Case studies regarding the yield of rice and tea and other good news about Organic Farming:

1. A case study - Philippine is a major rice producing country in Asia. Years of application of Green Revolution technology in rural philippine, which is heavily dependent on chemical inputs, deteriorated the soil by increasing soil pH level, annihilating beneficial microorganisms which produce natural enzymes and antibiotics for disease resistance, decreasing soil aeration, eroding soil, and diminishing organic matter, micro and macro-nutrients, among other harmful effects by rendering the soil resource base imbalanced. Dead soil was rejuvenated by adopting series of methods and procedures, without using a single drop of chemical fertilizer and pesticides. Soil pH is decreasing gradually, water holding capacity has been improved, Cation Exchange Capacity increased along with organic matter, micro and macronutrients (In soil science, cation exchange capacity (CEC) is the capacity of a soil for ion exchange of positively charged ions between the soil and the soil solution. (A positively-charged ion, which has fewer electrons than protons, is known as a cation.) Cation exchange capacity is used as a measure of fertility, nutrient retention capacity, and the capacity to protect groundwater from cation contamination).

A healthy soil base is creating agro-ecosystem health and balance resources in the soil, thus making rice crops more resilient and resistant to drought and requires less water. It has also been reported that, yield of organic rice of the region is more than the hybrid varieties. As compare to 6 to 6.5 tons of hybrid rice now the yield with organic system has become 8 tons per hector.

Organic agriculture should be supported with research and development on methods and technologies, rice seeds adaptability, pest and disease resistance, resilience, and systems yield potential. Don Bosco Foundation for Sustainable Development Inc. (DBFSDI) was associated with this development.

2. An encouraging steps have been reported recently that, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., world's largest retailer, has boosted its purchase of cotton and other agricultural items from farmers who are changing from conventional to organic farming, in order to promote selling of organic products. Wal-Mart has been increasing the number of organic products that it offers in its stores. Because of its larger size, it requires a large and steady supply of these organic goods to stock. An organic farmer need almost more than three years from his commitment of switchover, to get his products certified as organic; which is prerequisite for supply to the stores. In fact, decision of boosting purchase of agricultural based organic products is an encouraging step taken by the world's largest retailer. The certification time should be reduced further as far as possible. This reduction would provide necessary incentive and prices in time to the organic farmers.

3. Another encouraging news is, as per the study program of EU nations, it has been reported that, organically produced food is better than ordinary food. Organic food like fruits, vegetables and milk, contain more nutrients and may contain higher concentrations of cancer fighting and heart beneficial antioxidants. In fact, organically produced food is testier than conventional food items. Also, eating organic food was equivalent to eating an extra portion of fruit and vegetables each day.

4. A case study on organic tea cultivation in India - Demand for organic tea, like other organic foods, has also been growing rapidly. Since 1980, organic tea consumption has grown by leaps and bounds. Organic tea consumption has grown by about 10 percent globally each year since 1980. India, a leading producer of quality tea, too has joined this new green revolution with many farmers already growing organic tea or converting their plantations to do so. In India, the production of organic (or organic in conversion) tea was 150,000 kg in 1990, which has been increased to 2,150,000 kg in 2000. Cultivation started in Darjeeling, place known for its quality tea, during 1986 and gradually spread to the tea areas of Assam (another tea growing area in India) and then to South India. As of 2002, there were 42 tea gardens in the country that had taken up organic tea cultivation in an area of 6000 hectares. The current production level is around 3.5 million kgs and growing further. The main export destinations from India include Australia, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, UK and the USA. In India itself, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Hyderabad accounted for the majority of the domestic consumption of organic tea.

Tea qualifies as organic only when environment-friendly techniques are employed in its production. An organic unit should essentially be a self-sustaining one, designing the farm at the time of establishment of new organic tea plantation is crucial for optimum utilization of resources within the plantation itself. The topography of the land and varieties of tea to be planted determine the basic design of the organic farm at the functional level. The estate must also have trees, bunds, cattle shed, compost yard, store house etc to enable it to become a self supporting system within a reasonable time. The resultant slurry could be passed through a simple gas plant, which provides methane gas for use as fuel and organic manure in the form of slurry which is comparatively better in quality and cheaper source of fertilization.

In order to establish organic tea fields, it is necessary to build up inherent nutrient levels and neutralise the chemical residues left in soils from past cultivation. This requires an interim period - called the conversion period. Based on the agro-ecological conditions, this period may vary from 3 to 5 years. If plantation is taken up before conversion period is over, chemical residues may show up in the product.

Leguminous plants, shade trees, and green manure are all sources of nutrients for the growing plants. In addition, nutrients are also supplemented by using well composted cattle manure, poultry manure, biogas slurry and neem cakes. Best results can be obtained by maintaining a 100% moisture level during the initial period. Improvement of soil health through vermiculture is also recommended.

Insect, disease and nematode management in organic farming systems rely on the inherent equilibrium in nature. This includes using natural enemies of pests to keep their numbers in check. These include insect predators, parasites (insects that use other insects to produce their offspring, thereby killing the pest insect in the process), and pathogens (diseases that kill or decrease the growth rate of insect pests). Predatory insects on organic farms include lady beetles, lacewings, and spiders. Parasitic insects include wasps and flies that lay their eggs in/on pest insects, such as larvae or caterpillars.

Organic farming is essential to upgrade the general environmental condition:

Organic farming is essential to upgrade the general environmental condition:

In the rapid pace of development we have inflicted serious damage to the natural resources, agriculture etc., and consequently we are now faced with shortage of healthy crop, clean water, and clean air – essential to keep our environment healthy for our good living. Now the serious questions have arisen towards safeguarding the environment and providing quality of natural resources for sustainability. As a result more and more emphasis is being given towards returning to nature and adoption of organic agriculture and farming.

A. Organic farming is a form of agriculture which excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, plant growth regulators, livestock feed additives, and genetically modified organisms. In general, process of organic farming relies on crop rotation, green manure, compost, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity and controlling pests. Organic farming is often contrasted with conventional chemical fertilizer farming.

B. In both developed and developing countries, several forms of organic farming are being successfully practiced in diverse climate, particularly in rain-fed, tribal, mountains and hilly areas. Much of the forest produce of economic importance like herbs, medicinal plants, etc., by default come under this category. Among all farming systems, organic farming is gaining wide attention worldwide. Farmers, entrepreneurs, policy makers and agricultural scientists have started taking interest in organic farming. The benefits organic farming are many - for varied reasons such as, it minimizes the dependence on chemical inputs (fertilizers; pesticides; herbicides and other agro-chemicals) thus it safeguards / improves quality of resources, and environment; for developing countries it is labour intensive and provides an opportunity to increase rural employment and achieve long term improvements in the quality of resource base. Organic production systems are based on specific standards precisely formulated for food production and aim at achieving agro ecosystems, which are socially and ecologically sustainable.

C. There is a lot of debate between the proponents of organic farming and a section of the community who questioned the scientific validity and feasibility of organic farming. The most often debated issues on organic agriculture are: (i) Can organic farming produce enough food for everybody? (ii) Is it possible to meet the nutrient requirements of crops entirely from organic sources? (iii) Are there any significant environmental benefits of organic farming? (iv) Is the food produced by organic farming superior in quality? (v) Is organic agriculture economically feasible? (vi) Is it possible to manage pests and diseases in organic farming?

D. Organic agricultural methods are internationally regulated and legally enforced by many nations. The goal of organic farming is defined as

(a) Economics - The economics of organic farming studies the process and effects of organic farming on human society, specifically in terms of yields, benefits, costs, and employment effects. Currently studies suggest that converted organic farms have lower yields than their conventional counterparts in developed countries but equal or greater yields in developing countries. While organic farms have lower yields, organic methods require no synthetic fertilizer and pesticides. The decreased cost on these inputs, along with the premiums which consumers pay for organic produce, creates comparable profits for organic farmers. Some of the governments in developed countries subsidize organic farming, in large part because of increased biodiversity, reduced soil erosion, and reduced water contamination by pesticides and nutrients. Organic farming is highly labor and knowledge-intensive whereas conventional farming is capital-intensive, requiring more energy and manufactured inputs. Organic farming generally produces somewhat lower yields than conventional farming, but sustains better yields during drought years.

(b) Productivity and Profitability – The yield in organic farms is on average 10-15% less than conventional farms, but the lower yields are balanced by lower input costs such as fertilizer, pesticides etc., and hence higher profit margins. Crop management practices such as crop rotations, green manuring, crops residue recycling, water management, efficient plant types etc., are adopted through a combination of structural and tactical management options to ensure farm produce of sufficient quantity and quality for livestock and human consumption. Normally, a crop rotation involving a leguminous crop is preferred over others. Organic farmer preferably grow locally adopted varieties having some quality traits for the premium markets.

Some studies have shown that, yields in developing world could "double or triple" with organic methods, mainly because the developing world lacks access to cheap pesticides and fertilizer. The issue of profitability is more complex than a summary of yield (production per land area). Social benefits in developing world are more as organic methods require more labor, providing rural jobs.

(c) Externalities - Agriculture in general imposes external costs upon society through pesticides, nutrient runoff, excessive water usage, and assorted other problems. As organic methods minimize some of these factors, organic farming is believed to impose fewer external costs upon society.

(d) Health Risks - Organic farms use few synthetic pesticides although they are allowed to use some natural ones. On the other hand, conventional farming uses large quantities of pesticides through techniques such as crop dusting (aerial application of pesticides). Studies have shown that people who work with pesticides have an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

(e) Children's health – People’s concerned about the potential neurological health risks posed to children by trace pesticide residues in food can not be ruled out, although more number of medical studies are required.

(f) Pesticide runoff - Pesticide runoff to rivers, water steam and other water bodies is one of the most significant effects of pesticide use. The environmental risk posed by pesticide water contamination from farms has been documented in many countries. The risk levels for protection of drinking water, fish, algae and crustaceans remain quite high because of use of pesticides in farming.

(g) Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) - A key characteristic of organic farming are rejection of genetically engineered products, including plants and animals. Although GMOs are excluded from use in organic farming, there is concern that the pollen from genetically modified crops is increasingly contaminating organic and heirloom genetics making it difficult, to keep these genetics from entering the organic food supply. For achieving successful results in organic farming, it is important to look into this aspect carefully.

(h) Food quality - In the case of milk and meat, the fatty acid profile organic products are often better from nutritional point of view. As regards carbohydrates and minerals, organic products are no different from conventional products. As regards undesirable substances such as nitrate and pesticide residues, organic products have a clear advantage.

(i) Soil conservation - Organic farming systems rely on the management of soil organic matter to enhance the chemical, biological and physical properties of the soil. One of the basic principles of soil fertility management in organic systems is that plant nutrition depends on ‘biologically-derived nutrients’ instead of using readily soluble forms of nutrients; less available forms of nutrients such as those in bulky organic materials are used. This requires release of nutrients to the plant via the activity of soil microbes and soil animals. Improved soil biological activity is also known to play a key role in suppressing weeds, pests and diseases. Animal dung, crop residues, green manure, bio-fertilizers and bio-solids from agro-industries and food processing wastes are some of the potential sources of nutrients of organic farming. Moreover, repeated use of herbicides (to kill weeds) may disturb the soil microorganisms that contribute to the decomposition of the plant residues that help rebuild the soil organic matter content. It can also encourage the build-up of resistances in weeds. Latest studies have found that organic farming is better at building up the soil.

(j) Nutrient Leaching - Excess nutrients in lakes, rivers, and groundwater can cause algal blooms, and subsequent dead zones. In addition, nitrates are harmful to aquatic organisms. The main contributor to this pollution is nitrate fertilizers whose use is increasing day by day. Studies have found that that organically fertilizing field significantly reduces harmful nitrate leaching over conventionally fertilized field.

E. Thus, organic farming and organic agriculture is a holistic food production management system, which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It emphasizes the use of management practices in preference to the use of off-farm inputs, taking into account that regional conditions require locally adapted systems. This is accomplished by using, where possible, agronomic, biological and mechanical methods, as opposed to using synthetic materials, to fulfil any specific function within the system.

The market for organic products is growing, not only in Europe and North America but also in many other countries. The demand for organic food is steadily increasing both in developed and developing countries, with annual average growth rate of 20-25%.

The impact of organic agriculture on natural resources favours interactions within the agro-ecosystem those are vital for both agricultural production and nature conservation. Ecological services derived include soil forming and conditioning, soil stabilization through buffering and structural improvement, waste recycling, carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, predation, pollination and habitats. The environmental costs of conventional agriculture are substantial, and the evidence for significant environmental amelioration via conversion to organic agriculture is over-whelming.

Environmental impact of mixed fertilizer plant:

Environmental impact of mixed fertilizer plant:

Mixed fertilizers contain two or more of the elements of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK), which are essential for good plant growth and high yields.

Ammonium phosphates are produced by mixing phosphoric acid and anhydrous ammonia in a reactor to produce slurry. This is the mixed-acid route for producing NPK fertilizers; potassium and other salts are added during the process. The principal pollutants from the production of Monoammonium phosphate (MAP) and Diammonium phosphate (DAP) are ammonia and fluorides. Fluorides and dust are released from materials-handling operations.

Control measures:

(i) Materials handling and milling of phosphate rock should be carried out in closed buildings. Fugitive emissions can be controlled by with capture of the dust in fabric filiters.

(ii) In the ammonium phosphate plant, the gas streams from the reactor, granulator, dryer, and cooler should be passed through cyclones and scrubbers, using phosphoric acid as the scrubbing liquid, to recover particulates, ammonia, and other materials for recycling.

(iii) In the nitrophosphate plant, nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions should be avoided by adding urea to the digestion stage.

(iv) Fluoride emissions should be prevented by scrubbing the gases with water.

(v) Ammonia should be removed by scrubbing. Phosphoric acid may be used for scrubbing where the ammonia load is high.

(vi) The process-water system should be balanced, if necessary, by the use of holding tanks to avoid the discharge of an effluent.

The key production and control practices that leads to compliance with emissions requirements are:

• Maximize product recovery and minimize air emissions by appropriate maintenance and operation of scrubbers and baghouses.

• Eliminate effluent discharges by operating a balanced process water system.

• Prepare and implement an emergency preparedness and response plan. Such a plan is required because of the large quantities of ammonia and other hazardous materials stored and handled on site.