Organic Farming in North East India-Prospects and Challenges

Abstract

Prior to the invention of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, mechanisation, etc., all Indian farmers used organic methods. Primarily in the middle of the 1960s and after, farmers started utilising the synthetically produced inputs that ignited our country's "Green Revolution". Although intensive agriculture contributed to food security, unscientific use of chemical fertilisers has gradually harmed the environment and soil health. There is an urgent need for farmers to promote the use of organic manures in order to maintain soil fertility and productivity. In the global market, organic produce is more expensive than conventional goods. As a result, organic farming enables farmers to profit and establishes a national organic hub. The rain-fed tribal, north-east and hilly regions of the country where negligible chemicals are used in agriculture have been practising subsistence agriculture for a long period; such areas are organic by default. The area is a biodiversity hotspot with many endemic species, including more than 50 species of bamboo, 14 species of banana, 17 species of citrus, 600 orchid species, etc. The area is a biodiversity hotspot with many endemic species, including more than 50 species of bamboo, 14 species of banana, 17 species of citrus, 600 orchid species, etc. The paper aims to provide an overall status of organic farming in India and north-eastern states and to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of organic farming in the North Eastern Region of India. The study is based on secondary data. It suggests that the need of the hour is adequate capacity building and providing technology for backstopping to the stakeholders. Marketing and value addition are important areas of concern for the farmers to get actual benefits out of organic farming. A close public-private partnership is warranted to achieve the desired momentum. Certification of organic products by resource-poor farmers is another major area of concern. This can pave the way for sustainable agriculture and protect people’s health.