Soil fertility-Do the inorganic fertilizers really serve to restore soil health?

The famed green revolution that catapulted India into the major league vis-a-vis grain production had lost its sting long ago and productivity has been stagnating ever since due to progressive decline in soil health. Massive application of inorganic fertilizers did help to increase productivity up to a point and response to these fertilizers is constrained by the poor over all health of the soil caused by intensive cultivation practices. According to many krishi pundits massive subsidies being paid by the government to farmers in the purchase of fertilizers cannot set this distortion right unless farmers take corrective measures to deal with impact of chemicals on micronutrients  and soil acidity. Here is a commentary on this often neglected aspect of modern agriculture.

"Soil fertility, particularly in the northern parts of the country, is steadily declining, thus raising concern for national food security. The situation, according to a Senior Research Fellow of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Mr Shashidhara Kolavalli, is partly the result of some farming practices such as overcropping. "Current agricultural practices 'mine' soil nutrients in the sense that nutrients extracted from soils through crops are not adequately replenished," he stated. The senior fellow was addressing selected journalists on soil fertility management and fertiliser subsidies to Ghanaian farmers. Mr Kolavalli informed the journalists of the arrival of a team of 10 experts in the country to offer recommendations to the government on how to solve challenges associated with offering fertiliser subsidies to farmers. He expressed the hope that the team's exchanges with stakeholders and policy makers would enable the government to structure policies that would address the issues of soil fertility management and fertiliser supply. Following significant increases in world food and fertiliser prices, Ghana and a number of other countries began to subsidise inorganic fertilisers in 2008. The aim was to encourage fertiliser use and also offer uniform prices of the product across the country. However, the cost of subsidies and the quantity of fertilisers attracting subsidies have increased tremendously over the years. Available figures show that a total of GH¢862.39 million was spent on subsidies between 2008 and 2011 by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and COCOBOD. Meanwhile, the MOFA fertiliser subsidy bill is projected to rise to GH¢136 million and account for over 35 per cent of its budget in 2020. Although inorganic fertiliser was required to replace lost nutrients, Mr Kolavalli said differences in soil characteristics such as active soil organic carbon, micronutrients and acidity might depress crop response to inorganic fertiliser. "The evidence is increasingly indicating that crop response to fertiliser can be significantly constrained by farmers' inability to manage and augment their soils over time."  Mr Kolavalli noted that, "Chemical fertiliser has a role but we cannot just focus on it as the panacea to solving soil fertility problems."

Organic farming may be the right answer to address this problem but where do we go for supply of huge quantities of organic and bio fertilizers to meet the demand if use of chemical fertilizers is to be restrained. Under such a scary situation what will the world at large, do to augment food production to meet the demands of a population expected to burgeon to more than 9 billion by the year 2050? Genetically modified foods are being promoted relentlessly by the genetic engineering industry as a "sure" solution to the stagnation in food production but there is not scientific evidence that GMO route can boost food production to any significant extent. Besides the safety of these unnatural foods obtained by gene manipulation cannot be adjudged absolutely safe based on the present knowledge we have so far. A whole new paradigm shift in the preset practices cannot be postponed further and it is time farmers are retrained to undertake rejuvenation of their farm lands through intervention by the agri varsities where adequate extension personnel are available. Over a period of time sufficient trained field workers must be produced for doing this task on an emergency basis. There seems to be no other option available to the world to stave off large scale scarcity of of essential foods in the coming years. 

V.H.POTTY
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"Zero-budget farming"- A challenger to organic farming?

Every one knows that organic foods are being patronized by more and more people and they account for about 5% of the main stream food industry produced foods. Whether all the claims made by the producers of organic foods are sustainable and 100% safe depend on individual producers/processor though there are stringent regulatory controls supposed to be in place. Unfortunately dilution of organic food specification started in the USA with pressure and lobbying by the "big brothers" in the main stream sector and consumers have to be careful in selecting only 100% organic foods to rule out any possibility of use of chemicals or practices not desirable for absolute safety. While "organic foods vs mainstream commercial foods" debate is hotting up, another side player has jumped into the fray saying even organic foods are not so natural as is being claimed. The so called zero budgeting farming technology being touted by an individual in India depended entirely on cow dung and cow urine to increase the yield with out using any chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The claim that one cow can support 30 acres of land producing crops like cereals is amazing indeed if true and deserves a close look from knowledgeable agricultural experts. Here is a low down on this on-going development in India in the farm sector. 

"Advocate of zero-budget spiritual farming Subhash Palekar has claimed that farmers' suicide in the country was observed among those practicing the chemical-farming methods. Making a plea for encouraging chemical-free farming, Mr. Palekar said there were nearly 4 million farmers practicing zero-budget farming in the country who were prospering. Mr. Palekar, who interacted with media persons here on Saturday, said there was not a single example of farmers practicing zero-budget farming committing suicide, due to higher yield and low cost input. Zero-budget agriculture entails no external chemical inputs like fertilizers or insecticides. While chemical farming methods yield about 12 quintals of basmati rice per acre, under the zero-budget farming method, yield was observed to be as high as 18 to 24 quintals, according to Mr. Palekar. Similarly, about 6 quintals of wheat per acre was the normal yield while it was 18 quintals under zero-budget farming. The country's food output cannot be doubled through chemically-intensive agriculture methods or even conventional organic agriculture. Only zero-budget farming was could meet the country's food requirements. Despite the obvious advantages of alternative methods, not many farmers were switching over to it due to government policies which link all credit, marketing, and insurance facilities to chemical-based agricultural practices, said Mr. Palekar. He noted that the alternative method of farming was more popular in Karnataka, than in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh or Bihar. He came down heavily on the organic farming policy of the State government on the grounds that it was more expensive than chemical-based agriculture. In Mysore region, there were nearly 400 to 500 farmers who had switched over to zero-budget agriculture and Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha leader Badagalpura Nagendra said the organisation was working to create awareness among farmers about its benefits."

It is claimed by the proponents of zero budget farming that the yield under this regime could be 50% to 100% more than the prevalent yields reported using irrigation and full fertilizer use. If 4 million farmers have switched over to this system of cultivation, as being claimed by the proponents of zero budget farming there must be some thing worthwhile that attracts them. In one sense this cow centered farming technology seems eminently suited to India and needs further encouragement. If farmers are happy and no suicide case has ever been reported by zero budget farmers, it is all the more reason to have a close look at this by agricultural experts in Universities and ICAR to confirm that the claims are true and there is no risk inherent in adopting this technology nationally. Just because a single person with years of experience dealing with farmers has propounded this new concept it does not mean that it does not deserve attention. Social organizations and NGOs engaged in rural upliftment in the country must put their heads together to study this system and if found feasible take action to propagate the same.

V.H.POTTY

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ANOTHER "EULOGY" FOR ORGANIC FOODS- A SCIENTIFIC FINDING

Protagonists of Organic foods make some claims which are difficult to be sustained based on science. One such claim is regarding yield of crops from normal soil when organic farming system is deployed. But the latest studies carried out in the US do indicate that yields can be equal to or greater than under traditional agriculture using chemical fertilizers, high levels of water and application of pesticides. This long term study spread over 30 years deserves attention by planners and farmers while deciding about any strategy to evolve sustainable agriculture in the coming years. Here is a report about the significance of this study for the long term future of the planet.

"Rodale Institute today announces the latest results of the Farming Systems Trial, America's longest running side-by-side comparison of organic and conventional farming practices. Originally created to study the transition from conventional to organic production, this 30-year study also examined productivity, soil quality, energy and economics. Key findings show:

-- Organic yields match or surpass conventional yields.
-- Organic yields outperform conventional yields in years of drought.
-- Organic farming systems build rather than deplete soil organic matter, making it a more sustainable system.
-- Organic farming uses 45 percent less energy and is more efficient.
-- Conventional agricultural systems produce 40 percent more greenhouse gases.
-- Organic farming systems are more profitable than conventional farming systems.

After 30 years of a rigorous side-by-side comparison, the Rodale Institute confidently concludes that organic methods are improving the quality of our food, the health of our soils and water, and the conditions of our nation's rural areas. Organic agriculture creates more jobs, provides a livable income for farmers, and can restore America's confidence in our farming community and food system. "America's farming techniques affect the health of our families, our communities, and our planet. The Farming Systems Trial shows that organic farming is the healthiest and safest way to feed the world, provide much-needed jobs, reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and protect precious natural resources," says Mark "Coach" Smallwood, Executive Director of Rodale Institute. "The Farming Systems Trial clearly documents in a replicated, scientific fashion, that many of the current myths are not true. Organic agriculture does not result in the grower losing money, does not result in lower yields, or more expensive management practices," says Dr. Elaine Ingham, Chief Scientist at Rodale Institute. "The next step forward is to educate growers, whether they are conventional or organic, in the methods used in the Farming Systems Trial to assure equal or better yields through farming practices that do not harm the environment." The trial is slated to continue with a new focus on nutrition and human health. "We have shown that organic can feed the world. Now it is time to take on the matter of feeding the world well," said Smallwood".

One of the significant findings is that unlike the input intensive conventional agriculture, organic system does not destroy the soil health that enables the farmer to continuously use the land for many many years. Also notable is the relatively less carbon emission reported under organic cultivation mode. While it is agreed that farmers are well advised to replace their conventional practices with organic production system, what is not clear is the logistics involved in such switch over. Input materials like organic manure, safe natural crop protectants and cover crops are scarce resources while the actual practical methodology needs to be popularized through training under experienced practitioners. Though the studies have shown that organic food production can ensure increased production there has to be a coordinated effort at global level to put into practice what is already known and achieve the desired results. Like the recent UNO meeting on junk foods, a similar international consultation is called for to take appropriate action and evolve strategy to transform the current farming practices into organic system.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com