Comparison Between Orgnaic and Conventional Farming

THE COMPARISON BETWEEN ORGANIC AND CONVENTIONAL FARMING SYSTEM WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO INDIA CAN BE DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS | COMPARATIVE COSTS OF INPUTS | This part indicates the financial challenges or problems posed by conventional farming system that are making agriculture progressively uneconomical. This can be understood by the findings of Dr. Y. M. Upadhya [Wheat Research Station Indore - 1996] that the input output ratio for wheat is becoming lopsided every year [fifteen years back the ratio was 1: 16 and today it is 1: 7]. This is primarily due to the constant increase of input quantities of chemical fertilizers needed to sustain the same level of output. While as in the case of organic/bio-dynamic farming the reverse takes place. Over a period of time the quantity of Inputs decrease.

Example
Crop - Wheat [Hybrid]{As per studies in Madya Pradesh(M.P.) with a group of farmers in districts of Indore, Ujjain and Shahjapur} |

Conventional | Organic / Bio-dynamic | Year | Cost[ Fert.] | Production q./Ha* | Cost | Production q./Ha* | 1980 | Rs 1,500 | 16 - 18 | RS 1,000 | 12 - 14 | 1985 | RS 2,000 | 16 - 20 | RS 1,250 | 13 - 15 | 1990 | RS 2,500 | 16 - 20 | RS 1,500 | 14 - 16 | 1995 | RS 3,000 | 16 - 20 | RS 1,500 | 15 - 17 | Weedicides and pesticides further contribute to the rising cost. | There is no need to combat these problems. | * q./Ha means Quintal Per Hectare (1q. = 100 Kgs and 1 Ha = 2.5 acres. ) | SOIL POISONING AND SUSTAINABILITYThe second part is perhaps more scary since it deals with soil health. In the recent past there have been numerous suicides by farmers in both North and South India resulting from the total loss of high input crops either by pest/disease attacks or due to the lack of crop health. In almost all of these cases the cause has been the poisoning of the soil due to repeated heavy doses of chemical fertilizers and pesticides coupled with the increasing resistance of pests to pesticides. On the other hand, organic farming coupled with bio-dynamic preparations are proving to be not only more profitable but also have shown that there use is continuously upgrading he soil conditions.Finally the growing demand world wide for organic food which to a large extent is dependent on higher labour input agriculture compared to, the conventional Western practice of chemicalized mechanized farming gives India a golden opportunity to capitalize and exploit. |