Central Soil & Water Cms ervation Research & Training Institute, 218 Kaulagarh Road, Dehradun, 248195 (Uttarakhand)
Online published on 2 March, 2012.
A review was made on certified organic farms in the Indian Himalayan states to ascertain the real benefits and feasibility of organic farming in terms of the production potential, economics and soil health in comparison to the conventional farms. The review study revealed that organic farming, in spite of the reduction in crop productivity by 14.6%, provided higher net profit to farmers by 21.5% compared to conventional farming. This was mainly due to the availability of premium price (20–40%) for the certified organic produce and reduction in the cost of cultivation by 15.9%. In cases, where such premium prices were not available and the cost of cultivation was higher primarily due to purchased off-farm inputs, organic farming was not found economically feasible. However, there was an overall improvement in soil quality in terms of various parameters, viz. physical, chemical, biological properties, availability of macro- and micronutrients, indicating an enhanced soil health and sustainability of crop production in organic farming systems
Economics, Issucs and status, Organic farming, Productivity and soil quality
