Organic Farming in India: Current Scenario, Challenges & Way Forward- An Innovation Action Plan for Agri-Reform Towards Neo-Traditional Agriculture

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

Dr. Acharya Balkrishna (D.Litt.) General Secretory, Patanjali Research Foundation Trust Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust Divya Yog Mandir Trust, Haridwar, India, Vice Chancelios University of Patanjali, Haridwar, India

Acharya Balkrishna, Vice Chancellor at University of Patanjali, is a highly ascetic entrepreneur with a versatile personality who holds expert knowledge of Yoga, Ayurveda, Sanskrit language Indian holy scriptures, and the Vedas. After dedicating his life to the revival of ancient healing & lifestyle traditions, Acharya Balkrishna li has become a great source of inspiration for Traditional Medicinal Practitioners. His maverick leadership as Chairman & MD Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd and relentless efforts in Yoga and Ayurvedic scientific research has acquired much-deserved awards such as Ayurveda Expert, "Manav Ratan, "Bharat Gaurav Ten Versatile and Dynamic Young Men of India and UNSDG 10 Most Influential People in Healthcare Award to name a few.

With his early age passion for plants, he has become the most renowned & respected herbal expert for medicine and nutrition. He explored four rare plants le Sanjeevani Soma, Swarnakshiri "Swarnadraka and extinct 'Astavarga Plants' for the discovery of new herbal drug formulations. He has taken many initiatives for Biodiversity conservation, presently working for the establishment of Patanjali herbal garden & herbarium, working on compilation of a unique multi-voluminous manuscript project ie. World Herbal Encyclopaedia, Wealth of Food Crops and identification of rare herbs & vegetation survey of India.

He has published more than 170 Research Articles in various Journals, reserved -41 Patents rights, as well as, authored and edited around 150 books on Yoga and Ayurveda. His immense faith and knowledge in natural healing methods have effectively cured more than 15 million patients having several stubborn, chronic, and non-communicable diseases. With the philanthropic vision of quality education, He has established Patanjali's Ayurvedic College & University of Patanjali to help children realize their dreams and serve the nation.

for his love of plants and the earth's preservation, Acharya Balkrishna has set up Patanjali Organic Research Institute to propagate the idea of Organic Farming Practices and to disseminate this method's information, he conceptualized the idea of writing a world-level book ie Sustainable Agriculture for Food Security A Global Perspective Through its publication, Acharya li intends to bring awareness about sustainable agricultural methods all across the world. Furthermore, he has envisioned the idea of merging traditional farming practices with highly advanced technologies like Al, Machine learning and remote sensing etc.

Agriculture sector has the pioneering contribution towards sustainable development of Indian economy However, in the 1960s when "Green Revolution started to boost the agriculture yield, people used a number of chemical based fertilizers which led to harmful effects on soil and consumer health. To overcome the key challenges of increasing use of chemical based fertilizers in food chain, it is imperative for the organic world to focus on a universal approach which includes enhancing ability of farmers, quantity of organic inputs, certification ethics, marketing advantages, reviving soils with organic amount, and most prominently assimilating farmers into market supply in India, the strength and courage of agriculture are its organic products. The consumption of organic food is now spread all over the world the increased awareness about health among consumers has triggered sustainability demand and placed the organic products at highest position in both the domestic and global market.

The main objective of the book is to provide an overview of the potential role of governmental schemes and programmes for promoting sustainable agriculture, food security and fair trade perspective, Initially, the book provides an overall status of Indian agriculture followed by discussions of sustainability, agriculture extension, structural reform in agriculture Then, the current status and government initiatives towards organic farming are discussed which include principles of organic farming, agro-processing industries and agro-tourisms. Furthermore, organic farming is related to promotion & skill development, doubling farmers income and marketing strategies for food processing, branding, retailing and market platform are evaluated This book describes the importance of awareness and training modules for the growth of the organic farming practices and marketing of organic goods in India. Additionally, the book is also focused on the role of governmental bodies such as National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Agriculture Skill Council of India (ASCI) in the skill development related to organic agricultural practices. It also includes PFSP program as an example of the collaborative effort of NSDC, ASCI and Patanjali Organic Research Institute in the skill development of farmers by providing training and technical assistance at village level.