Organic Farming: A Spirit of Ecofeminism in India

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), organic farming is a production
management system that is unique and promotes biological cycles, biodiversity, and biological
activity in the soil. This is accomplished by using biological, mechanical, and farm-based
agronomic approaches while reducing the amount of synthetic farm input from outside sources.

The primary goal of organic farming is to enhance the interdependent communities of flora,
animals, soil, and humans as well as their ability to produce food and maintain their health
(Scialabba and Hattam, 2002).

Origin of Organic Farming in India

The main historical examples of organic agriculture in India revolve around the following:

Period/Literature Description of organic farming

Neolithic civilizations used this 10,000-year-old

Ancient period
Ramayana
Mahabharata (5500 BC)
Arthashastra by Kautilya (300 BC)
Brihad-Sanhita by Varahmihir
Rig-Veda (2500–1500 BC)
tradition, which was also embraced by
Mesopotamian and other civilizations like the
Hwang-Ho.
Dead matter that returns to the earth, such as
trash or rotting corpses, is transformed into
nutrient-rich material. According to C.
Rajagopalachari, it is Mother Earth's power.
There have been references to the celestial cow,
Kamadhenu. Its contribution to human
existence and function in ensuring soil fertility
has been described.
Refers to various kinds of manure, including oil
cakes and animal excrement.
Explains the numerous ways to collect manure
and how to choose the right manure for
different types of crops.
The Rig Veda 1,161,10 (written between 2500
and 1500 BC) and the Atharva Veda II 8.3
(written around 1000 BC) both provide
descriptions of organic farming.

In Vrksayurveda, Surpala also makes reference

to manure. According to the Sukra, a plant

Holy Quran (590 AD)
Source: Bhattacharya and Chakraborty, 2005
needs water, meat, excrement from cows, goats,
and sheep, among other things, to develop
healthily (IV, V, 94, 107-112).
An indication of harvest and recycling is the
return of one-third of the portion removed from
the soil.

Organic Farming and Indian Women

In the arena of Indian culture, women are particularly called "Prakriti" which in its literal sense
means "Nature". Prakriti is the feminine essence for conservation, development, and being purely
ecological. She is also referred to as "Shakti", who furnishes energy to steer the living system.

In present times, the organic farming movement has taken the form of a social movement. India,
the holder of the oldest agricultural fields in the entire world where agriculture has been
practiced for around 1000 years, has women as the leaders in organic farming. Indian female
farmers devote a significant amount of their work hours on farmlands and involved more in.
Women’s contribution to nature supports sustainable development and agricultural systems. This
is also the hypothesis behind organic farming, which develops a stronger bond between women
and organic farming.

In the Odagaon region of Nayagarh district, Odisha, an area of 90 acres of degraded forest has
been transformed into a forest that provides food for the nearby population. The idea of change
was first sown in Sabarmatee’s mind in the 1980s, when she began experimenting with her
father on the land for cultivating organic food. Later, when the efforts started to bear fruit, a non-
governmental organization called Sambhav was founded. Today, this organization is aimed at
promoting ecological conversation, women's empowerment, and organic farming. Sabarmatee
has done a brilliant job of collecting and preserving 800 varieties of seeds of indigenous origin,
which have a strong relationship in combating climate change. Greater than 30 varieties of seeds
withstood the cyclonic storms between the time periods 2013-2014.

Rohibai Popre has the face of a leader of the organic farming movement in Maharashtra.
Without any formal education, Rohibai has been successful in leading a women-oriented agro-
biodiversity initiative. She has cultivated 17 crop varieties on 50 acres of farmland and shares her
knowledge with 3,500 farmers. Her seed bank is meant for the conservation of 122 landraces of
32 crop varieties.

Bibi Kamaljit Kaur made her endeavor in the field of organic products and farming. Around
39% of the soil in Punjab is absolutely degraded owing to over irrigation. In 2019–20 and 2020–
21, the use of pesticides was 4995 MT (technical grade) and 5193 MT (technical grade),
respectively, in the state of Punjab. With keeping in mind the paramount damage caused to the
environment from the aforementioned factor, organic farming being done by Bibi Kamaljit Kaur
in Punjab has assisted in breaking the toxic web of inorganic farming based on pesticide and
chemical use. After participating in a seminar by the Agriculture Heritage Mission, Bibi Kaur
learned about the negative impacts of pesticides on the environment and human health. Soon she
got trained and well-informed about organic farming and started to practice the same in her
kitchen garden. She had reached farmers from over 20 neighbouring villages and imparted
knowledge about the deadly consequences of using harmful chemical fertilizers. Inspired by her,
the villages of Bhotna, Malliya, and Chughan have undergone a shift towards organic farming.
Presently, she has received overwhelming support from 2000 women farmers and runs 2000
organic kitchen gardens.

Two villages named Damodarpur and Murakhati in the Jhargram district of West Bengal narrate
the revolutionary stories of two women organic cultivators. Panchabati Baske and Nirmala
Mahato have seeded organic indigenous rice varieties in their individual villages. These women
organic farmers are leading movements at the grassroots level. 55 male and 21 female farmers
are each associated with them in Damodarpur and Murakhati villages, helping and making each
other realize the power of organic agriculture and womanhood. Rice varieties, namely Kalabhat,
Sathia, Kerala Sundari, and Mallifullo, are being grown in the district. With time, the number of
women organic cultivators has increased to over 4500 in all 5 gram panchayats of Block
Nayagram in the district Jhargram. As per Panchabati, they are saving Rs 4000-Rs 5000 per
bigha in relation to fertilizers, and there is hardly any difference witnessed in the crop yield. For
additional income plates made up of sal leaves are sold by the women supported by the women
enterprise Aamon.

Conclusion

Organic farming has done the work of improving women’s role in Indian agriculture. The above-
listed real-life examples are a clear indication of the same. This process of women’s involvement
in organic farming needs to be constantly ameliorated. Active entrepreneurship opportunities,
education, social and environmental justice, equity, farming rights, training, and skill
development are some of the ways that can assure their vital contribution to organic farming.
This must continue.

References

1. Sannidi, S., Kumar, T., B, Venkatesh.,