Article Courtesy : India Environment Portal
Author : Surabhi Singh and Rachel George
Agriculture sector contributes a major portion in gross production of India. In spite of this, agriculture today is finding itself in increasing difficulties. The adverse impact of agriculture based on synthetic fertilizers and herbicides is visible in the degradation of soil fertility, quality of food, taste of food and so on. Organic agriculture may prove to be a boon to curb these adverse effects. There is dearth of information on organic farming in India in general and in Uttarakhand in particular. Hence, the present study was conceived with the broad objective of building authentic database on demographic profile of farmers pursuing organic farming, their belief and awareness regarding organic farming in this hill state of North India.
Purposive random sampling was adapted to select districts, blocks and villages. A sample of 72 farmers pursuing organic farming was selected randomly for the study. The study was conducted in plain and hills regions of Uttarakhand. The results showed that the farmers carried out organic farming in a relatively smaller proportion of their land holding. While the respondents were cognizant about some basic facts of organic farming, they were not aware of all the aspects related to certification and standards given by different agencies. Respondents of the study were inclined to have favorable beliefs towards organic farming. The respondents, by and large, revealed good faith in organic farming. To promote organic farming, government should make policies and plan training and educational modules for farmers.