Lecture Series on Organic Agriculture

for
th
B.Sc. (Ag) 6 Semester, IAAS, Tribhuvan University
Rampur
by KR Dahal
Lecture No. 1-2
Definition, concept, evolution and scope of organic agriculture
Definition
Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on crop rotation, green manure,
compost, biological pest control and other environmentally safe means to maintain soil and crop
productivity. It excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides; plant growth regulators;
livestock feed additives; and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Organic agriculture tries to
follow the natural systems and cycles, and stands completely opposite to the modern chemical
and capital-intensive agriculture. It has got many definitions given by many organizations in
their subtle way. However, the following definitions are commonly used in discussions and serve
as guidelines in farming practices.
1. Organic farming is a system of agriculture that encourages healthy soils and crops through such
practices as nutrient recycling of organic matter (such as compost and crop residue), crop
rotations, proper tillage and the avoidance of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides (IASA, 1990).
2. Organic agriculture is a holistic production management system which promotes and enhances
agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity. It
emphasizes the use of management practices in preference to the use of off-farm inputs, taking
into account that regional conditions require locally adapted systems. This is accomplished by
using, where possible, agronomic, biological, and mechanical methods, as opposed to using
synthetic materials, to fulfill any specific function within the system. (FAO/WHO Codex
Alimentarius Commission, 1999).
3. Organic agriculture is a whole system approach based upon a set of processes resulting in a
sustainable ecosystem, safe food, good nutrition, animal welfare and social justice. Organic
production is therefore is more than a system of production that includes or excludes certain
inputs (IFOAM, 2002)
4. Organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and
people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions,
rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition,
innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a
good quality of life for all involved (IFOAM, 2008).

The common to all these definitions is the ecosystem/soil health based on local ecology.
The emphasis is on soil health which is interchangeable with soil quality and is often described
as the soil’s ability to support crop growth without becoming degraded or otherwise lowering the
quality of the environment. In this regards, the first definition focuses more on the techniques to
make soil healthy whereas the second definition goes little beyond it and puts emphasis on the
off-farm inputs. The third definition encompasses rather broader perspective including approach
and process, and points out to sustainable ecosystem, safe food, good nutrition, animal welfare
and social justice as destination. The fourth definition stands as a philosophy, more than the
practice of healthy living, putting emphasis on the ways and means for a good quality life for all
involved- healthy and prosperous ecosystem. The first definition seems simple, straight forward
and well applicable in our condition, and our farmers can and should follow this because the
serious problem of our present day agriculture is the poisoning of the food and the environment.
The fourth definition is complex and people in developed countries, who are living in affluence,
can follow and are trying to do so. However, the international market of organic products, in
practice, is regulated by the standard developed and fixed by the recipient organizations and
consumers that decide what is organic and what is not.

Concept
Digging soil to grow crops and rearing animals, generally termed as agriculture or
farming, by mankind to fulfill the basic requirements of life is older than the human civilization.
Traditional farming practices (of many kinds), based on locally available resources, had been
practiced in a self-sustained way for thousands of years in all the societies in the world, and in
some regions they are still in practice while in some regions they are being revived. Such
traditional farming practice as forest gardening, which dates back to prehistoric times, is thought
to be the world's oldest traditional food production system, and most resilient agro-ecosystem. In
course of time such systems were no more capable of supporting the increased population and
associated food demand, which necessitated the means and ways for increased production of
agricultural commodities. Use of chemicals as fertilizers, pesticides and growth promoters is an
attempt to address this need. Artificial fertilizers were created during the 18th century, initially
with superphosphates and then ammonia-based fertilizers mass-produced using the Haber-
Bosch process developed during World War I. These early fertilizers were cheap, powerful, and
easy to transport in bulk. Similar advances occurred in chemical pesticides in the 1940s, leading
to the decades being referred to as the 'pesticide era’. But these new agricultural techniques,
while beneficial in the short term, had serious longer term side effects such as soil poisoning,
acidity, compaction, erosion, and declines in overall soil fertility, along with health concerns
about toxic chemicals entering the food supply. The ever increasing realization of the negative
impacts of agrochemicals evidenced in agriculture in 1970s sought for alternatives to chemical
based production practice and attention was driven towards safe and healthy production system.
There are many such systems developed and promulgated in different parts of the world and
organic agriculture is one of them. The funding concept of organic agriculture is the ecosystem
health consisting of holistic view, living soil and healthy plant illustrated in the following
drawing
Ecosystem Health - Holistic concept

Water/Soil Health Plant Heath

Organic agriculture

Animal health Human health

Evolution
Organic agriculture had and has been the traditional system of food production
throughout the world in general and in Asian countries in particular. Our forefathers were the
teachers; our open Chautaries and Kachaharis -the university classes; and our farm fields served
as the experimental fields as well as open laboratories. In these venues methods of farming with
their success and failures were discussed, and successful ones were taken forward and are being
perpetuated through generations. Even though chemical inputs are dominating now- a-day
agriculture, these are the just recent innovations dating back about 200 years compared to 10000
years of settled agriculture. When the chemicals were being popular in agricultural production in
the developed world (in late 1800s and early 1900s) scientists working with soil biology had
noticed the alteration in soil and environment quality and had began to think and develop
theories on how new advancements in biological science could be used in agriculture as a way to
remedy the side effects of chemicals while still maintaining higher production.
To unfurl the evolutionary history of present time organic agricultural movement we have
to go as back as 1874 when DDT, a chemical compound, was invented and it was reinvented as a
powerful insecticide by Paul Muller in 1934. After 1939 it became so popular as a powerful and
effective means of controlling insect pests in agriculture, that its pervasive use made its
discoverer to receive the prestigious Noble prize in 1948 for saving millions of people from
starvation by protecting the crops from insects. The popularity of DDT along the production of
other insecticides went mounting till early 1970s when Silent Spring (1962) by Rachel Carson
was published. In Silent Spring she challenged the practices of agricultural scientists and the
government, and called for a change in the way humankind viewed the natural world, eloquently
standing against the use of insecticide (mainly DDT) in agriculture. Series of emperical
evidences on the hazardous effects of DDT on human and environmental health were brought out
and based on them the DDT was banned by US government in 1972. The issue of producing
food safely had got such a momentum by then, mainly in Europe that gave birth to International
Federation of Organic Agricultural Movement (IFOAM), the global umbrella organization of
organic agriculture at present, in France.
Long before the birth of IFOAM, in central Europe Rudolf Steiner, whose Lectures on
Agriculture were published in 1925, created biodynamic agriculture, an early version of what we
now call organic agriculture. The system was based on Steiner's philosophy
of anthroposophy rather than on a solid grasp of science. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Sir
Albert Howard, an accomplished botanist, developed the practical concept of organic agriculture.
Howard was influenced by his experiences with traditional farming methods in India and his
formal scientific education. Sir Albert Howard is widely considered to be the "father of organic
farming", because he was the first to apply scientific knowledge and principles to these various
traditional and more natural methods. Howard's major organic concepts and practices were a
living connection between soil fertility and plant and animal health; the Law of Return; and
method of composting about which he has described in detail in his book, An Agricultural
Testament (1943). These concepts and practices are now central to organic farming--the use of
available waste materials to build and maintain soil fertility and humus content. According to
what he called "the Law of Return," he strongly advocated the recycling of all organic waste
materials, including sewage sludge, back to farmland. However, Walter Northbourne was
apparently the first to apply the word "organic" in farming. In 1940, Northbourne published an
influential book, Look to the Land, in which he elaborated the idea of the farm as an "organic
whole"--in the philosophical sense "organic" refers to "having a complex but necessary
interrelationship of parts, similar to that in living things."
In the 1940s J.I. Rodale, another founder of organic farming in USA, founded both a
working organic farm for trials and experimentation, and also the Rodale Institute, and
the Rodale Press to teach and advocate organic to the wider public. Further work was done
by Lady Eve Balfour in the UK, and many others across the world. Although, practice of organic
agriculture per se is not new for Nepali farmers, for it used to be our mainstream agriculture until
1950s, development of organic agriculture as movement with new perspective was started in
1986 with the establishment of Institute of Sustainable Agriculture Nepal (INSAN).

Status of organic agriculture in the world and in Nepal

Organic farming as a safe and healthy food production system is being more and more popular
day by day globally. Increasing environmental awareness among general public has transformed
the originally supply-driven organic movement to a demand-driven one. Premium prices and
some government’ subsidies in most of the countries have attracted farmers to organic system.
Since 1990, the market for organic products has grown at a rapid pace, to reach $46 billion in
2007 and now it is 80 billion (2014). This demand has driven a similar increase in organically
managed farmland worldwide; form about 32.2 million ha (0.8%) in 2007 to 43.7 million ha
(0.99%) in 2014. Consumer demand increases, reflected in the significant market growth of
11.5% in the US, the world’s largest organic market. More farmers cultivate organically and
more land is certified organic. According to the latest FiBL-IFOAM survey on certified organic
agriculture, data on organic agriculture are available from 172 countries (as of 2014). In addition,
as of 2007 organic wild products were harvested on approximately 30 million hectares. Reaching
a new all-time high, 2.3 million organic producers were reported in 2014. As in previous years,
the countries with the highest number of producers were India (650’000), Uganda (189’610) and
Mexico (169’703). A total of 43.1 million hectares were organic at the end of 2013, representing
a growth of almost 6 million hectares compared to the previous survey. In Oceania, organic land
increased by a 42%, which was mainly due to rangeland areas shifting to organic production in
Australia. The regions with the largest areas of organic agricultural land are Oceania (12.1
million ha), Europe (10 million ha), and Latin America (8.4 million ha). The countries with the
most organic agricultural land are Australia, Argentina, and the United States. In Asia, however,
the organic area decreased recently, mainly due to a major decline of organic farmland in India
and China. Apart from agricultural land, there are further organic areas, most of these being areas
for wild collection. Other areas include aquaculture, forests, and grazing areas on nonagricultural
land. They constitute 43 million ha and thus, more than 80 million ha are organic. About one
third of the world’s agricultural land (12.5 million hectares) and more than 80 percent of the
producers are in developing countries and emerging markets. In the developing world, many
producers farm according to traditional methods which are comparable to organic farming
(organic by default) but are not certified and may or may not include the latest scientific
advancements in organic agriculture.
In Nepal, INSAN (1986) started an organized effort to promote organic farming in Nepal
followed by Judith Chase who started an organic farm in Bhaktapur in 1987. Nepal Permaculture
Group (1992), a national network, working in the field sustainable agriculture, has been an
instrumental in promoting organic agriculture in the country through advocacy and lobbying;
organizing trainings, workshops and seminars; helping farmers and policy makers; etc. At
present many NGOs, few cooperatives, entrepreneurs, hoteliers, and conscious farmers are
involved in the development and promotion of organic agriculture in the country, and the organic
way of life is slowly becoming less of a passing trend and more of lifestyle, for an increasing
number of people, especially in cities and among educated circles. IFOAM reports that the total
land under organic management in Nepal is estimated to be 9’361 ha, which is 0.20% of total
agricultural land. There are 24422 hectares of wild collection in Nepal which is organic by
default. It is also estimated that about 26% of agriculture is organic by default, which is about
800,000 ha. At present IFOAM states that there are 687 organic producers in the country. Forty
five percent of coffee produced in Nepal is organic. Sixteen cooperatives and some individual
farmers are involved in organic productions, and twenty five private companies are
merchandizing them in national as well international markets. It is estimated that the organic
transaction is of at least US$ 7 million (NRs. 70,00,00,000) per annum including both local and
export markets. At local level, there are 5 organic outlets, four weekly farmers’ markets, nine
supermarkets, one restaurant, about 35 hotels and restaurant are selling organic menu partially in
Kathmandu and the number of outlets are increasing. The major products of trading are:
orthodox and leaf tea; coffee; honey; high land beans; buckwheat; root and leafy vegetables;
bread and pastas; herbs essential & oils; soap and raw materials for cosmetics and detergent;
wild fruit syrups; fiber for textile and furnishing; etc. The major export commodities include tea
(green, leaf and herbal), coffee (raw beans, roasted beans and powder), beans (pinto and adzuki),
buckwheat, spices (ginger, turmeric, coriander seed, and super hot chili), essential oils, herbs
(wild and cultivated), textile, cosmetics, etc.
Organic agriculture, as an issue, was first appeared in national policy document in Nepal
in its 10th Five Years Plan of the GoN in 2003, and is included in subsequent plans. There was
First Organic Farming Workshop organized in 2006 which helped to raise interest of national
scientists in organic farming. National Coordination Committee on Organic Agriculture
Production & Processing System (NCCOAPPS), a high level body, and National Organic
Agriculture Accreditation Body (NOAAB) have been formulated. National Organic Standard
has been developed and published, not yet brought into implementation though. Policy frame for
Internal Control System (ICS) and Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) has been developed.
NPG has been instrumental in making advances in all these policy documents. Organic farming
has been embedded in Agriculture Policy 2004, and in National Adaptation Plan of Action
(NAPA) to climate change, 2010. Recently, organic farming has got the place in Technology
Need Assessment (TNA), a national document prepared to assess the technology need to cope
with the problems of climate change in the days to come. Agriculture Policy, 2004 has provision
to support organic certification. Training Directorate, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of
Agriculture and Cooperatives, Nepal, started training program on organic farming in 2004,
renewed from 2010, and is to be continued. The government provides 50% subsidy in
machineries to those who intend factories to produce organic fertilizers in the country. Jumla
district has declared as "organic district" by the 14th session of the District Development
Council. Helping farmers in certification process by NGO such as Helvetas (coffee) and SNV
(tea) is in progress and private (national as well international) certifying agencies have started
certification in Nepal. Standard certification process by the authorized certifiers is becoming
gradually a common practice among the producers desiring to take their products to international
market. International humanitarian foundations and research and development institutions like
Helvtas, Switzerland; EED and GIZ, Germany; Agriculture Institute Canada; SNV, the
Netherlands; etc. have been working to take organic agriculture forward in Nepal. Recently,
Vedic Agriculture Foundation Nepal has come up with long-term plan with an ambitious mission
to convert Nepal into the first organic country in the world. In the context of being member of
World Trade Organization (WTO) Nepal has an enormous potential to present itself in
international market with fresh organic products.

Why OA in Nepal?
Organic agriculture in Nepal should be promoted for the following good reasons
 Healthy soil and environment
 Healthy food
 Self reliant of the farmers
 Efficient use of resources
 Full utilization of niche specificity
 Entrance to international market
 Climate change adaptation and mitigation
 Save national economy from the ever increasing expenditure in agro-chemicals
 Conservation of nature and biodiversity
 Sustaining agriculture and secure safe livelihood