Principles and Practices of Organic Farming

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction scope potential of organic farming. 2. Organic agriculture. 3. Biodynamic farming. 4. Agricultural heritage of India and ITK. 5. Role of biodiversity on agro-ecology. 6. Climatic change on chemical and organic agriculture. 7. Nutrient management in organic farming. 8. Conservation of water resources from different pollutants. 9. Weed management. 10. Mulching in organic agriculture. 11. Pest management. 12. Disease management. 13. Organic seed production. 14. Nutritional status of organic produce. 15. Post harvest: principles and methods in organic farming. 16. Preservation of organic produce and value addition. 17. Integrated farming system. 18. Allied enterprises. 19. Organic crop production techniques. 20. Organic certification. 21. Market opportunities and challenges for Indian organic products. Appendices. Everything else can wait but not agriculture which shows the deep knowledge he possessed regarding agriculture. It is estimated that there are 30,000 farmers engaged in organic agriculture in India. With second largest arable land next only to USA, a hoary agricultural tradition, India sustains the second largest population in the world. The ancient land has been tilled since time immemorial and has seen the rise and fall of kingdoms and empires. However, agriculture is still the back bone of Indian economy providing succor to 65 percent of the population. The average age of an Indian being 25, the pangs of youth and energy need is manifold. The demographic dividend has to be milked fully if India needs to go beyond the current development rate of 8% through provision of affordable and nutritious food. Dependence of inorganic fertilizers has led to burgeoning fertilizer subsidy thus siphoning off funds that are crucial to develop irrigation potential. Application of organics for supplementing chemical fertilizers and slowly improving soil potential can usher in evergreen agriculture. This book covers the whole spectrum of organic farming starting ancient wisdom to current day research and will be useful to all those who would like to know about organic farming. (jacket).…