Essay on Organic Farming (2024)

Read this essay to learn about Organic Farming. After reading this essay you will learn about:- 1. Meaning of Organic Farming 2. Practices for Organic Farming 3. Components 4. Principles 5. Advantages 6. Barriers.

Essay Contents:

1. Meaning of Organic Farming
2. Practices for Organic Farming
3. Components of Organic Farming
4. Principles of Organic Farming
5. Advantages of Organic Farming
6. Barriers of Organic Farming

Essay # 1. Meaning of Organic Farming:

Organic farming avoids chemical pesticides and fertilizers and seeks to increase soil fertility through feeding soil micro-life with residues from life such as garbage compost and sewage, manure, plant residues, food processing wastes etc. Organic farming rely on biological processes to obtain high quality and yields which are as good as these achieved using modern techniques as agricultural production.

Organic farming means farming in the spirit of organic relationship between soil, water and plants; between soil, soil microbes and waste products; between the plant kingdom and the animal kingdom; between agriculture and forestry; between soil, water and atmosphere.

Nature adopts different method to supply of nutrients to the soil and maintain the fertility of soil. The supply of nutrients are undisrupted in the nature. The plant leaves produces carbohydrates and later converting these carbohydrates into sugar, starch, cellulose, lignin etc.

Organic manure involves blending the carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potash rich materials, in which the trace elements are present in proportion and the crucial carbon- nitrogen ratio (C/N) is neither too high nor too low. This kind of preparation is within the competence of farmers. There is no need of adding some nitrogenous fertilizer as supplement. The chemical nitrogenous fertilizer upsets the nutrient balance of soil. Nitrogenous fertilizer is known as stimulant of growth and there is craze for it among the farmers.

Nature has made ample provisions for the supply of nitrogen through the variety of ways. Bacteria in the nodules of leguminous plants capture nitrogen from the atmosphere and fix it into the soil. Various genera have been endowed with nitrogen fixing quality so that this operation could continue under different conditions. So do some ferns (azolla), blue green algae and some genera of free living bacteria (azatobacter, Clostridium).

For the supply of all other macro and micro nutrients as also of vitamins and plant growth promoting substances, there are elaborate arrangements in natural soil systems. A wonderful fertilizing agent of Nature is the earthworm population which thrive in the soil and ingest soil, mix it with secretions and leave a far richer soil cast.

Organic matter is continually reverting to inorganic state to make mineral salts such as compounds of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, magnese, zinc, copper, boron so that these could be available for absorption by the plant roots.

Organic manure is not deficient in any nutrients. It is capable of supplying every nutrient to the extent that can be assimilated by the plant. Organic manure, being a complex mixture, is a store-house of nutrients. It releases nutrients gradually so that all nutrients are supplied over a long time in right proportions. Its compounds are subject to minimal loss by leaching.

The colloidal product of decomposing organic manure has a high “base exchange” capacity, which means the exchanged ions are not flushed out. Contact between plant root hairs and the organic manure particles ensure conservation. Thus, there is a built in economy of supply and demand.

Essay # 2. Practices for Organic Farming:

Organic Agriculture aims at the development of viable and sustainable agriculture. Organic food is produced by the following a system of farm management practices that seek to nurture ecosystem which achieve sustainable productivity and provide weed and pest control through diverse mix of mutually dependent life forms, recycling plant and animal residues, crop selection and rotation, water management, tillage and cultivation.

Soil fertility is maintained and enhanced by a system which optimize biological activity and the physical and mineral nature of the soil as a means to provide a balanced nutrient supply of plant and animal life as well as to conserve soil resources.

The pest and disease management is attained by means of encouragement of balance most predator relationship and augmentation of beneficial insect population, biological and cultural control and mechanical removal of pests and affected plant parts.

The common organic farming practices have been detailed below:

1. Soil fertility is maintained through cultivation of legumes, green manuring, green leaf manuring, crop rotations, inter and mixed cropping including legumes.

2. Incorporation of organic materials or crop residues, application of farm yard manure and compost.

3. Application of bio-fertilizers, Azola, Blue green Algae etc.

4. Application of minimum tillage practices.

5. Adoption of soil and water conservation techniques.

6. Control of weeds by biological and mechanical method.

7. Pest and diseases control is achieved mainly through a choice of appropriate variety, balanced crop rotation, mechanical cultivation procedure, protection of natural enemies of pest, release of predators and parasites and using botanical and biological pest control methods.

Essay # 3. Components of Organic Farming:

The components of organic farming are as follows:

(i) Organic Manures:

Organic materials such as farm yard manure (F.Y.M.), slurry, compost, straw (crop residues), bio-fertilizers, green manure and cover crop will be substituted for inorganic fertilizers. Use of organic manures would also maintain the quality of environment.

(ii) Biological Pest Management:

The conservation of natural enemies of pests is important for avoiding the use of chemical pesticides. Botanical pesticides such as these derived from neem, tobacco and other medicinal plants need popularization. Selective microbial pesticides, for example, Bacillus thuringiensis offer promise.

(iii) Non-Chemical Weed Control:

Mechanical method of weed control is generally practiced to reduce the weed population. Biological control of weed need popularization.

(iv) Agronomical Practices:

Crop rotation, mixed cropping, green manuring practices will improve the physical and chemical properties of soil. Inclusion of leguminous crops in these practices adds to the fertility.

(v) Alley Cropping:

Integration of perennial plants (mostly leguminous) in the farming system is called alley cropping.

Hedge row of perennial plants such as sesbaniaegyptica, perennial pigeon pea, Gliricida is planted at every two or three meters. These plants are allowed to grow undisturbed in the cropped fields. Between these hedge rows, crops are sown. Then, the hedges are pruned and twigs and leaves are used to cover the freshly sown fields.

This mulch layer will conserve moisture and when the cut twigs and leaves decompose, they become extra nutrients for the field crops. This practice will add organic matter to the soil and improve the soil health. Erosion and evaporation rates can also be controlled by organic manures.

Essay # 4. Principles of Organic Farming:

There are four principles of organic farming:

1. No Chemical Fertilizer:

If nature is left to itself, fertility is increased, organic remains of plants and animals accumulate and are decomposed on the surface by bacteria and fungi. Using straw, green manure and farm yard manure, one can get high yields without chemical fertilizer.

2. No Use of Herbicide:

Straw mulch and temporary flooding provide effective weed control in many fields.

3. No Use of Pesticides:

The conservation of natural enemies of pests and use of botanical pesticides avoid the use of chemical pesticides.

4. Maintenance of Healthy Soil:

Soil health is maintained through cultivation of legumes, green manuring, green leaf manuring, crop rotation, inter and mixed cropping including legumes.

Essay # 5. Advantages of Organic Farming:

(i) It does not result in any environmental pollution because it avoids use of chemical and plant protection chemicals.

(ii) Less energy is used in organic farming compared to conventional agriculture.

(iii) Less mechanisation is needed.

(iv) Less disturbance of soil, proper structure, high organic matter content will be maintained.

(v) Organic food fetches more price than the produce obtained by conventional methods.

Essay # 6. Barriers to Organic Farming:

Initially there may be some barriers which may prevent some of the farmers to adopt this organic farming.

The barriers are as follows:

1. In changing over to organic farming an initial crop loss generally occurs, particularly if done quickly.

2. Land resources can move freely from organic farming to conventional farming; they do not move freely in the reverse direction.

3. Biological controls may have been weakened, which may take three or four years for residues to loss their effect.