Rice Fish Integration Through Organic Farming

Contents Foreword. Preface. 1. Organic farming in rice an overview/P.V. Balachandran. 2. Sustainable agriculture and organic farming/A.I. Jose. 3. National Programme on Organic Production (NPOP) regulations on accreditation inspection and certification/A.I. Jose. 4. Rice is life/C.K. Peethambaran. 5. Traditional and appropriate technologies for agricultural development of Kerala/R. Vikraman Nair R. Pushpakumari C. Nandakumaran and K.E. Usha. 6. Rice ecosystems in Kerala/N.K. Sasidharan K.C. Rajan and P.V. Balachandran. 7. Pokkali the world acclaimed sustainable farming system model/N.K. Sasidharan. 8. Rice fish integration a win win farming model for low lands/K.G. Padmakumar. 9. Relevance of choice of varieties for organic farming/S. Leenakumari. 10. Rice soils in coastal agro ecosystem sustainable soil nutrient management in organic rice farming/P. Sureshkumar. 11. Utilization of beneficial micro organisms for sustainable rice production/P. Raji. 12. Crop rotation and residue recycling relevance in organic rice production/M.C. Narayanan Kutty. 13. Pesticide residues in rice ecosystem/Nazeema Beevi S. 14. Changing concepts in the residual toxicity of pesticides/Samuel Mathew. 15. Biotechnological interventions in rice and its significance in organic farming/S.S. Gnanamanickam. 16. Indigenous knowledge in rice organic farming/R.M. Prasad and Binoo P. Bony. 17. Processing and value addition of organic rice/V. Ganesan. 18. Weed management in organic rice/C.T. Abraham. 19. Biological suppression of aquatic weeds/P.J. Joy. 20. Pest management in organic rice fish system/T. Nalinakumari. 21. Role of Pseudomonas in the management of rice diseases under organic cultivation/S.S. Gnanamanickam. 22. Management of rice diseases in organic rice fish system/Vimi Louis. 23. Permanent manurial experiments and long term fertilizer experiment in rice at R.A.R.S. Pattambi sharing experience/Lessons learned/M. Subrahmania Iyer C. Beena and M.S. Sailaja Kumari. 24. Application of vermiculture technology and methods of production of vermicompost/P.K. Sushamakumari and S. Anitha. 25. Economics of rice fish integrated system under organic management/A. Prema. 26. Biodynamic agriculture/A.K. Sherief. Subject index. To sustain the self sufficiency attained through green revolution it is necessary that we develop a suitable agricultural system which will maintain soil fertility and productivity with greater acceptance of biological principles. Modern agriculture has led to the use of heavy doses of chemical fertilizers and pesticides totally disregarding the health of soil and balance of ecosystem. Organic farming practices were known to our farmers since long but were largely given up in recent decades for chemical farming. Organic farming has dual advantage of being sustainable without endangering the environment and being cost effective as there is very little input to be brought from outsides. It is thus essential to take a look at the present farming practices with emphasis on an integrated concept of sustainable farming that enhances the quality of environment and natural resource base while ensuring increased productivity. The need of the hour is diversification of enterprises which produces multiple food from the same unit. A judicious mix of one or more enterprises that complement the cropping activity can result in increased farm income and recycling of farm residues. Introduction of fish as a complementary component of rice under organic management would be effective to make it sustainable and economically viable. This publication brings out the various organic farming practices of growing rice in integration with fish and the different rice eco systems prevalent in the low lands of humid tropics. The various other topics discussed are the concept of organic farming indigenous knowledge in organic farming systems of rice cultivation use of beneficial micro organisms choice of varieties in organic rice farming rice fish integrated systems ric.…