{"id":72485,"date":"2026-04-29T20:57:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T15:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=72485"},"modified":"2026-04-29T20:59:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T15:29:37","slug":"natural-organic-farming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/29-04-2026\/natural-organic-farming","title":{"rendered":"Natural and Organic Farming"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Agriculture; Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recently, the Prime Minister of India said that <strong>Sikkim&#8217;s model of organic and natural farming<\/strong> serves as an inspiration for the entire nation, at an event marking the<strong> 50th year of Sikkim\u2019s Statehood<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>Sikkim Statehood Day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sikkim became the <strong>22nd state of India on 16 May 1975<\/strong> after a referendum.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It transitioned from a <strong>monarchy under the Chogyal<\/strong> to a full-fledged democratic state.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Article 371F<\/strong>: Special provisions for Sikkim<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It shares borders with <strong>China (Tibet), Bhutan, and Nepal<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is critical for <strong>India-China relations<\/strong>; and border infrastructure and security policy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong> <strong>Organic &amp; Natural Farming<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Organic Farming<\/strong> is defined as a system that <strong>avoids synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, genetically modified organisms (GMOs)<\/strong>, relying on crop rotation, bio-fertilizers, compost and green manure.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is regulated under the <strong>National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Natural Farming <\/strong>is promoted as <strong>\u2018chemical-free, input-free agriculture\u2019, <\/strong>relies on indigenous cow-based inputs, and minimal external inputs.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Example: Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Organic farming allows <strong>external organic inputs<\/strong>, however, natural farming emphasizes <strong>on-farm resource use.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Case Study: Sikkim<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is the <strong>first fully organic state (2016). <\/strong>It demonstrates policy-driven transformation linking organic farming and eco-tourism.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sikkim hosts more than <strong>25% of India\u2019s floral diversity<\/strong> despite less than 1% geographical area.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP): <\/strong>It is implemented by <strong>APEDA (Ministry of Commerce). <\/strong>It provides certification standards, and accreditation of certification bodies.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It ensures <strong>export credibility of organic products.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY): <\/strong>It was launched under <strong>National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA). <\/strong>Its features include cluster-based approach (20 ha clusters), and participatory Guarantee System (PGS) certification.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It promotes <strong>community-based organic farming.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati (BPKP): It <\/strong>focuses on <strong>natural farming, <\/strong>and encourages low-cost farming, and reduced dependence on chemical inputs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region: <\/strong>It targets <strong>North-East India, <\/strong>focusing on value chain development, and export-oriented organic production.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA): <\/strong>It is an umbrella scheme integrating soil health management, organic inputs promotion, and climate-resilient agriculture.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance for India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Environmental Benefits: <\/strong>It improves <strong>soil fertility and microbial activity<\/strong>, and reduces groundwater contamination, greenhouse gas emissions, and enhances <strong>biodiversity conservation.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Benefits: <\/strong>Lower input costs (especially in natural farming), premium pricing in domestic and export markets, and boost to <strong>farmer income diversification.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Health &amp; Nutrition: <\/strong>It produces <strong>chemical residue-free food, <\/strong>addresses rising concerns of food safety, and lifestyle diseases.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Related Challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Productivity Concerns: <\/strong>Initial yield decline during transition period; and limited scientific consensus on long-term yields.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Market &amp; Certification Issues: <\/strong>High certification costs under NPOP, and weak domestic market linkages.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Awareness &amp; Capacity: <\/strong>Lack of farmer training, and limited extension services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Supply Chain Constraints: <\/strong>Storage, processing, and export infrastructure gaps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Strengthen <strong>research &amp; evidence-based validation<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Improve <strong>market access and branding (e.g., \u2018India Organic\u2019)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Promote <strong>digital traceability systems<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Integrate with <strong>climate policies (NAPCC)<\/strong>; and <strong>Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2, 12, 13, 15)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Encourage <strong>public-private partnerships in value chains.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/sikkim\/pm-modi-sikkim-statehood-day-april-28-2026\/article70915114.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source: TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Recently, the Prime Minister of India said that Sikkim&#8217;s model of organic and natural farming serves as an inspiration for the entire nation, at an event marking the 50th year of Sikkim\u2019s Statehood. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> About Organic &#038; Natural Farming <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Organic Farming is defined as a system that avoids synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), relying on crop rotation, bio-fertilizers, compost and green manure. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> It is regulated under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP). <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/29-04-2026\/natural-organic-farming \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72485"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72489,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72485\/revisions\/72489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}