Organic Farming in Tamil Nadu (a State in India) Evidence From the Field
Authors: Balasubramanian Panchapakesan , Anand Atul , Anand Eshani 
Published: September 2021

The green economy is defined by the UNEP as one that results in improved human wellbeing and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. The green economy also refers to a resilient economy that provides a better quality of life for all within the ecological limits of the planet. Major countries and agencies are looking towards a green economy that provides path ways for sustainable development and poverty eradication. While discussing the concept of the green economy, it is also important to look at the concept of green growth. The key economic indicator that is used to measure the green economy’s growth is referred as “Green GDP”. The potential economic and social impacts of environmental degradation are particularly important for developing countries to tackle many growth and development issues without impeding future growth and poverty reduction. The concept of green growth has emerged as a new approach replacing the conventional economic growth model. GDP refers to the gross domestic product generation in agriculture, industrial and service sectors. As of 2019, in addition to ensuring food security, agriculture contributed 15.9% to Indian GDP and employed 42.3% of its population despite its dependence on vagaries of monsoons. Agriculture continues to be the largest provider of livelihood in rural India, and the livelihood of farmers is influenced by the demand and supply of agricultural products in the country thereby influencing the economy. During 1950s India was straggling to produce sufficient food grains to feed its population. So it embarked on the green revolution by introducing high quality seeds, improved irrigation and subsidised chemical inputs. While the country has now become exporter of food grains, second generation problems, arisen due to large scale use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, are visible now. So the transition to organic farming have started happening.Organic products are priced with a premium on the market in the country. The demand for organic products across the globe, especially in developed countries, has been growing rapidly. Globally, organic farming is practiced in 162 countries, and 37 million ha of land is managed organically by 1.8 million agricultural households. The sale of organic food and drink was estimated to be 63 billion US dollars in 2011 internationally. The organic-farmland area increased by three percent compared to 2010. The countries with large-scale organic farmland are Australia, Argentina and United States in that order. The main contributor to the expansion of cultivated area under organic agriculture in Asia is India. The cultivated area under certified organic farming has grown 17 times in the last decade in the country. In India, certified organic farming is undertaken in all states and Union territories.States such as Uttaranchal, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Nagaland, Mizoram and Sikkim have been promoting organic farming. Organic produce is increasingly preferred by major urban centers in India. A large demand for Indian organic products, especially tea, coffee, cotton, etc., exists on the international market. Organic products such as tea, herbs, and species from Tamil Nadu are widely sought globally.The Tandon H.L.S et al. (2007) [1] reviewed fertilizer consumption in Indian agriculture for the past five decades and concluded that integrated nutrient management would be the solution for the problems faced by Indian agriculture. Gahukar R.T et al. (2009) [2], in his paper, discussed sustainable agriculture in India at that time and brought up the future needs of sustainable agriculture in India with a series of recommendations. Jaganathan.D et al. (2012) [4] conducted a sample survey to assess the knowledge level farmers on organic farming in India. Amarnath J.S et al. (2012)[5] examined the economic aspects of organic farming in Tamil Nadu. Panneerselvam.P et al. (2013) studied the impact of large-scale organic conversion and food production and food security in Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh. Amarnath J.S et al. (2013) [5] developed indicators for comparing sustainability in crop and diary production in Tamil Nadu. Vandana Tyagi et al. (2017) [8] discussed in detail the prospects and challenges of the green economy in India. Kalyani.V et al. (2018) [10] concentrated briefly on various issues and prospects for organic farming in Tamil Nadu. Krishnaprabu.S et al. (2019) [11] focused on the concept, application and prospects of organic farming in India. Jothi Sivagnanam.K et al. (2019) [12] dwelt on fertilizer consumption and soil health status in Tamil Nadu. Dr V. Bail Hans et al. (2019) studied the relationship between sustainable agriculture and economic growth, especially in state governments. Murugan.D et al. (2020) [13] studied the greening status of organic farming in wet and dry land in Nagapattinam and Erode District of Tamil Nadu under various crops. Hinz et al. (2020) concentrated on land consumption dynamics in Tamil Nadu under various scenarios. Amit Khurana et al. (2020) [15] studied the challenges and possibilities of organic and natural farming in India. Delabre et al. (2021) deliberated on how sustainable food production and consumption will impact the post 2020 global biodiversity framework.The State of Tamil Nadu is one of the agriculturally intensive states of India. This paper attempts to examine the data on consumption of inputs from a sample survey for evidence regarding the adaption of organic farming in the State.