Organic Farming Policy free essay sample

In this whole document we will try to find out how the policy is addressing the following issues? Is the main thrust on livelihoods and improving net returns of farmers, or is it about export and niche markets? Does the policy emphasise on internalisation of farm inputs or is it created for providing opportunities to the organic industry, where farmers will buy things from various input factories/entities/outfits? ? Have farmers institutions and empowerment been emphasised upon, for sustainability of the effort? ? Is there convergence between various departments envisaged? ? Have forward linkages as well as backward linkages been thought of, and planned for? ? Is the policy ambitious in its approach or not? How is the implementation against the objectives? Are the goalposts being moved or being adhered to? Does it address equity concerns fragile eco-zones, women farmers, smallholders, tribal and Dalit farmers, rain fed farmers etc. any special and appropriate emphasis or not? ? Are subsidies being recast clearly to promote organic or do main subsidies continue in a chemical farming paradigm, vitiating any plans for organic right at the beginning? ? Is a farming systems approach being taken livestock integration, agro-forestry etc. Organic Farming Policy of Madhya Pradesh (M. P) The Organic farming policy of M. P government states the commitment of the tate for making the existing agriculture into a sustainable and profitable venture for landless labours, marginal and small farmers by providing institutional support as well as technological support to the farmers. The policy ensures a major thrust on converting Madhya Pradesh as one of the leading states in the systematic and scientific, yet sustainable organic state, wherein the farming communities derive their livelihoods, produce safe contamination free food, conserve natural resources, manage soil health, redeem safe ground and surface water and generate new employment avenues within villages. This is mostly the tribal blocks and villages who hardly use inorganic inputs and practice organic farming by default. This will help in increasing the return to tribal farmers. The policy also states the commitment of the government for ensuring the uninterrupted supply of organic inputs to the farmers following the organic method of cultivation. The commitment of the government to make the state a GM crop free state also shows its deep interest towards the organic farming and also the state is forming out legal ways to stop the infiltration of GM crops in the targeted organic farming areas. The institutional arrangement for the successful achievement of the vision mission of organic farming in the state has been formulated with government in the centre for coordinating with all other departments. The Department of Farmers? Welfare and Agriculture Development, MP State Krishak Aayog, Department of Horticulture and Food Processing, Department of Animal Husbandry, Department of Fisheries and other allied sectors identified the areas of concern specific to the their domain, which needs intervention of the state government, and prepared a comprehensive strategy to fulfil the state commitment. The state also ensures the promotion of organic farming in the state by strengthening State Organic Certification agency and establishing Organic Farming Research and Development Institute in the state, National Organic Farming University, Community base Organic Growers, traders and Processors. The state is also interested in ensuring standard quality of the organic produce by setting up of Quality Control Laboratories in the state but the government needs to intervene with the private players in order to channelize the quality assurance, packaging and pricing delivery mechanism through some quasi legal and statutory provisions. The Policy advocates of organic farming in Public –Private-Community Partnership to make the policy mission a successful one. The Ministry of Agriculture of the state and Rajya Krishak Ayog will coordinate with all other departments like Rural Development, Public Relation, Horticulture, Forestry, Food Processing, Animal Husbandry, Veterinary, Page | 3 ESM TERM PAPER Energy, water resources, urban development and Education etc. and other stakeholders of the policy to direct them for successful implementation of the project. But the policy failed to explain how, when in which manner the policy will be coordinated among various departments. The backward linkage has been planned well in the sense that the policy advocates about establishing a â€Å"Primary Organic Producers? Collective† which will do all the primary value addition works like certification to qualify organic standards, collection of products, aggregation, cleaning, sorting, grading and packaging. But this does not talk about how the small and marginal producers can be saved from the vested interest of the multinational companies and corporate. The initial investment for the organic farming has been solved by taking the nationalized banks, NABARD, RRBs and MFIs in the value chain to provide credit for initial investment to the producer organisations. The technological support is supposed to be provided by proper linkage with RD institutions and Producer Organizations. The forward linkages have been done by suggesting that the PGS, GGC and Primary Organic Producers? Collective will sell all the products under one brand name. The M. P state Agriculture Marketing Board and Mandis has been directed to provide separate sheds to organic produces in order to avoid mixing of non-organic products with the organic products. The policy takes care of the tribal population and the small farmers because of the fact that the tribal population hardly uses chemical fertilizers or inorganic chemical inputs in the field by default so those tribal have been targeted to achieve the goal at least cost. The reason for addressing the small farmers just because most of the farmers of the state fall under this category and nothing can be done in this field without including this category. The policy nowhere discusses about the women farmers; neither dalit farmers nor the policy says anything about the women participation in the producer organizations. The policy has emphasised on the usage of Bio/Gobar Gas for supplying power in cold chains and the enriched manure will be certified as clean green manure. The policy provides a lot of incentives and subsidies to the farmers for adopting organic farming or continuing with organic farming as the case may be. There is subsidy for farmers on the basis of nutrient vale of the soil, organic content base compensation and on usage of organic manures. The proposal of Dry Dairies to keep the bovines in the dry period and taking full care of those bovines and monitoring the milk animal about its breed improvement. The animal in the dry dairies will be returned to owner after calving. This is really a unique concept. Sikkim: State Organic Farming Policy Introduction Sikkim is the first state of India to bring a resolution in the state assembly to convert the state from Inorganic system to Organic system of farming in the year 2003. Other states later followed Sikkim and took similar decision. Hon’ble Chief Minister Pawan Chamling floated the idea of declaring NE states as Organic Zone and to request Govt. of India to include in the National policy for Agriculture. The age old traditional system of farming practised by farmers of Sikkim is in no way different from the modern day organic farming system being advised. Today Sikkim is heading towards a farming system which will definitely lead to a healthy and wealthy living taking due care of ecology, environment and above all sustainability of farming process. After declaration to convert the tate into a fully organic state in 2003 certain changes have been made in policies like reduction in subsidies on chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Increased subsidies on rural compost pit and Vermi composting programmes introduced. The outlets for fertilisers and pesticides in the rural areas were closed. Organic based schemes like bio-fertiliser demonstration, EM Technology in compost making, green manuring etc. initiated. Certification process started in 7000 hectares but this is just about 12 percent of the total targeted area. To achieve huge target in limited time there has to be a mission to take up the entire task from production, certification to market linkage guided by a clear cut road map. The four Pillars of Organic Policy of Sikkim can be 1. Improve food and income security of Sikkim farmers in sustainable organic ways- soil health care 2. Develop organic agribusiness opportunities- economic health care of farmers 3. Ensure safe organic food supplies to consumers – human health care 4. Enable Sikkim take its share of organic market Sikkim Organic Mission: Key objectives and functions ? Sikkim Organic Mission will be the overall Nodal agency for promoting organic farming in the state of Sikkim and to introduce, promote and adopt appropriate technologies for improving the production, arrange , organize and undertake all activities related and necessary for improving all aspects of organic production of various commodities in the state. ? The mission will endeavour to promote organic farming in all fields of land use under agriculture and allied sectors for promotion of organic farming in the state, network and liaison with various departments of the state. Promote, organize and nurture the institutions outside the Government like Cooperatives, NGO, Voluntary organization, Processing units, Boards etc. for facilitation of all necessary inputs required for backward and forward linkages related to organic products so as to provide services within easy reach of the farmers on economically viable basis. ? Establish the Sikkim Organic brand in the market and secure the int erests and identity of Sikkim Organic farmers.