Production strategies of organic basmati rice in Tarai region of Uttarakhand, India

Singh, D. K.; Akhtar, Zunnu Raen; Gupta, Shilpi; Srivastava, Abhijeet; Chakraborty, Monojit

doi:10.1007/s13165-015-0143-1

Cited by 18 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Rainfall and irrigation from mainly seasonal water sources allow for two cropping cycles: Kharif (June-November) and Rabi (November-March). During the study period (2012-2016), rainfall in the Kharif season was 970 mm, on average [14].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since coarse paddy, wheat and pulses are important staple crops partly produced for household consumption, this finding suggests that conversion to organic farming does not jeopardize food security of smallholders in marginal production regions. Field experiments conducted at GB Pant University for Agriculture and Technology from 2012-2014 in the same region but under optimized conditions have also shown that organic cultivation methods can achieve the same or even higher yields in basmati and rotation crops compared to the conventional system, provided that sufficient quantities of organic manures are applied [14]. The partial shift to basmati for export also did not affect food security of the farm families since they continued cultivating coarse paddy and wheat at least to the extent required for their own consumption.…”

Section: Productivity Of Rice-based Organic Systemsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…This explains the overall increase in soil organic matter content and soil fertility in organic compared to conventional systems across geographic regions and cropping systems [31,32]. Focusing on Northern India or Uttarakhand in particular, studies have found that organic management promoted soil aggregation and increased organic carbon content, biological activity and nutrient availability compared to soils under conventional management [14,27,41]. Within the parallel field trial associated with this project, it was observed that the organic treatments mitigated nutrient mining and soil degradation compared to the conventional control treatment, as a consequence of lower N loss and higher input rates of phosphorus, potassium and sulphur for an equivalent amount of N (unpublished data).…”

Section: Environmental Benefitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Organic soil fertility management contributes to increased water infiltration and retention in soils due to elevated soil organic matter content [14,43], thereby contributing to saving irrigation water. In addition, a majority of organic basmati farmers adopted the alternate wetting and drying (AWD) method in irrigating their basmati plots.…”

Section: Environmental Benefitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Field experiments under optimized conditions have shown that after a conversion period in which soil fertility is built up organic cultivation methods can achieve approximately the same or even higher yields in basmati and rotation crops compared to the conventional system, provided that sufficient quantities of organic manures are applied [13,14]. Previous on-farm studies on conversion to organic rice farming systems in Asia indicated that organic farms achieve approximately the same yields but increased profitability due to lower input costs [15,16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Does Organic Farming Provide a Viable Alternative for Smallholder Rice Farmers in India?

Eyhorn¹,

Berg

Decock

et al. 2018

Sustainability

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Smallholder rice farming is characterized by low returns and substantial environmental impact. Conversion to organic management and linking farmers to fair trade markets could offer an alternative. Engaging in certified cash-crop value chains could thereby provide an entry path to simultaneously reduce poverty and improve environmental sustainability. Based on comprehensive data from a representative sample of approximately 80 organic and 80 conventional farms in northern India, we compared yield and profitability of the main rotation crops over a period of five years. Contrary to the widespread belief that yields in organic farming are inevitably lower, our study shows that organic farmers achieved the same yields in cereals and pulses as conventional farmers, with considerably lower external inputs. Due to 45% lower production costs and higher sales prices, organic basmati cultivation was 105% more profitable than cultivating ordinary rice under conventional management. However, since holdings are small and the share of agricultural income of total household income is declining, conversion to organic basmati farming alone will not provide households a sufficiently attractive perspective into the future. We propose that future efforts to enhance the long-term viability of rice-based organic farming systems in this region focus on diversification involving higher value crops.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Productivity Of Rice-based Organic Systemsmentioning

confidence: 98%