How sikkim could offer lessons to other states in organic farming. The complete book on organic farming and production of. A well defined government policy on organic farming is inevitable. Sikkim livelihood schools to promote organic farming. Sikkims organic revolution at risk as local consumers fail. In fact, sikkim and mizoram had already declared to go on organic farming in the next five years, the icar director said. Today, all farming in sikkim is carried out without the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, providing access to safer food choices and making agriculture a more environmentfriendly activity. Cardamom man in sikkim merging farming with tourism rural. These are replaced by organic inputs and organic sources of soil nutrients. Bernward geier, present here today, who stated that not only in india, but sikkim is the first fully organic state in the whole world. Sikkim becomes the first fully organic state of india. The complete book on organic farming and production of organic compost.
Sikkim organic brand takes roots by developing strong production and supply chain mechanisms for selected commodities. In the state of sikkim the concept of organic farming does not mean going back to the traditional methods. Sikkim is now the first fully organic state of india. It is a process in which chemical fertilizers and pesticides or any other kind of chemical inputs are avoided. Many techniques used in organic farming like intercropping, mulching and integration of crops and livestock are not alien to various agriculture systems including the traditional agriculture practiced in old countries like india. Bihar agriculture minister dr prem kumar visited sikkim to learn the state experiences to adopt the model in bihar for the organic farming. Organic farming works in peace and friendship with nature rather than going against nature and this organic farming involves the use of distinct methods to achieve the best yields of a crop. Sikkim organic mission cell has prepared a simple action oriented state policy on organic farming which may help all the stakeholders of organic farming in their endeavor to make sikkim a. Sikkim achieved its ambition to convert its agriculture to fully organic over the interval 2003 to 2016, the first state in india to achieve this distinction. A strong interest by south korean traders in sikkim s organic horticultural products was mentioned, as well as that by pharmaceutical and wellbeing industries regarding sikkim s organic spices. A study was conducted to investigate the prospects of organic agriculture oa in bhutan from the experts perspective, particularly the swot strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat aspect. Organic farmers to be felicitated with monthly pension.
Study of organic cultivation in sikkim national bank staff college. Sikkim beat 50 other nominated policies to win the gold award for its state policy on organic farming 2004 and sikkim organic mission 2010, which have enabled it to become the first 100% organic state in the world. It primarily focuses socioeconomic aspects such as consumption and market expansion, cultural aspects as well as health, education, rural development and sustainable tourism. A large number of initiatives have been taken by the agriculture and horticulture departments. Sikkim is the first state in the world that is 100% organic. Sikkims organic farming mission at stake due to attacks from wild animals the menace by wild animals has put at stake the pawan chamling governments ambitious mission of switching to. An enquiry into the challenges of organic farming in sikkim. Representational image 2016 turned out to be a great year for sikkim as it became indias first fully organic state besides being adjudged the cleanest state, overall best in education and tourist destination while the famed kanchenjunga national park was inscribed in the unesco world heritage list. Jun 04, 2015 this is my sincere effort to connect masses to the concept of organic farming, more in the context of sikkim india. The complete book on organic farming and production of organic compost author. Sikkim accounts for the largest share of cardamom production in india, and is the worlds second largest producer of the spice after guatemala. Appreciate the role played by sikkim government to.
Thats right all of its farmland is certified organic. This is my sincere effort to connect masses to the concept of organic farming, more in the context of sikkim india. Indias 100% organic state matters for future of organic food. Table6 summary of swot analysis on organic farming in sikkim. Organic farming, sustainable agriculture, uttarakhand organic commodity board uocb. Organic farming proves to be more profitable than conventional farming methods. The authors are also thankful to shri khorlo bhutia, secretary, sikkim organic. In india, organic farming system is not new and since time. But today, the demand for sikkims organic produce has soared and farmers in the state are already earning 20% more than they did earlier.
The participants agreements on strengths match well with a provision in the bhutanese constitution. The practice which has been encouraged through the pages of our eve books, but never really been. On 19 january, prime minister modi declared sikkim as indias first and only organic agriculture state. Sikkim achieved its ambition to convert its agriculture to fully organic over the interval 2003 to 2016, the first state in. Union government to set up national organic farming research. Organic farming in sikkim an audacious move youtube. Organic farming is an alternative agricultural system which originated early in the 20th century in reaction to rapidly changing farming practices.
Sikkim becomes the first fully organic state of india india. Organic farming starts paying dividends in sikkim ever since sikkim was declared fully organic in january 2016, local farmers say it is helping them increase their incomes, although connectivity for rapid transportation of farm produce continues to be a stumbling block. Sikkim is the first indian state to fully practice organic farming. Sikkim state has some inherent strength that largely supports organic farming. In this, the good yield of the crop is produced by harming the health of the people who live and work in those farms and also it does not harm. The base for organic farming was laid back in 2003 when the sikkim legislative assembly passed a resolution in this context. The policies and programmes on organic farming in tune with our natural endowments envisage in making sikkim a model organic state. For example, in cuba, largescale organic farming exists, although it began out of necessity, due to a trade embargo with other nations. The policy support for oa has been demonstrated by the launching of the national organic program nop in 2006 and the governments proposal for tax exemption of 510 years for commercial organic farming and processing of organic products.
The methods and materials that organic farmers use are summarised as follows. Nov 01, 2016 sikkim is divided into five agroclimatic zones tropical zone, sub tropical zone, temperate zone, sub alpine zone and alpine zone. This is part of the state governments plans to transform sikkim into a fully organic state by 2015. Indian state, sikkim is declared to be the only state where organic farmic is practiced.
The march towards organic farming has led to substantial departmental intervention. Jan 18, 2016 sikkim is now the first fully organic state of india. Sikkim becomes indias first 100% organic, gmofree farming state. The initiative began in 2003 with chief minister pawan chamling getting a resolution passed in the state assembly to bring all agricultural land under organic farming. Organic farming works in harmony with nature rather than against it. I declare that the thesis entitled organic farming in sikkim. Sikkim organic mission mission organic sikkim 2015. The link to the story is given at the bottom of this page. It took the state years to fully implement organic farming since the idea was mooted in 2003, the press trust of india pti says. The main agricultural land falls in tropical, subtropical and temperate zones. Jan 31, 2017 pradhan, and his farmers cooperative in the village in rhenok, in eastern sikkim, went organic in 2007, after participating in a government education programme about the benefits of organic. Sikkims organic revolution at risk as local consumers fail to buy into project. Sikkim is the countrys best example of going against the flow. Organic farming is one of the several approaches found to meet the objectives of sustainable agriculture.
Agriculture of sikkim for sikkim psc sikkim pcs free notes. Certified organic agriculture accounts for 70 million hectares globally, with over half of that total in australia. Organic farming continues to be developed by various organizations today. It aims to produce crop with a high nutritional value. Sikkim is rich in biodiversity with abundant plant.
Appreciate the role played by sikkim government to complete shift into the organic farming 8970863. Importance of organic farming in economy with special. Sikkim s organic revolution at risk as local consumers fail to buy into project. Population, gsdp, per capita income and growth rate pdf. The government was motivated not only in benefiting the 62,000 farming families in the state who own an average of 1. How sikkim beat himalayan odds to become indias first. After that sikkims farmers gradually started practicing chemical farming to increase food production. Green signal in sikkim, a crop of young entrepreneurs is leading the charge for a shift to organic farming despite the government declaring the himalayan state 100% organic, its farmers need help. Talking to reporters here today, dr bujarbaruah said out of the 50,000 heactare excluding northeast of agricultural land where organic farming was being carried out, north eastern region has much more potential than that. Biodiversity organic farming is the only lasting solutions to another sdg on climate change in terms of mitigating, adaption and as well as climate resilience. Organic farming in bihar in tune with the sikkim organic. Prospects of organic farming in the state of sikkim in the state of sikkim farming is traditionally organic and farmers were following organic cultivation till the mideighties. Organic farming needs smallholders, since big holders tend to go in for monocropping and machines.
Sikkim first indian state with 100% organic farming and. State policy on organic farming government of sikkim. Sikkim is the first state of india to officially announce adoption of organic farming in the year 2003 and the only state of india to convert entire state into organic other north eastern states are in the process of converting to organic. Feb 05, 2017 pradhan, and his farmers cooperative in the village in rhenok, in eastern sikkim, went organic in 2007, after participating in a government education programme about the benefits of organic farming. Maharashtra, rajasthan and others follow suit after sikkim organic farming is done to release nutrients to the crops for increased sustainable production in an ecofriendly and pollutionfree environment. Dr kumar also visited icarnational organic farming research institute, tadong, to know more about the organic farming scientific methods adopted by the sikkim.
The union ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare has decided to set up the national organic farming research institute nofri in sikkim. Organic farming has become as an appropriate option for us as we can send our produce to. Sikkims approach reaches beyond organic production and has proven truly transformational for the state and its citizens, they noted in their official statement. Soil is the most important component in farming and organic farming preserves soil by. Sikkim has gone organic, and here is what we can learn from them. The modern concept of organic farming merges the tradition, innovation and. Prepare a clear cut implementable road map of organic farming. When sikkim spearheaded its organic farming mission in 2003, we could have only hoped that it would have a rippled effect on the rest of india. Marketing strategies for organic produce of sikkim niam. With a population of around six lakhs, the state also known as the land of flower, will now be known for its organic initiative too. Organic farming system aims to produce healthy food while building healthy soil, maintaining ecological balance, establishing sustainable production.
Sikkim achieved its ambition to convert its agriculture to fully organic over the. Decision in this regard was taken by union agriculture minister radhamohan singh after he met sikkim agriculture minister som nath paudyal in new delhi. Organic farming starts paying dividends in sikkim village. Organic farming in sikkim in six bullet points smart. Daily mirror organic farming, a lesson from sikkim. Hence, the sikkim state gets oscar for best policies. Most of the time the literature for training is available for certain specific aspects of organic. Prime minister modi recently announced that sikkim has become the first organic state of india. Dec 06, 2014 p the northeastern hilly state sikkim is the first indian state to have enacted organic mission in 2003 by banning chemical inputs the state has adopted a sevenyear plan to wipe out their use and to gradually replace them with organic sources of plant nutrient br n br nat present 26 391 hectare farm land has attained organic status in the state while approximately 37 000 hectare area are. By adopting a rather challenging move to go organic and in the process combat price rise and limited food production, sikkim did the. Every one in the village who tried organic farming was very worried.
Believe it or not, the landlocked state in eastern india has done what many other states could not. Feb 24, 2014 a livelihood school on organic farming, has been inaugurated by the state agriculture minister, mr d. Sikkims organic farming mission at stake due to attacks. Sikkim has turned out to be the indias first fully organic state by implementing organic practices. It borders tibet in the north and northeast, bhutan in the. Organic farming reduces the production cost by about 2530% as it does not involve the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides which thus makes organic farming costeffective. How sikkim could offer lessons to other states in organic farming sikkim could offer lessons to other states in encouraging farmers to take up organic farming, but getting them to stick to it is the real challenge. Jun 18, 2015 cardamom man in sikkim merging farming with tourism ganesh kumar chettri, an enthusiastic farmer from west district sikkim, has given a new direction in the cardamom farming by merging it with tourism. The demand for training in organic farming is increasing day by day. Gratefully, sikkim is not the only place seeing success with organic food. As a part of my field curriculum of masters in social work in tata institute. Organic agriculture turns bitter fruit for farmers of sikkim launched as an ambitious programme through a resolution passed by the sikkim legislative assembly in 2003, organic farming seems to be floundering on the ground, though, in terms of delivering the expected rewards to farmers. However, mr bhutia did stress the new opportunities now opened by statelevel certification of organic farming. Organic farming has been a traditional way of farming in sikkim adopted by farmers since ages.
The objective of the mission was to adopt and implement the practises of organic farming with a systemic approach, develop linkage between the farmers and the market with intervention of certification agencies, and most of all, march towards a. As per the guidelines laid down in national programme for organic production, 75,000 hectares of agricultural land was gradually converted to certified organic land by implementing organic principles. Sikkim is now a completely organic state officially. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a page. Being an organic state, the department is propagating and advocating farmers to adopt new and modern technology of organic farming system to sustain production and certification process in identified areas. How did the indian state of sikkim achieve 100% organic farming. Pdf assessment of socioeconomic practices in organic farming. Here is a summary of a report in mint published a month later. Sikkim is attributed to be the first state of the nation to receive the title of fully organic state in 2017. A strong interest by south korean traders in sikkims organic horticultural products was mentioned, as well as that by pharmaceutical and wellbeing industries regarding sikkims organic spices. The commitment was made that the sikkim will spread through the himalaya with the. Organic farming in sikkim in six bullet points smart indian. In january 2016, sikkim became indias first 100 per cent organic state.
This involves using techniques to achieve good crop yields without harming the natural environment or the people who live and work in it. The transition has benefitted more than 66,000 farming families that practice organic and agroecological farming on more than 76,000 ha of land. Sikkims organic revolution at risk as local consumers. Today, all farming in sikkim is carried out without the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, providing access to safe. The organic movement in sikkim gained visibility in the year 2003 when the chief minister, pawan chamling, announced the decision to adopt organic farming and to convert the entire state into an organic one. Its goodbye green revolution and hello organic farming for the people of sikkim. The decision to go wholly organic was based on the fact that farming in sikkim has been traditionally organic.
Sikkim became indias first fully organic state in 2016. Pdf the concept of organic farming with reference to agriculture in north eastern hill region including sikkim and darjeeling hills are. Maple ortech, dehradun to give boost to organic farming in sikkim. Manual polishing is an unhygienic practice, which affects quality of the. We are publishing principles of organic farming to facilitate the transition to an agriculture which is sustainable, guarantees livelihood security and food security.
Of course, the growth of organic farming is needed not only in india but throughout the world. A marginal improvement in the lifestyle of the farmers has been witnessed with the adoption of modern technologies. State policy on organic farming and sikkim organic mission, india. The agriculture systems practiced in sikkim are integrated in natures that have evolved through years of experimentation by the farmers. Jan 25, 2015 this paper discusses the potential for organic farming and argues that organic farming is productive and sustainable, but there is a need for strong support to it in the form of subsidies and research carried out by publicprivate partnership.
An indepth analysis of the sikkim model of organic farming in january 2016, sikkim became indias first 100 percent organic state. States policy approach reaches beyond organic production and has proven transformational for its citizens. In sikkim, a crop of young entrepreneurs is leading the. Today, sikkim is the first 100% organic state in the world. Organic farming would help in retaining the soil fertility. To implement the programmes of organic farming with a systematic approach to achieve the target set by the govt. Feb 26, 2017 green signal in sikkim, a crop of young entrepreneurs is leading the charge for a shift to organic farming despite the government declaring the himalayan state 100% organic, its farmers need help. The state was the first state in india to officially adopt organic farming in 2003, a decision that has paid off in the long run. Organic enterprises are established by some sikkim entrepreneurs, promoting brand sikkim organic products, which enable the state export niche commodities, such as. Sikkims state policy on organic farming and sikkim organic. Empowering farmers through organic farming in the himalayan. Experts interview organic farmers about the process involved in organic farming.