Organic food
Topic: Environment and Sustainable Development · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 5 "Rural Development"
Meaning
Organic food is grown without synthetic fertilisers, chemical pesticides or growth hormones. It is usually certified, meaning an approved agency checks how it was grown. Because it costs more to grow and yields can be lower at first, it sells at a price premium, a higher price than ordinary produce. That premium can raise farm incomes and export earnings.
Example
Sikkim became India's first fully organic state in January 2016. Under the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY, 2015), groups of farmers are helped to switch to organic methods and get certified, so they can charge the higher price.
Don't confuse with
- Natural farming (for example, zero budget natural farming): uses only cow-based inputs made on the farm and processes found in nature, with no bought inputs. Organic farming can use purchased organic inputs, and its output is usually certified.
Related concepts
- Traditional knowledge
- Vermicomposting
- Biopest control
- Integrated pest management
- Organic farming
- Natural farming
- Zero budget natural farming
- Conservation agriculture
- Zero tillage
- Direct seeded rice