Climate Change and Organic Farming

2. Climate Change and Organic
Farming
PRESENTATION BY
THATCHINAMOORTHY.C
Ph.D Research Scholar
Department of Agricultural Extension
Faculty of Agriculture
Annamalai University

3. Introduction
Agriculture in developing countries must
undergo a significant transformation in order
to meet the related challenges of achieving
food security and responding to climate
change.
 Projections based on population growth and
food consumption patterns indicate that
agricultural production will need to increase
by at least 70 percent to meet demands by
2050.

4. Cont…..
Most estimates also indicate that climate
change is likely to reduce agricultural
productivity, production stability and incomes
in some areas that already have high levels of
food insecurity.
In this scenario organic farming is thus crucial
to achieving future food security and climate
change goals.

5. Objectives of the Seminar

6. .

7. Global Warming
Defined as an increase in the
average temperature of the
Earth's atmosphere, especially a
sustained increase great enough
to cause changes in the global
climate’.

9. Climate
• The climate is defined as’ the general or
average weather conditions of a certain
region, including temperature, rainfall, and
wind’.

10. Climate Change
Climate change refers to the variation in
the Earth's global climate or in regional
climates over time.
It could show up as a change in climate
normal's for a given place and time of
year, from one decade to the next.

11. Why the Climate change?Why the Climate change?
Natural CausesNatural Causes
2. Volcanoes2. Volcanoes
1. Continental drift1. Continental drift
4. Ocean currents4. Ocean currents
3. The earth's tilt3. The earth's tilt
Man made CausesMan made Causes
1. The Industrial pollution1. The Industrial pollution
2. The burning of fossil fuels2. The burning of fossil fuels
3. Deforestation3. Deforestation
4. Agriculture4. Agriculture

12. Green House effect
The earth's atmosphere traps solar radiation.
Mediated - presence in the atmosphere of gases.
Carbon dioxide, water vapor & methane
Sunlight to pass through, but absorb the heat
radiated back from the earth's surface.

13. Climate and Indian Agriculture
 Considerably dependant on changes in
weather.
 Contribution of agriculture to GDP is
decreasing, yet large population dependent on
this for livelihoods.
 Need to understand the impacts of increasing
climatic risks and possible adaptations.

14. Impact of Climate Change on Food
Supply
Items Production
(million tons)
Demand of food (million tons)
2015 2020
Rice 104.80 122.1
Wheat 88.94 102.8
Coarse grains 41.75 40.9
Total cereals 235.49 265.8
* Source: Commodity India 2016

15. Organic Agriculture
Stable yields
Drought buffering
Reduced field preparation costs
Reduced soil erosion
Climate change mitigation

16. Climate change mitigation
Under certain conditions, organic agriculture
may contribute to climate change mitigation
through carbon sequestration and reduced
GHG emissions, but climate change
adaptation rather than mitigation should be
the main policy driver for its promotion.

17. Climate change - Millets
Millets are climate change compliant crops
that resist the challenges.
Such as global warming, water scarcity,
recurring droughts and malnutrition posed to
us in the coming era of climate change
through their capacity to withstand these
challenges.

18. Cont…..
• Demand is slowly increasing for various types
of millets that require very little water to
grow.
• Scientists say that millet cultivation needs to
be further encouraged to adapt to global
warming that leads to losses in crop yields.

19. Cont…..
Millets are increasingly being included in the
food basket of rural and urban households.
They cost less than rice or wheat, and keep
you healthier.
They also need less water to grow and can
tolerate higher temperatures, crucial for
farmers in this era of climate change.

20. Millets to the rescue
Millets, the yesteryear staple diet of a majority of
people in the semi-arid regions of Asia, especially
India, could be the climate-resilient future crop.
 Millets can counter many of the adverse effects
of climate change better than most other food
crops.
 They grow in almost any type of soil – sandy or
with varying levels of acidity. They hardly need
any fertilizers or irrigation.

21. Millets – Climate Change
Climate Change bonus for being low carbon
crops.
Help us fight the carbon crisis

22. Ability to sequester carbon
As millets have more tillers or branches than
corn and sorghum, they provide better fodder
too. Millet crops also have a good ability to
sequester carbon and so help climate
adaptation, considering the water needs and
methane emission of rice fields.

23. Millets - Water Conservation
Water Conservation bonus since millet farmers grow
their crop without irrigation.
Thus every acre of millet farm saves the country up to
six million liters.
This is the “root print” of millets that needs state
recognition and acknowledgement.

24. Millets - Nutrition
Nutrition bonus since millets crops are
storehouses of nutrition For the impoverished
populations residing in the dry land areas of India
millets offer a huge nutrition solution during the
climate change years when India will face a
nutritional emergency.

27. Organic farming system is not new in India and is being
followed from ancient time. It is a method of farming
system which primarily aimed at cultivating that land
and raising crops in such a way as to keep the soil alive
and in good health by use of organic wastes (crop,
animal and farm waste, aquatic waste) and other
biological material along with beneficial microbes
(biofertilisers) to release nutrients to crops for
increased sustainable production in an eco-friendly,
pollution-free environment.
Organic Farming

28. Organic Farming?
To be considered “organic”:
– must be produced without synthetic pesticides,
fungicides or herbicides.
– Can not be grown by use of genetic engineering
– Bans use of sewage sludge as fertilizers
– No irradiation of food to preserve it
– No use of hormones and/or antibiotics in organic
meat and diary products
Strict farming methods = costly production

29. History of Organic Farming
Organic Farming was the original type of
agriculture.
Forest gardening, a fully organic food
production system which dates
from prehistoric times.
The organic movement began in the mid-
1920s in central Europe.

30.  Organic cultivation not new in India
 The term organic farming was first used by Lord Northbourne
in the book of look of the land
 Organic agriculture in India started long back 1900 by Sir
Albert Howard a British agronomist, in local village of the
north India.
 Organic farming first coined by North Bourne in 1946.
 The state of Sikkim and Uttaranchal declared organic state.
 Organic cultivation not new in India
 The term organic farming was first used by Lord Northbourne
in the book of look of the land
 Organic agriculture in India started long back 1900 by Sir
Albert Howard a British agronomist, in local village of the
north India.
 Organic farming first coined by North Bourne in 1946.
 The state of Sikkim and Uttaranchal declared organic state.
Organic farming in India

31. Organic Farming - India
India is an agro based country. So organic farming
plays an important role in agro field.
The popularity of organic farming is gradually
increasing and now organic agriculture is practiced in
almost all countries of the world, and its share of
agricultural land and farms is growing.
As the organic food market continues to expand, so
do the opportunities for small farmers.

32. Cont…..
It is believed by many that organic farming is
the much healthier and sustainable option.
 Although the health benefits of organic food
are yet to be proven fully, consumers are
willing to pay a higher premium for organic
crops. Many farmers in India are shifting to
organic farming due to the domestic and
international demand for organic food.

33. Organic foods
Organic foods are produced through systematic
farming methods that do not involve any usage of
pesticides and harmful chemicals for production.
India has around 4.2 Million hectares of land which is
certified for organic farming.

34. Cont…..
The emergence of organic farming is also
creating a wide array of job opportunities.
Increasing awareness towards nutritious and
healthy food and changing lifestyle are surging
the demand for organic food, particularly
across the metro cities.

35. Cont…..
• There is a good chance that India’s organic
opportunity could scale from $500 million to
about $2 billion — approx $1 billion catering
to the domestic market and $1 billion for
export markets — by 2020.

36. Definition – Organic Farming
• Organic farming is a system which avoids or largely
excludes the use of synthetic inputs (such as
fertilizers, pesticides, hormones, feed additives etc)
and to the maximum extent feasible rely upon crop
rotations, crop residues, animal manures, off-farm
organic waste, mineral grade rock additives and
biological system of nutrient mobilization and plant
protection.
- United States Department of Agriculture (USDA

37. Aim of organic farming
The aim of organic farming is to maintain optimum
soil health and thus making the soil capable of
supplying all essential nutrients to crop for its proper
growth and development
Organic farming aims at sustaining and increasing
the productivity by improving soil health and over all
improvement of agro-ecosystem
Organic farming gives quality organic food and also
helps to restore soil fertility on long term basis.

38. Organic farming
Need
Increase in population make compulsion to stabilize
agricultural production, but to, increase it further,
in sustainable manner.
 Natural balance needs to be maintained at all cost
for existence of life and property.
 Agrochemicals which are produced from fossil fuel
and are not renewable and are diminishing in
availability.
 It may also cost heavily on our foreign exchange in
future.

39. Importance of Organic
Farming
Present burning issue in farming is the decline in
fertility of soil and fall in productivity levels.
Use of chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides
have deteriorated soil health as well causing harm to
our natural eco-system by polluting our environment
as well as water.

40. Cont…..
Now we have reached a situation were
productivity levels in soil slowly decreasing
day by day.
Now its time to go for organic farming and
restore soil fertility and maintain soil fertility
on sustainable basis so that future generations
may not face problems .

41. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONVENTIONAL AND ORGANIC FARMING
CONVENTIONAL ORGANIC
It is based on economical orientation It is based on ecological orientation
GMOs are used GMOs are not used here
Synthetic fertilizers are used Synthetic fertilizers are not used
Weeds are controlled through herbicides Manually weeds are removed here
Pesticides and fungicides are used to control
pest and diseases
Pest and diseases are controlled biologically
Produce obtained will have chemical
residues accumulated in it
Produce is free from chemical residues
Air, water and soil pollution is common No such problem is observed
Produce is carcinogenic and causes several
health problems
No such problems are observed here
Low input: output ratio with pollution Optimum input: output ratio with no
pollution
Soil fertility is maintained for shorter period Soil fertility is maintained on long term basis
Intensive irrigation is required Irrigation requirements are reduced

42. Objectives of
Organic Farming
Produce food with
higher nutritional
quality
Work with
natural system Maintain and
increase soil
fertility
Use renewable
resources as far
as possible
Wider social and
ecological impact
of farming system
Allow satisfaction
to agricultural
producer
Avoid Pollution
Objective of organic farming
(1)(1) (2)
(3)
(4)
(5)(6)
(7)

44. Organic Farming
Key characteristics
Protecting the long term fertility of soils by maintaining
organic matter levels, encouraging soil biological activity and
careful mechanical intervention.
Providing crop nutrients indirectly using relatively insoluble
nutrient sources which are made available to the plant by the
action of soil micro-organisms.

45. Cont…..
 Nitrogen self-sufficiency through the use of legumes and
biological nitrogen fixation, as well as effective recycling of
organic materials including crop residues and livestock
manures
 Weed, disease and pest control relying primarily on crop
rotations, natural predators, diversity, organic manuring,
resistant varieties and limited (preferably minimal) thermal,
biological and chemical intervention.

46. Cont…..
 The extensive management of livestock, paying full
regard to their evolutionary adaptations, behavioral
needs and animal welfare issues with respect to
nutrition, housing, health, breeding and rearing.
 Careful attention to the impact of the farming
system on the wider environment and the
conservation of wildlife and natural habitats.

47. Organic Farming Principle

48. Organic Farming
Principle of health
 Organic Agriculture should sustain and enhance the health of
soil, plant, animal, human and planet as one and indivisible
 Healthy soils produce healthy crops that foster the health of
animals and people.
 Health is the wholeness and integrity of living systems.
 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 human beings.

49. Organic Farming
Inputs should be reduced by reuse, recycling and efficient
management of materials and energy in order to maintain
and improve environmental quality and conserve
resources.
 Organic agriculture should attain ecological balance
through the design of farming systems, establishment of
habitats and maintenance of genetic and agricultural
Principle of ecology

50. Organic Farming
It aims to produce a sufficient supply of good quality food
and other products.
Natural and environmental resources that are used for
production and consumption should be managed in a way
that is socially and ecologically just and should be held in trust
for future generations.
 Fairness requires systems of production, distribution and
trade that are open and equitable and account for real
environmental and social costs.
Principle of fairness

51. Organic Farming
Principle of care
Organic Agriculture should be managed in a precautionary
and responsible manner to protect the health and well-
being of current and future generations and the
environment.
 Organic agriculture is a living and dynamic system that
responds to internal and external demands and conditions.
 This principle states that precaution and responsibility are
the key concerns in management, development and
technology choices in organic agriculture.

52. MAIN PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIC FARMING:
The main principles of organic farming are as follows:
To maintain the long-term fertility of soils.
To avoid all forms of pollution that may result from agricultural
techniques.
To produce foodstuffs of high nutritional quality and sufficient
quantity.
To reduce the use of fossil energy in agricultural practice to a
minimum.
To give livestock conditions of life that confirm to their
physiological need.
To make it possible for agricultural producers to earn a living
through their work and develop their potentialities as human being.
MAIN PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIC FARMING:
The main principles of organic farming are as follows:
To maintain the long-term fertility of soils.
To avoid all forms of pollution that may result from agricultural
techniques.
To produce foodstuffs of high nutritional quality and sufficient
quantity.
To reduce the use of fossil energy in agricultural practice to a
minimum.
To give livestock conditions of life that confirm to their
physiological need.
To make it possible for agricultural producers to earn a living
through their work and develop their potentialities as human being.

53. Organic Farming Methods
 It is a combine scientific knowledge of ecology and
modern technology with traditional farming practices
based on naturally occurring biological processes.
• Crop Diversity
• Pest Control
• Live Stock
• Farm Size
• Plant Nutrition
– Soil Fertility

54. Organic Farming
1. Conversion of land from conventional management to organic
management
2. Management of the entire surrounding system to ensure biodiversity and
sustainability of the system
3. Crop production with the use of alternative sources of nutrients such as
crop rotation, residue management, organic manures and biological inputs.
4. Management of weeds and pests by better management practices,
physical and cultural means and by biological control system
5. Maintenance of live stock in tandem with organic concept and make them
an integral part of the entire system
Basic Steps of Organic Farming

55. Benefits of Organic Farming
• Yield
• Energy
• Greenhouse gas emissions and climate change
• Water use
• Localisation
• Pesticides
• Ecosystem impact
• Nutritional benefits
• Seed-saving
• Job creation

56. Benefits of Organic Farming
oHelps in maintaining environment health by reducing the level of
pollution
oReduces human & animal hazards by reducing the level of residue in
the product
oIncreases the agricultural products and makes it sustainable
oEnsures the optimum utilization of natural resources for short-term
benefit and helps in conserving them for future generation.
oSaves energy for both animal and machine and reduces the risk of
crop failure
oImproves the physical and chemical properties of soil.

57. Environmental Benefits of
Organic Farming
• SOIL- building practices such as crop rotations, inter-
cropping, symbiotic associations, cover crops, organic
fertilizers and minimum tillage are central to organic
practices.

58. Cont…..
• WATER- In many agriculture areas, pollution
of groundwater courses with synthetic
fertilizers and pesticides is a major problem.

59. Cont…..
AIR&CLIMATE- Organic agriculture reduces
non-renewable energy use by decreasing
agrochemical needs. And contributes to
mitigating the greenhouse effect and global
warming through its ability to sequester
carbon in the soil.

60. Advantages of organic farming:Advantages of organic farming:
Organic matter supplies all the essential macro and micro plant
nutrients.
Organic matter improves physico-chemical and biological
properties of soil.
Organic farming improves agro-ecosystem and helps in
stopping environmental degradation .
Organically grown crops are preferred by most people as it is
believed to be more nutritious compared to conventional ones.
Organic produce fetches more prices in national and
international market.
Organic matter supplies all the essential macro and micro plant
nutrients.
Organic matter improves physico-chemical and biological
properties of soil.
Organic farming improves agro-ecosystem and helps in
stopping environmental degradation .
Organically grown crops are preferred by most people as it is
believed to be more nutritious compared to conventional ones.
Organic produce fetches more prices in national and
international market.

61. STATUS OF ORGANIC FOOD PRODUCTION IN INDIA
Total area under
certified organic
2.8 M ha
Total production 0.59 Million tonnes
Total quantity
exported
0.02 Million tonnes
Value of total export Rs. 30124 lakh
Number of farmers 141904
Source: www.entrepreneurindia.co

62. Major products produced in India by organic farmingMajor products produced in India by organic farming
TYPE OF PRODUCT PRODUCTS
Commodity Tea, Coffee, Paddy, Wheat, Sugarcane
Spices Cardamom, Black pepper, White pepper, Ginger, Turmeric,
vanilla, Tamarind, Clove, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Mace, Chilli
Pulses Red gram, Black gram
Fruits Mango, Banana, Pineapple, Orange, Cashew nut, Walnut
Vegetables Okra, Brinjal, Garlic, Onion, Tomato, Potato
Oil seeds Mustard, Sesame, Castor, Sunflower
Others Cotton, Herbal extracts
Garibay and Jyoti(2003)Garibay and Jyoti(2003)

63. ORGANIC FARMING STATUS IN NORTH INDIA:ORGANIC FARMING STATUS IN NORTH INDIA:
National Centre of Organic Farming, GhaziabadNational Centre of Organic Farming, Ghaziabad

64. ORGANIC FARMING STATUS IN SOUTH INDIA:ORGANIC FARMING STATUS IN SOUTH INDIA:
National Centre of Organic Farming, GhaziabadNational Centre of Organic Farming, Ghaziabad

65. EXPORT OF ORGANIC PRODUCTS IN INDIAEXPORT OF ORGANIC PRODUCTS IN INDIA

66. EXPORT PERFORMANCE OF ORGANIC FOOD PRODUCTS FROM
INDIA:
Organic Food Sales (tons )
Tea 3000
Coffee 550
Spices 700
Rice 2500
Wheat 1150
Pulses 300
Oil seeds 100
Fruits and
vegetables
1800
Cashew Nut 375
Cotton 1200
Herbal Products 250
Total 11,295 Rajib Roychowdhury et al. (2013)

67. Organic Farming

68. The 4
To Organic
Certification

71. List of accredited certifying and inspection
agencies in India
 Association for promotion of Organic Farming (APOF) Bangalore
 Indian Society for Certification of organic production (ISCOP)-
Tamil Nadu
 Indian Organic Certification Agency (INDOCERT)- Cochin,
Kerala
 Skal Inspection and Certificaton Agency- Bangalore
 IMO Control Pvt. Ltd.- Bangalore
 Ecocert International -Aurangabad
 Bioinspectra -Cochin, Kerala
 SGS India Pvt Ltd- Gurgaon
 International Resources for Fair Trade (IRFD)- Mumbai
 National Organic Certification Association (NOCA)- Pune
National programme for organic production( NPOP)National programme for organic production( NPOP)

72. International Organic Standards
Organic standardsOrganic standards

73. ORGANIC LABLES IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
India

75. Government
Stake holders in Organic
Agriculture
Regulations Policies Research Extension
Farmers Processors Trader
s
Consumers
Producer Organizations
•Cooperatives
•Producer groups
•Companies, projects
eg. PDS, Ecofarms, Agrocell,
Maikaal
Certification Bodies
•Inspection
•Certification
•Standard
development
e.g. IMO, SKAL,
Ecocert, APOF
NGOs supporting Org. Agriculture
•Representing farmer’s interests
•Information extension
•Market development promotion
eg. OFAI, BAAI, SOA
Organic Competence Centre
• Collect info and knowledge
• Documentation & dissemination
• Training & extension services
• Policy initiatives, networking (ICCOA)

76. Organic Farming
• Market Information
• Training
• Storage Facility
• Consumer
awareness
• Government Support
• Certification cost
Limitation
• Geographical
• Climatic
• Ill Soil
• Decreased Yield
• Growing
demand
Potential
• Policy Initiatives
• Integrated Universities
• Infrastructure and Funds for
scientific studies
Challenges

77.  Organic manure contain fewer amount of nutrient.
 Lack of awareness
 Marketing problems of organic inputs and out puts
 Shortage of organic biomass
 Poorly supporting infrastructure
 High input cost
 Lack of suitable agriculture policy
 Lack of financial support
 Low yields during conversion period
 Political and social factors
 Complex certification procedure
 Lack of organic input responsive variety
 Organic manure contain fewer amount of nutrient.
 Lack of awareness
 Marketing problems of organic inputs and out puts
 Shortage of organic biomass
 Poorly supporting infrastructure
 High input cost
 Lack of suitable agriculture policy
 Lack of financial support
 Low yields during conversion period
 Political and social factors
 Complex certification procedure
 Lack of organic input responsive variety
Constraints of Organic
Farming

78. Limitations of organic farming in India
 Small land holding
 Poor infrastructure facilities
 Lack of technology knowledge
 Convert organic farm
 Organic material such as animal dung and other crop waste
used for fuel purpose
 Organic material are bulky in nature very difficult store and
high price
 City garbage contain heavy metal, plastic bags, stones and
needles.
 Bio control agent are available only few selected insect pest.
 Complicated organic certification process and high fees cost
 Higher human population of India.
 Small land holding
 Poor infrastructure facilities
 Lack of technology knowledge
 Convert organic farm
 Organic material such as animal dung and other crop waste
used for fuel purpose
 Organic material are bulky in nature very difficult store and
high price
 City garbage contain heavy metal, plastic bags, stones and
needles.
 Bio control agent are available only few selected insect pest.
 Complicated organic certification process and high fees cost
 Higher human population of India.

79. Suggestions to Promote Organic Farming
•Developing appropriate and strong extension
services.
•Developing strong linkage between producer and
consumer.
•Reducing the cost of certification and easily
approachable to farmer.
•Making the organic inputs available to small holders
like bio-fertilizer and bio-pesticide.
Many changes are needed if India is to overcome the constraints and
achieve its rich potential in organic agriculture.

80. Cont…..
Developing the domestic market.
Providing subsidies and other financial
support.
Improving infrastructural facilities like cold
storage and transportation.
Enhancing linkages in the supply chain
promoting research on organic agricultural
research and development.
Providing regular training on organic
agriculture.

81. FEEDING
THE SOIL
RATHER
THAN
FEEDING
THE PLANT