ORGANIC FARMING - DEFINATION,PRINCIPLES AND IT'S SCOPE IN INDIA

1. CONTENTS
2. General status
3. Trend In Population And Food Production
4. Agricultural Growth 
5. Fertilizer And Pesticide Consumption 

• General status and Trend in Population and food Production

• Current Indian population is about 1.4 billion, and it will reach to 1.6 billion by 2050 AD respectively.

• we need to produce food grain of 350 metric ton by 2050 AD, Current food grain production is about 210 metric ton.

• India has 17 % of world's population 15 % of livestock but, has only 2.4% of the geographical area,4% of the fresh water, 1% of the rainfall,0.5% of forest and 0.5% of grazing land of the world.

• 17% more water is required by 2030 AD.

• by 2050 AD global  population will be 9.4 billion (46% increase).

• Growth rate of agriculture (1.5%) is much lower than the population growth (2%).

• Net cultivation area in INDIA will decrease from 160 m ha to 137 m ha by 2050 AD.

• 65% of the population still relies on agriculture for employment and livelihood.

• Agriculture support 58% of the total working force.

• Agriculture contributes total 17.5% to GDP.

• 973 million people are undernourished in the world.

• 800 million people are living in below poverty line and half of them are in SOUTH ASIA and majority of them in INDIA ( FAO).

• 300 million ha area in the world is irrigated, which consumes 70% of the world's total human induced water consumption.

• Annual agril. production, which was 0.3% during 1900 to 1950,jumped to 3.3%during 1960 to 1970 but growth became reduced to 1.43% during 1990-98 compared to the population growth of 18% during the same period.

     Fertilizer and Pesticide Consumption 

• India became the 4th largest producer of fertilizers
• Fertilizers consumption increased from 0.52 kg/ha during 1950-51 to 94.72 kg/ha during 1999-2000
• During 2001-02: 18 mt fertilizer was used but the crop removed 28mt              Country's nutrient requirement will br 45 mt by 2020 AD to produced the food grain required by the population
• Before 1960 none of the micronutrient (MN) deficience were found ,                      During 1960:only Fe was found defaint                                                                      During 1999: 5 MN(Mo,Bo,Mn,Zn & Fe) noticed deficient                                        During 2003: 8 MN Found deficient                                                                            Now : 10 MN's found deficient                                                                                     Karnataka stood 1st in Zn (78%) ,Fe (39%) & Bo(32%) deficiencies.                       Combined effect of high yielding var.,Fertilizers,Irrigation & Monocropping mined more nutrients from the soil. 
• In the beginning of green revolution a kilo of chemical fertilizers  yielded 15-16 Kg of grains.The same is now declined to 4-5 Kg
• Nation Wealth is measured based on Fertility of its Soil.
• According to INDIAN standards , Nitrates in soil should not exceed 45mg/litre         (carcinogenic & affects central nervous system, methaemoglobinaemia: blue baby disease).                                                                                                                         Phosphate concentration in water increases the weed growth (Eutrophication).
•  Consumption of Pesticides: 1954=434 tonnes                                                                                                           1984=64,290 tonnes                                                                                    But pest & Diseases multiplied four folds.
• The problem of pest and diseases became ten times more severe compared to 1950, after synthetic pesticides became in use.
• In 1990 Cotton crop occupied only 5% of area but consumed 54% of total pesticides . Rice received pesticide next to cotton.
• Use of pesticides was more conventional in Agriculture with the invention of DDT (Paul Muller who got Noble prize in 1939).
• Each year 25 Million people in Developing countries suffer from Pesticides Poisoning.                                                                                                                                " Green Revolution provided food for Millions of Hungry people but left many unseen Miseries of Fauna & Flora on the land and water of Mother Earth."
• Eutrophication : It is the process of enrichment of surface water bodies like lakes, reserviors & streams with nutrients. Nutrients enrichment of water bodies results in intense proliferation and accumulation of algae and Higher Aquatic plants in excessive quantities that can result in detrimental changes in water quality and can significantly interfere with the use of water resource .                                                
•  About 60% of our Agricultural land currently under cultivation suffers from indiscriminate use of irrigation water and chemical fertilizers.
• The Gravity of Environmental degradation resulting from Faulty Agricultural practices has caused alarming concern among the Farmers .