The actual  technique and view to agriculture and marketing of food has seen a quantum change worldwide over the last few decades. Whereas earlier the seasons and the climate of an area determined what would be grown and when, today it is the “market” that determines what it wants and what should be grown.Now main  focus is more on quantity and “outer” quality (appearance) rather than intrinsic or nutritional quality, also called “vitality”.  Pesticide and other chemical residues in food and an overall reduced quality of food have led to a marked increase in various diseases, mainly various forms of cancer and reduced body immunity.

    This immense commercialisation of agriculture has also had a very negative effect on the environment. The use of pesticides has led to enormous levels of chemical buildup in our environment, in soil, water, air, in animals and even in our own bodies. Fertilisers have a short-term effect on productivity but a longer-term negative effect on the environment where they remain for years after leaching and running off, contaminating ground water and water bodies. The use of hybrid seeds and the practice of monoculture has led to a severe threat to local and indigenous varieties, whose germplasm can be lost for ever. All this for “productivity”.

Another negative effect of this trend has been on the fortunes of the farming communities worldwide. Despite this so-called increased productivity, farmers in practically every country around the world have seen a downturn in their fortunes.

    This is where organic farming comes in. Organic farming has the capability to take care of each of these problems. Besides the obvious immediate and positive effects organic or natural farming has on the environment and quality of food, it also greatly helps a farmer to become self-sufficient in his requirements for agro-inputs and reduce his costs.

Organic Farming and You

    Organic farming is not about only farming without chemicals. It is also about the environment, agricultural traditions, traditional seeds, animal welfare, farming communities, sensible energy use, soil and water conservation. It is also about you and your family, your health and your welfare.

    Indians are mostly – and very strangely so – unconcerned about the quality of the food they consume. Despite numerous and regular reports in the media about the presence of pesticides and other chemical contaminants in food and water, We have not been goaded into searching for and demanding food grown in a non-toxic way. We are also very isolated from the food production process – many of us do not have the faintest idea where our food comes from or how it is grown