About Organic Farming

Any agriculture system has a duty towards feeding the earth and it has to fulfill this responsibility using safe and
sustainable methods and technologies. Organic farming is a set of simple practices which bring into picture a diverse,
healthy and sustainable crop production system, without the use of poisonous chemicals like pesticides and fertilisers.
It is a responsible way of farming which ensures that healthy, chemical-free food is produced without harming the
environment.

It is a fallacy that organic farming leads to loss in productivity - it is proven that after a short period of a drop in yields,
organic farming is more productive than chemical farming. Organic farming is also cheaper to practice than chemical
agriculture. It is turning out to be the only way to farm, taking into account farmer conditions, environmental
conditions and the health needs of the consumer.

The holistic aspect of organic farming

Organic farming is not just farming without using chemicals. It is a holistic way of life that looks to benefit every aspect
of nature and life which agricultural practices entail interaction with. Hence, organic farming is also about the
environment, agricultural traditions, seed biodiversity, animal welfare, rural communities, self-reliance, sensible energy
use, soil and water conservation, and importantly, human health.

Organic farming can be considered a spiritual or enlightened practice because of the intrinsic benevolence and
nonviolent nature of its methods. Instead of placing unreasonable demands on the plant or soil, organic agriculture
works in association with them, not forcing the plant to produce more, but feeding the soil which in turns feeds the
plant in a natural way. In organic farming, even weeds and pests are considered part of the system - weeds denote
what could be wrong on a farm (a deficiency or an excess of a nutrient for example), and pests are merely part of a
cycle - their appearance is followed by the arrival of their natural predators which 'take care' of them.

Why organic farming

Agriculture has to be considered a way of life, a lifestyle and a communication or interaction with nature. It cannot be
treated as an industrial or purely commercial activity. In its current form, chemical agriculture has adversely affected
the environment, farm diversity, farming communities, farm animals, food quality, and the lives and health of
consumers worldwide. India is no exception. The focus of agriculture today, in its chemical avatar, is on quantity and
outer appearance rather than on intrinsic quality or 'vitality' and nutrition. Pesticide and other chemical residue in food
and an overall reduced quality of food have led to a marked increase in various diseases, mainly various forms of
cancer and reduced immunity.

In India, chemical agriculture has seen many negative fallouts, amongst them being :

Loss of seed diversity

Contamination of water resources by pesticides - the twin controversies in 2003 regarding pesticide content in bottled
drinking water and aerated beverages in India hardly came as a surprise to many working with the environment and in
farming. Even if we blame beverage manufacturers (and rightly-so) for allowing pesticide residue in their products and
treating human health so cheaply, the fact remains that pesticides got into the water supply in the first place only
because of the agriculture system which uses them

Contamination of water resources by pesticides - the twin controversies in 2003 regarding pesticide content in bottled
drinking water and aerated beverages in India hardly came as a surprise to many working with the environment and in
farming. Even if we blame beverage manufacturers (and rightly-so) for allowing pesticide residue in their products and
treating human health so cheaply, the fact remains that pesticides got into the water supply in the first place only
because of the agriculture system which uses them

Poorer soil quality

Falling ground water levels - agricultural chemicals require plenty of water to respond, hybrids also usually need more
water compared to local varieties

Greater dependence of farmers for external inputs, and increased risks incurred by them on account of higher crop
production expenses and lower net returns
Organic food
Organic food does not 'cost the earth' to grow. It should not also cost consumers 'the earth' to eat. At the same time
however, assuming that the ruling market prices for conventionally-grown food (read chemically-grown food) are fair, it
is only correct that an organic farmer should receive at least a marginally higher price for his produce and his efforts,
especially when consumers are aware that organic food is better than chemically-grown food in all respects, including
taste, flavour and for their own health, besides that of the earth.

Another aspect of the organic food 'issue' at least in India is a common problem faced by organic farmers : the lack of
a ready market and often unremunerative prices for their produce. In many cases, the grower does not receive timely
payments from middlemen including organic food traders. Interested buyers of organic food on the other hand, cannot
find what they need, at least not at reasonable prices. Supplies are often erratic or unreliable and in some cases
buyers are not even sure if the food they are buying is indeed organic.

Buy organic foods

Satavic Farms has, in early 2006, established a separate division within the organisation to supply organic
food and food products in India. This division attempts to link growers and buyers to ensure a fair price for
the grower and easier availability of a wide range of organic food at reasonable prices for the buyer.
A wide range of fresh and processed organic food is available, sourced mainly from farmers within our
network. Certified organic food, ethically-certified organic food (from known NGOs and organisations), and
uncertified organic produce (the last only from growers and organisations within our own network) are
available. The division does not deal in meat and egg products and the few milk-based items available
have been attempted to be sourced from verified humane dairy farmers.
You can contact us for more information on our organic food division and the products we have available :
Institutions, bulk / wholesale,
Retail enquiries
importers
vikas@satavic.org or call +91-
food@satavic.org
98300 53601
Sell organic food
Satavic Farms' organic food division, established in early 2006, sources a wide range of fresh and
processed organic food and food products from across the Indian sub-continent. If you are a grower or
processor of organic food in India or outside and would like to supply your produce / products, please write
tofood@satavic.org or call 09830053601 (+91-9830053601 if calling from outside India).

Please note that we do not work with meat, eggs and their products. Milk products are also subject to
certain verifications. We are sourcing only certified organic food from growers and processors outside our
network. In specific cases, we also procure ethically-certified organic food, subject to the credentials of
individual organisations.

We are not procuring uncertified organic food from farmers outside our own network. If you fall in this
category and would still like to supply to us, you would either have to apply for organic certification or tie-
up with an NGO or similar organisation. We can guide you further on hearing from you.

Organic farming in India

The official position
As per a Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) study of mid-2003, India had 1,426 certified organic
farms producing approximately 14,000 tons of organic food / produce annually. In 2005, as per Govt. of
India figures, approximately 190,000 acres (77,000 hectares) were under organic cultivation. The total
production of organic food in India as per the same reference was 120,000 tons annually, though this
largely included certified forest collections.
Another side to the story
There are a number of farms in India which have either never been chemically-managed / cultivated or
have converted back to organic farming because of their farmers' beliefs or purely for reason of
economics. These thousands of farmers cultivating hundreds of thousands of acres of land are not
classified as organic though they are. Their produce either sells in the open market along with
conventionally grown produce at the same price or sells purely on goodwill and trust as organic through
select outlets and regular specialist bazaars. These farmers will never opt for certification because of the
costs involved as well as the extensive documentation that is required by certifiers.
New potential areas
About 65% of India's cropped area is not irrigated and it can be safely assumed that high-input demanding
crops are not grown on these lands. Fertiliser use on drylands is always less anyway as chemical fertilisers
require sufficient water to respond. Pesticide use in these lands would also be less as the economics of
these hardy or "not-so profitable" crops will not permit expensive inputs. These areas are at least
"relatively organic" or perhaps even "organic by default". While neither of these terms necessarily denotes
a healthy farm or a recommended agriculture system, it would at least imply a non-chemical farm that can
be converted very easily to an organic one providing excellent yields and without the necessity and effort
of a lengthy conversion period.