People are often confused about the different techniques of organic farming. What does and does not constitute organic growing methods is unclear to many people. To me it seems the reason for this is the failure to understand organic farming as a lifestyle and philosophy rather than a technique or skill. The way we understand life and nature, and the way we interact with it is what helps us understand organic or natural farming. Organic and natural farming are not the same, but more later on the different kinds of farming. So here let us first understand the principles of organic farming before we try to practice it.
International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) has been the forum for many agricultural movements throughout the world for the last 30 plus years. It has inspired others and has itself been an agent of social and ecological revolution. According to IFOAM’s Principles, organic agriculture is based on: * The principle of health Organic Agriculture should sustain and enhance the health of soil, plant, animal, human and planet as one and indivisible. * The principle of ecology Organic Agriculture should be based on living ecological systems and cycles, work with them, emulate them and help sustain them. * The principle of fairness Organic Agriculture should build on relationships that ensure fairness with regard to the common environment and life opportunities * The 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. The Principles apply to agriculture in the broadest sense, including the way people tend soils, water, plants and animals in order to produce, prepare and distribute food and other goods. They concern the way people interact with living landscapes, relate to one another and shape the legacy of future generations. I have realized that the forest has so much to teach us about what is the best way to grow food. We can learn many lessons just by observing the forest ecosystem. India is a tropical country and therefore it is blessed with many kinds of wonderful forests. You can grow all the food in the world, with the best fertilizers and produce the highest yield, but you can never beat the productivity of a forest. Productivity of nature is measured by humans through the concepts of biomass and organic matter. Jungles have the highest biomass that is almost impossible for human beings to replicate in agriculture. So what does the forest have to teach us? No Ploughing There is no one who comes into the forest and ploughs it and yet the soil is light, fluffy, and extremely rich in minerals and organic fertilizer. This is because of many reasons such as the presence of earthworms our natural tillers of the soil. Another reason for this is because of the amazing amount of decomposition that takes place on the forest floor. The amount of living growth is matched with an equal amount of dead organic matter lying on the ground, that slowly decomposes and naturally fertilizes the soil. No Mono-Cropping It is very rare to find a natural forest (mind you not a human-created) that has only one kind of tree. The forest is healthy only because it is diverse. Diversity is the root of life, socially and ecologically. Each plant species, animal species, insects, micro-organisms play an important part in the functioning of the forest through their special roles and relationships with each other. When you plant only one thing, you create a weak ecosystem that is susceptible to pests. No Flooding One of the most common misunderstanding about agriculture is that it requires a lot of water. If you have good soil, and diversity, it is very rare for your plants to require a lot of water. Most forests are present on the slopes of mountains. That means that they do not need flooding. But what they really need is moist soil. Not wet, but simply moist. Can you imagine how much water we could stop consuming for our agriculture? I think what the forest teaches us is to be as close to nature's way in our life and our farming. To co-exist rather than dominate and exploit. To give back as much as we take. To exist without manipulating the air, soil, water, plants, animals, and micro-organisms as much as possible. Since we live in a world with 7 billion people, we have to manipulate our land a lot more than is good. But if we all grow just a little bit of food in our backyard the organic way, we can lessen the harm done to a great extent. In the next article we will learn about the basic techniques of growing food nature's way. Reference: IFOAM, Principles of Organic Agriculture, available from, http://www.ifoam.org/about_ifoam/principles/index.html 'Organic Farming in Malaysia' by CETDEM (Centre for Environment, Technology & Development, Malaysia) Mansata, Bharat. 'Vision of Natural Farming'
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Principles and Practices of Organic and Natural Farming Archives
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