Farming is the backbone of nation. Agriculture remains the key segment for the economic development for most developing countries. It is fundamentally important for ensuring food security, alleviating poverty and conserving the vital natural resources that the world’s present and future generations will be entirely dependent upon for their survival and well-being. The world populations will inevitably double by the middle of the century. Most of the countries are having many burning problems for the agriculture production such as environmental degradation, depletion of natural resources, declining of soil fertility and crop productivity, soil erosion, mountain desertification, etc. The need of the country is to be self sufficient for food, shelter and clothes. It is only possible, if efforts from all sides go in cooperation by applying all possible resources for the development of soil fertility and productivity of the country. There is widespread problem of unbalanced fertilizer use. In general, too much nitrogen containing fertilizer is being applied and too little phosphorus, potassium and micronutrients.

In the process of attaining higher levels of food production for matching the demand of growing population during the recent past decades, emphasis was laid on intensive agricultural practices. With the increase in crop yields from modern farming techniques reaching a area of stability in most of the countries and the environmental problems due to excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides becoming a matter of concern, the need for sustainable agriculture is increasingly being felt, the world over. In the view of renaissance of interest in recent years, organic farming has been considered to be a sound and viable option in most of the countries especially our country India. Organic farming seems to be more suitable it considers the important aspects like sustainability of natural resources and environment. It is a production system which favors maximum use of organic materials (crop residue, animal residue, legumes, on and off farm wastages, growth regulators, and bio-pesticides) and discourages use of synthetically produced agro-inputs, for maintaining soil productivity and fertility and pest management under conditions of sustainable natural resources and healthy environment. 

Hence Keeping this in view the theme Organic farming for sustainable Agriculture is been selected. There is urgent need to involve more and more scientist to identify the thrust area of research for the development of eco-friendly production technology. No doubt there are some challenges also regarding organic farming like Decline in production, Labor intensive, etc.Manual weeding

Traditional farming is a primitive style of farming that involves the intensive use of indigenous knowledge, traditional tools, natural resources, organic fertilizer and cultural beliefs of the farmers. The modern farming system has  introduced synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and this has bought radical changes in the agricultural output and has boosted the economy among different sectors of people. It has also brought about valuable changes in food security and decreased the frequency of different types of diseases that are supposed to be caused due to insufficient food among people all over the globe. However, this has damaged different ecosystems and has caused different health effects among people at the same time. When they studied, with due course time, a dozen of diseases were identified and were associated with different pesticides that may find their way into the human body via water and food and farming community may inhale traces of pesticides while spraying them in their orchids and fields.

The process of eutrophication that is enhanced by synthetic fertilizers significantly damages the water bodies and most of them have vanished from the earth. Hence, a shift towards organic farming is seen a way to avert these disasters. The prospects of organic farming are attractive and healthy but the restricted access in this sector are hampering the process and need to be removed by healthy policies and strategies. The promotion of organic farming requires setting of short term and long term targets taking into account sustainable development goals and agricultural practices. The improvement of soil quality and ensuring food safety and consumer health on which organic farming rests is the need of hour.In short, the key to successful organic farming resides in continuing to develop the scientific work and simultaneously in explaining and justifying the valid reasons which allow scientists to actually use these technologies for the welfare and safety of a public which is more and more concerned about the environment and its protection.

Organic agriculture may not only reduce the burden of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides but may improve the quality of environment by and large. The cost of production of organic fertilizer is simply insignificant as compared to chemical fertilizers. Organic fertilizers can be produced from a ‘cheap raw material’ (community wastes including farm wastes) which is in plenty all over the world and is growing in quantity with the growing human population. This means organic fertilizers can be afforded by all farmers. In vermicompost, worms itself becomes an economically valuable products for the farmers to be sold to fishery, poultry, dairy and pharmaceutical industries.

The key characteristics of organic farming include

• Protecting long term fertility of soils by maintaining organic matter levels, encouraging soil biological activity, and careful mechanical intervention
• Providing crop nutrients indirectly which are made available to the plant by the action of soil micro-organisms
• Nitrogen self-sufficiency through the use of legumes and biological nitrogen fixation, as well as effective recycling of organic materials including crop residues and livestock manures
• Weed, disease and pest control relying primarily on crop rotations, natural predators, diversity, organic manuring, resistant 
• Careful attention to the impact of the farming system on the environment and the conservation of wildlife and natural habitats

Conclusion

When it comes to traditional farming, or extensive farming as it is often known, the concept is much easier to grasp. The animals are left to do exactly what they want; roam around, graze at their leisure and live life as nature intended. Farming through this method doesn’t require the use of chemicals or pesticides, so the fields remain a high quality and the soil maintains its correct pH balance. In other words, extensive or traditional farming has very little negative impact on the environment. But it has its own limitations such as it relies upon rainfall to water the plants, so drought will be  a common issue. The quantity of food produced will be less per acre, which, when combined with drought, may lead to cause starvation. 

References

Ramesh, P.,Organic farming research in M.P.Organic farming in rain fed agriculture; Central Institute for dry land agriculture Hydrabad,pp-13-17. (2008)

• M. S. Swaminathan Cultivating Food For A Developing World Environ. Sci. Technol. 1992, 26, 6, 1104–1107

By Miss Mahima A Pundalik, B,Sc. III Semester, K.L.E.Society’s R.L.Science Institute Autonomous Belagavi