Demand for organic food is increasing at 20-22% per annum in India. Its time India invests in organic research and education to develop specialized human resources trained to further the organic movement in the country, argues Sabyasachi Roy.
CONTEXT
More and more farmers across the world are turning to organic agriculture. There is a growing consciousness about benefits of organic agriculture as a means to ensuring sustainability and true food security in long run. The World of Organic Agriculture 2013 survey by Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) reported that in total 69.7 million hectares (agricultural and non-agricultural areas) were organic and there were 1.8 million organic producers worldwide in 2011. The global market for organic food sales was US $ 63 billion in 2011 and it has expanded 170% since 2002.
Box 1: Organic agriculture in India
In India, the area under organic farming has been increasing exponentially from 0.04 million hectares in 2003-04 to 5.55 million hectares of cultivated land under certification in 2011-12, and produced 3.9 million MT of certified organic products in 2010-11 that included Basmati rice, other cereals, pulses, honey, tea, spices, coffee, oil seeds, fruits, herbal medicines, processed food and value added products and also organic cotton, etc. with involvement of around 10 million farmers.
As per the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), India exported 300 organic items with a total volume of 115,417 MT and realization of INR Rs. 8.39 billion in 2011-12 and the export market for Indian organic products is expected to grow at 60-70% per annum in the coming years. Further, with growing consumer consciousness in India the demand for organic food is increasing at 20-22% per annum (Yes Bank, 2013)
NEED FOR A NEW PARADIGM
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1992 noted that practicing organic agriculture involves managing the agro-ecosystem as an autonomous system, based on the primary production
capacity of the soil under local climatic conditions. Agro-ecosystem management implies treating the system, on any scale, as a living organism supporting its own vital potential for biomass and animal production, along with biological mechanisms for mineral balancing, soil improvement and pest control. Farmers, their families and rural communities, are an integral part of this agro-ecosystem. In other words, shifting to organic agriculture involves a change in the current paradigm of agricultural development.
Box 2: Paradigm shift?
FAO (2011) in its guide book “Save and Grow points out that the present paradigm of intensive crop production cannot meet the challenges of the new millennium. The International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) in 2008 reported that the way the world grows its food will have to change radically to better serve the poor and the hungry if the world is to cope with a growing population and climate change while avoiding social breakdown and environmental collapse. The same report also pointed out that while the agricultural research enterprise has fulfilled its promise to improve productivity, significantly improving the livelihoods of millions of people, it has been less attentive to the unintended social and environmental consequences of research achievements.
Research in sustainable and organic agriculture is inherently different from conventional agricultural research. The traits, attributes and benefits of organic agriculture research and education are measured in a different way than in conventional methods. It needs more perseverance, involvement of the farmers themselves, social innovation and understanding of their ecosystems. The Planning Commission Working Group on Agricultural Research and Education for the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) of the Planning Commission has recommended organic farming as a major research priority area under horticulture sector.
The Working Group on Horticulture, Plantation Crops and Organic Farming for the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-12) recommended introduction of formal education in organic farming practices, through Agricultural Universities/specialized institutions and developing human resources in the fields of organic production, quality assurance, extension, value addition, trade and marketing. National Commission on Farmers in 2006 recommended organic farming as one of the potential options to help solve the agrarian crisis.
KEY INITIATIVES IN ORGANIC AGRICULTURE IN INDIA
The organic sector in India has been mainly driven by NGOs, farmer organizations (supported by NGOs), agripreneurs and private business groups. Government too has been playing an important role in promoting organic agriculture.
Government support to organic research, education & extension in India:
Recognizing the fact that requirements for organic production systems differ from those for conventional chemical-based production systems, Natural Resource Management (NRM) Division of
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) during 10th Five Year Plan period (2004-05) initiated the multi-partner inter-disciplinary research project – the Network Project on Organic Farming at Modipuram with Project Directorate for Farming Systems Research as Lead Institute and 13 cooperating centers. A major intervention to promote organic farming by the Central Government
was the launch of the Central Sector Scheme “National Project on Organic Farming” (NPOF) in April 2004. The National Centre of Organic Farming (NCOF), Ghaziabad and its six Regional Centres at
Bangalore, Bhubaneshwar, Hissar, Imphal, Jabalpur and Nagpur implements the NPOF and works towards promotion of organic farming in the country.
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi in collaboration with the APEDA has developed a 6-month certificate course on organic farming under the open and distance learning
mode for persons with secondary school qualification (i.e. 10+2 pass). The National Centre of Organic Farming has started a month-long certificate course on organic farming for the rural youth having degree or diploma in agriculture at its centre in Ghaziabad. Three such courses would be conducted in 2013-14 and each course is for 30 participants. The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and some of the state agricultural universities like Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, etc. have introduced post graduate courses and farmer training programmes on organic farming – principles & practices, organic vegetable production technology, etc.
Non Governmental Initiatives
Many NGOs/Trusts promoting organic farming, like Morarka Foundation (Jaipur), CIKS (Chennai), etc. provides training of various durations to farmers/rural agripreneurs in organic agriculture. The Amity University, a private sector university, established the Amity Institute of Organic Agriculture (AIOA) in Noida and provides M.Sc. and PhD degrees in organic agriculture. The institute website claims that it is carrying out basic and applied research in organic production management systems, knowledge management, training and advisory services.
Apart from these, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), Germany, starting 2012, offers an eight months organic leadership course every year for South Asian participants assuming present or future responsibilities in the organic world.
NEED FOR MORE CONCERTED ACTION
India needs to tap/develop young talent and empower them with knowledge, skill, attitude and energy to work for the organic sector and a sustainable agricultural future. Though there are a few institutes in the public, private and NGO sector conducting training programmes for farmers and agripreneurs and few centres offering few post graduate level organic farming courses, no fullfledged educational programme is available in the area of organic farming in the country. Moreover, without a national level and specialized institute on organic farming, the impact of the organic farming movement will always remain limited.
Indian Institute of Organic Agriculture?
The challenges for development in the new millennium calls for setting up an innovation driven dedicated centre of excellence for research, learning and extension focused solely on sustainable and
organic agriculture systems. The mandate and reach of the NCOF is limited with the focus mainly on promotion, production, research and statutory quality control of organic inputs, capacity building of farmers/extension professionals and organic certification through Participatory Guarantee System.
The need is for a national institute with broader mission for conducting hands-on research and education producing empowered – educated and inspired young people to strengthen the organic
movement. This institute which could be called as the Indian Institute of Organic Agriculture, needs to be established by the Government of India ideally under the aegis of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in partnership and collaboration with other key agricultural centers in India including NCOF and international initiatives such as International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).
Its objectives might include the following:
• Research & Innovation: Undertake research on technology development, creative solutions, social innovation and policies for organic farming in agricultural systems comprising crop
production, horticulture, livestock and dairying, fisheries.
• Education: Develop practical oriented highly skilled professionals as well as leaders, entrepreneurs and change agents on organic agriculture and livelihoods promotion by offering
education and research at the post graduate (M.SC and PhD) level and certificate courses (may be in collaboration with other institutes/universities).
• Capacity Building: Develop farmer leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs by undertaking capacity building on organic agriculture practices for rural youth, farmers including urban and peri-urban farm households.
• Extension & Knowledge Management: Employ participatory extension methods; document good practices & standard operating procedures; conduct awareness generation programmes; publish
newsletters and journals and create web based portals.
• Advocacy & Consultancy: Undertake advocacy for pro-poor and pro-organic agricultural policies and consultancy projects for & with other research & educational institutes and business houses.
• Rewards & Recognition: Encourage and promote farmers, scientists and professionals with outstanding contribution to organic agricultural development.
Finally, the success of the institute would largely depend of strategic collaboration/partnership with national and international institutes, universities and centers of excellence.
Conclusion:
It is important to note that the EU nations have heavily invested in organic research, education and extension. USDA’s National Agricultural Library has reported that a literature search in 2006 showed that 68% of world’s organic research so far had been conducted in Europe. India needs to catch up fast to corner a share of the increasing demand for organic products world-wide and also to meet the growing domestic demand for organic products. It is time that India invests in organic research and education to develop specialized human resources trained to further the organic movement in the country.
Sabyasachi Roy works as Manager at the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Koramangala, Bangalore and is a founder member, Campaign for Organiculture, Research and Extension – CORE initiative (sabyaroy@gmail.com). The views and opinions expressed in this note are of the author alone and not of the organization he represents.
