but all food in India is organic right?

I have been asked the above question several times and it baffles me every time. Why would anyone assume that conventional agriculture is organic? The great illusion of Indian agriculture is that all produce is grown on small-medium sized farms and farmers use traditional methods of cultivation. It is true that most farms in India are small but 'traditional' methods as with everywhere else has been replaced with a fertilizer intensive, hybrid heavy form of production.

Agriculture remains the cornerstone of the Indian economy. There is a need to ensure maximum production to support the growing population as well as ensure export targets are met. All this needs to be achieved in the face of monsoon vagaries and diminishing agricultural land. This has naturally led to the increase in the use of fertilizers and pesticides. The manufacture of both is one of the biggest contributors of greenhouse gases. Synthetic fertilizers contributes 6% of India's total GHG emissions. A shift to ecological fertilizers will reduce this contribution to 2%.

The Indian government has been subsidizing fertilizers in order to make them cheap enough for farmers to afford and although the use of fertilizers have been increasing, yield in certain places have been dropping. The average crop response to fertilizer use was around 25 kg of grain/kg of fertilizer during the 1960s, this has reduced to 8 kg/kg in the late 1990s. High use of chemical fertilizers is also associated with high levels of water consumption and micro-nutrient deficiency in the soil leading to subsequent decline in the water table and deterioration of soil health. Furthermore, fertilizer and pesticide run-off has caused various secondary problems to water bodies.

Every year the central government spends crores of money on fertilizer subsidies. The figure for 2009-2010 alone was Rs. 49.980 crores. The good news is that organic farmers are making their voices heard and are disgruntled that the Government spends so much money on an environmentally harmful method of food production. Several bodies like the Karnataka Organic Farming Mission, Greenpeace etc are lobbying with the government to ensure that organic products are also subsidized.

It remains however that India has one of the highest usages of fertilizer in the world. The sooner we realize the potential of organic food not just to restore out diminishing soil resources but also in terms of health, the better for us.

eggplant interrupted

I have spent a lot of time ruminating the phenomenal decision taken by Jairam Ramesh, India's Environmental Minister. I have concluded that in the face of corrupt politics and skewed ideas of agricultural progress: it is a monumental affirmation. It is more power to the GM Free India Coalition, to the science of right and indeed, farmers all over the nation.

Today I am slightly stunned because I doubted if this moratorium would actually happen - so clearly resounding its logical voice and based so solidly in scientific fact. This decision has come after public debates, back and forth consultations, news cycle after news cycle, protests and general chaos which is a confirmation to the power of people. The government will listen, it has to listen when what is being demanded is something as basic as safe food.

The hold on the commercial introduction of Bt Brinjal comes after key brinjal growing states announced their own state bans. The states of West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar which account for 60% of brinjal production announced a ban earlier this year. This was followed by bans in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand etc. The massive public pressure on the Environmental Ministry also has played an important role. Through a Greenpeace campaign alone; 40,000 emails landed up in Jairam Ramesh's personal inbox protesting the introduction of Bt Brinjal. These two important factors have worked together to lead to this triumph. It is a day of celebration for anti-GM campaigners, every sane politician (Sharad Pawar does not qualify), brinjal farmers, consumers and the glorious heritage of Indian agriculture.

Brinjal, eggplant or aubergine is indigenous to the sub-continent and India grows over 2000 varieties of brinjal in over 500,000 hectares of land. It has been doing so for almost 4000 years. I do wish the Indian government will take a cue from the outcome of the campaign and devise methods to change agri-policy by pushing for more organic food, less pesticide/fertilizer use and definitely no GM. The humble brinjal has become India's most talked about vegetable and I predict; the symbol of the country's anti-GM movement and hopefully from here, a desperately needed agricultural revolution. Jairam Ramesh has kept his promise for a "fair outcome", he is indeed the man of the hour and has restored a little faith in Indian bureaucracy.

However celebrations cannot last long and there is much to be done on the GE front. Currently there are several indigenous crops reaching the last stages of testing like rice, okra, tomatoes - all of which are widely cultivated and consumed. These GM 'events' are sitting in line waiting for approval. So the battle may be over, but the war still remains.

fertilizing famine

One of the biggest threats to the future of Indian agriculture is not the failure of monsoon and other climate vagaries but its own government's agricultural policy of subsidizing fertilizers. Agriculture itself is an energy intensive process, fertilizer and pesticide manufacture even more so. Run-offs from fertilizer plants affect water supplies and leach into the soil to contaminate ground water.

Ever since chemical agriculture reared its ugly head during the time of the green revolution in the 1960s, India has embraced this model and we are beginning to see the consequences now. The consumption of synthetic fertilizers has increased from 0.07Mt in 1950-51 to 23.15Mt in the year 2008-2009. This initially contributed to the growth of food production but five decades later, indiscriminate use has degraded the natural resource base and is affecting the abundantly fertile soil this land is blessed with. Now, there is a gradual decline in food production and the industry is affected by diminishing returns and failing dividends in agriculture intensive areas.

Synthetic nitrogen fertilizers used in conventional farming generate nitrous oxide, a gas 300 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2. 1 tonne of oil, 7 tonnes of GHGs and 100 tonnes of H2O are involved in manufacturing 1 tonne of nitrogen fertilizer according to the Soil Association.

For 2009-2010, the budget allocation for fertilizer subsidies alone in India was close to 50,000 crores. The government's current policy does not take into account organic fertilizers or bio fertilizers. World over the propounded 'safe' limit of chemical fertilizer is between 60-80kg/ha whereas in India this number is as high as 500kg/ha in certain areas! The irrigated area, which accounts for 40% of the total agricultural area receives 60% fertiliser applied - this means 40% is being washed into water supplies. Soil degradation is the biggest threat to agricultural productivity and the use of synthetic fertilizers contribute directly to it.

India agriculture has shifted away from the traditional inter-cropping to chemically intensive monoculture system. Now the government is investing heavily in the advancements of GM technology in order to "feed the millions". This shift has already taught us many lessons with land becoming fallow and uncultivable in many areas due to essential nutrients in the soil being drained away. GM will follow this same pattern - this needless investment into methods that do not work must be culled. Organic cultivation and inter-cropping not only protects soil fertility but with proper management will produce enough to feed the millions without compromising on environmental quality.

Organic farming can only be supported if consumers support the industry. Every time you make the choice to eat organic, you are playing a role in shifting the balance towards a more sustainable form of agriculture and choosing not to consume harmful chemicals along with your food. If this does not convince you then I suggest you read stories of real-life farmers here and here.