Mrinila Singh

Prospect of Farmers in Generating Additional Income Through Organic Vegetable Farming : A Case Study in Kathmandu Valley and Chitwan District of Nepal

Deteriorating environmental services from irrational and long-term use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and market demand reinforced the movement of organic farming in Nepal. With growing market it is to be expected that organic farmers are comparatively earning more income. This study was conducted to see if such assumption holds true for all the farmers involved. It focuses particularly on organic vegetables as they are considered cash generating crops and have been in growing demand. Kathmandu valley has a more vibrant organic market whereas in Chitwan district the momentum of organic farming is growing through group conversion. Thus, these two areas were chosen for the study. The study was being conducted in two phases: in late2011 and mid-2012, by interviewing 60 farmers from each area through semi-structured interview. Selection was done through snow-ball and random sampling method. Relevant information was also gathered through key-informant interview and group discussion. Study showed that market was still based on community trust and certification seems to play minor role in ensuring premium price for organic vegetables. In order to improve income from organic vegetables, developing market mechanism is primarily deemed necessary followed by group conversion, research and development and generating more awareness among general public.

Food Security through Organic Agriculture : A Global and National Perspective

Organic farming practices have been spreading gradually in both developed and developing nations as a system following agro-ecological principles, depending on locally available resources, healthy produce or certified-export oriented production. This has raised a question of whether organic farming would be able to feed the world population, especially when food insecurity is expected to intensify further in the future. While there is skepticism that excluding the use of fertilizer and pesticides will be a threat to total food production, there are also numerous studies which has shown that farmers have in fact improved the level of food security after being introduced to organic farming methods. Thus, this paper assesses achievements made by organic agriculture for attaining food security and provides direction for organic agriculture development in Nepal. This paper is based on various scientific papers, proceedings, books and websites of different organizations working for organic agriculture and food security. Studies have shown that in areas with intensive high-input agriculture, conversion to organic farming reduced crop yield. But those with low input agricultural system, yields have been predicted to increase when agro-ecological principles are used. Also as it is claimed that though global food production is sufficient to feed the present global population, incidence of food insecurity largely looms in the society. Therefore, it is clear that food security depends not only on yield determining factors such as seeds, soil structure and overall geographic condition but also on socio-economic factors such as availability of technologies, human capacities, policies, prices, trade and infrastructural context. The analysis of research findings show that organic agriculture can be one of the option for achieving food security with primary focus on agro-ecological and socio-economic factors. Finally the paper concludes by emphasizing on how food security can be enhanced through agro-biodiversity, strong political will, public-private partnership, research and development based activities for better accomplishment.

Socioeconomic Dimension of Farming System

Though organic farming is sustainable, its share remains just 0.2% of the overall agricultural land in Nepal. In any adoption studies of agricultural innovations, socioeconomic variables are considered as important as agroecological variables and farmers’ perception. This chapter assesses impact of farm households’ socioeconomic variables that encourages or discourages adoption of organic and conventional farming systems in Chitwan District of Nepal. Data of 285 farm households was analyzed using binary logistic model. The result shows that while group formation plays a crucial role in commencing organic farming, it does not guarantee adoption over time because of varying levels of motivation among members. But households receiving higher number of organic farming-related training have highly significant probability to continue practicing organic farming. The impact of longevity of group formation and vitality of training is also reflected in adoption rate of organic farming among different village development committees considered for this study. Likewise, commercially available organic fertilizers and pesticides could also be playing significant role in the adoption rate of organic farming.

Income from Organic and Conventional Farming Systems

This chapter assesses farm income (total farm valuation) and gross farm cash income (income from selling crops in the market) generated among organic and conventional farmers and analyzes factors impacting them taking into consideration the existence of premium market. Data from 285 respondents from Chitwan District of Nepal, selected using stratified sampling method, were analyzed using bivariate probit and ordinary least square model. Among other socioeconomic variables, this chapter finds that income from organic farming is lower because production per hectare, commercialization rate, and price at which the crops are sold per unit is higher for conventional farming, and access to premium market for organic products is very limited. Linkage with local organic market is necessary, while training, increasing farm size, access to credit, market information, and diversified crops equally play important role to improve income from farming.

Crop Diversification Under Organic and Conventional Farming Systems

This chapter analyzes crop diversification between organic and conventional farming systems using Shannon Diversity Index (SHDI). It captures both richness (number) and evenness (abundance) of crops and analyzes impact of livelihood assets on it using ordinary least square model. Organic farming system in the study areas is richer in integrating more number of crop types (richness) but is poor in evenness, which resulted in having lower SHDI than conventional farming system. Since crop evenness is better indicator of improved productivity than crop richness, it can be implied that farmers, especially organic farmers, should be made aware of this fact in order to improve their overall productivity. The socioeconomic variables that have significant positive impact on SHDI are education attainment, livestock holding, non-farm income, group membership, training, and farther distance to the market.

Organic Farming in Chitwan District of Nepal

The use of agrochemicals and pesticides is very much common in Chitwan District of Nepal, but group conversion to organic farming also exists. Group formation has led to higher adoption rate of organic farming, although a closer scrutiny shows that being a member of such group does not guarantee that all farmers will undeniably practice organic farming over the years. This chapter analyzes differences in households practicing organic and conventional farming in terms of their socioeconomic background and the functioning of the group itself that has led some farmers to divert their practice back to conventional farming. While group formation plays a crucial role in commencing organic farming, it comes with numerous challenges of unequal distribution of assistances, unequal participation in different group activities, less saving interest rate, and unequal advantage of premium market. Among others, establishing link within untapped local organic market can be one way to revitalize organic farming in the study area.

Sustainability of Organic Farming in Nepal

The term sustainability is gaining popularity worldwide across various entities, and farming remains no exception. Responsibility to feed the growing population has brought remarkable changes in the way we produce food. The green revolution, also known as conventional farming system, although is known to produce more, is criticized for its high energy and input use, disregard for the environment and health of living beings, and disparity of its benefits across the world. This has now questioned the sustainability of such practice. This chapter discusses about the social, economic, and environmental aspect of organic farming in the light of sustainability of a farming system. Based on literature review, it shows how organic farming can achieve these three dimensions of sustainability, which mostly has to do with the local context. The global scenario shows that organic farming is indeed in a growing trend. While South Asian countries’ organic sector is mostly export oriented, its local market also seems to be on rise given increasing purchasing power and awareness of health impact of food residues among consumers.

Sustainability of Farming System: An Overview

The term sustainability is gaining popularity worldwide across various entities, and farming remains no exception. Responsibility to feed the growing population has brought remarkable changes in the way we produce food. The green revolution, also known as conventional farming system, although is known to produce more, is criticized for its high energy and input use, disregard for the environment and health of living beings, and disparity of its benefits across the world. This has now questioned the sustainability of such practice. This chapter discusses about the social, economic, and environmental aspect of organic farming in the light of sustainability of a farming system. Based on literature review, it shows how organic farming can achieve these three dimensions of sustainability, which mostly has to do with the local context. The global scenario shows that organic farming is indeed in a growing trend. While South Asian countries’ organic sector is mostly export oriented, its local market also seems to be on rise given increasing purchasing power and awareness of health impact of food residues among consumers.

Soil Properties of Organic and Conventional Farming Systems

Soil has a dominant role to play in improving crop productivity. Farmers use both organic and conventional means of soil amendments to maintain its fertility. This chapter analyzes the difference in soil quality of organic and conventional farms that are known to rely on sustainable and unsustainable means of soil fertility management practices, respectively. The study was conducted in Chitwan District of Nepal where both kinds of farming systems are known to coexist. The soil was tested on the basis of most common parameters: texture, pH value, organic matter, and nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium level. No significant difference was found between the two soil types except for phosphorus and potassium level, which are significantly higher in organic soil but higher overall according to the nationally defined limit. The overall soil texture is sandy loam, moderately acidic with medium level of organic matter and nitrogen. While in present context, soil quality might not deviate much between organic and conventional soil, the same cannot be implied for the future as environmental change takes place after many years of accumulated processes.

Organic Farming from Perspective of Three Pillars of Sustainability

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, the term “sustainability” has been gaining worldwide attention, not just in regard of natural environment but in far more complex entities such as human societies, cultural traditions, or social institutions. The inclusion of this concept in case of farming sector became prevalent when it was realized that green revolution might not be the ideal way to solve the issues of food insecurity, resource degradation, and regional imbalance of benefits. There is no doubt that the green revolution, which commonly is also known as conventional farming, profoundly increased crop production with the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and high-yielding crop varieties and contributed significantly in reducing world hunger. But overtime we have started to realize that such production system has its own share of drawbacks in the form of environmental degradation, health implication, and imbalance of benefit entitlement across regions. Excessive and inappropriate use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides polluted groundwater, streams, rivers, and oceans; triggered land degradation through soil erosion; and severed deterioration of the arable soil. It caused professional hazard; killed beneficial insects and other wildlife; reduced biodiversity; increased pest adaptation and resistance, desertification, and water eutrophication; and affected those who consumed it through food residue.