Manual for Organic Farming : A Comprehensive Guide to Start and Run an Organic Farm

Contents: 1. Introduction. 2. Organic certification. 3. Cultivation and maintenance. 4. Soil fertility/nutrient management. 5. Pest management. 6. Major cereal/pulse/oilseed crops/fibre crop. 7. Principal horticultural crops. 8. Livestock, Poultry and aquaculture development. 9. Mushroom cultivation. 10. Orchids: production practices. Glossary. Use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture enhances yields but also undermines the quality of life through possible contamination of soil, water and air and even the final products that retain their residues. Organic farming is gaining gradual momentum across the world. It is now being practiced in almost 160 countries in the world. Around 37 million ha land is being managed organically by more than 700,000 farms and 1.6 million producer world over. Growing awareness of health and environmental issues in agriculture has demanded production of organic food emerging as an attractive source of rural income generation. The Present Organic Farming Manual is a comprehensive guide to growing and marketing organic produce like grains, fruits, vegetables, livestock, poultry aquaculture. Since North Eastern Region and other selected areas have the biggest potential to produce edible mushrooms and growing of variety of orchids, their cultivation practices are also described in this guidebook.…