“Organic farming- an overview” Malik Pawan HOD, Dept. of Chemistry, SLB DAV College, Batala (Dist. Gurdaspur), Punjab, India Online published on 5 June, 2014. Abstract Organic farming is farming without addition of artificial chemicals. Artificial chemicals mean which are manufactured at industrial level such as Pesticides, Herbicides, Fungicides, and Urea etc. Basic idea of organic Farming is the minimum use of nonrenewable natural resources such as Fossil fuel used for manufacture of Fertilizers and Pesticides. It also helps in improvement of environmental infrastructure of the farm. There is lot of discussion between organic farming and Conventional farming. Conventional farmers believe that they will face more problems with weeds, insects and disease. But organic farmers know habit and lifecycle of pest and apply their knowledge to control the pest. In the present study, an attempt has been made that organic farmers know how rotation of crops controls disease cycle, increase soil manure. Cover crops protects young plants, reduce weeds. Traditional organic manures are Farm Yard Manure (FYM), crop residues, compost, sewage and sludge, Poultry manure, edible and non-edible oil cakes, meat meal. The study revealed that organic food taste better and is of superior quality. For keep in view of organic farming, the inputs used in are taken care of soil health, Plant health, animal health, pest harvest technology. The main aim of farmers are to develop economically and eco-friendly practices which reduce cost of cultivation, reduce soil and water pollution, increase in crop production without the use of artificial chemical. The study concluded that this practice not only prevents pollution but also maintaining nature over ecological balance. There are still challenges and constraints in organic farming on issues such as availability and cost issues of organic input, lack of support during conversation period. There is dire need to generate awareness among farmers to change their mindset. So, organic farming is eco-friendly, improve soil fertility, sustain high yield. Top Keywords Organic farming, Conventional farming, cover crops, economical aspect, pest management. Top |