nutrients and controlling  insect pest diseases and weeds. Thus, the organic farming implies recycling of waste and residue to the local soil itself, replenishing the nutrients exhausted from the soil during the crop growth by  encouraging the development of microorganisms. So, it helps in  maintaining soil health by balancing soil moisture and soil aeration as well as in ensuring soil fertility by firmly binding the nutrient elements in compound organic molecules.