October 28, 2006

THE green revolution in Pakistan has witnessed a jump in agricultural production with the introduction of high-yielding varieties of various crops and by following intensive cultivation practices with the augmented use of fertilizer, pesticides and other inputs. Several studies have revealed the fall-out of the green revolution which includes pollution and health hazards.

With an increase in the country’s population, it is important to not only mobilise agricultural production but also to increase it in a sustainable manner. Scientists have realised that green revolution has reached a plateau and is now sustained by diminishing returns and falling dividends. Conventionally, we use a great deal of synthetic fertilizers containing major nutrients and pesticides and neglect organic manures and biofertilizers which cause high production costs and reduced dividends also. It has also caused soil deterioration and affected plant, human and animal health. Nitrogen is applied to soil in the form of urea, which is readily hydrolysed into ammonium, ammonium nitrate or a combination of ammonium and nitrate. About 40-60 per cent of applied nitrogen is lost by volatilisation, run-off, denitrification and leaching. The nitrate that is leached causes a lot of visible and invisible hazards. The visible ones include plants becoming succulent and dark green, thus becoming susceptible to insect pests and diseases. It increases growth resulting in weakened stem and crop lodging. It also reduces the quality of the seed. Invisible effects include the movement of nitrate below the root zone or in ground water. Once ground water becomes polluted it remains as such for an extended period of time and causes different diseases. The enrichment of surface water bodies such as lakes, reservoirs and streams with plant nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen result in the intense proliferation and accumulation of fungi and higher aquatic plants in excess which changes the water quality. The continuous application of phosphorus-based fertilizers may result in the build up of trace metal contaminants. Excessive application of potassic fertilizers decreases vitamin C and carotene contents in fruits and vegetables while chemical fertilizers lead to malnutrition due to the degradation of carbohydrates and proteins.

Similarly, indiscriminate and defective handling of pesticides causes environmental pollution and leads to health hazards. The consistent use of pesticides to control pests caused resistance among pests and vectors and led to adverse effects on non-target organisms. Then, the use of agrochemicals causes the degradation of cultivable land and increasing agricultural pollution, hence creating an unhealthy situation. In order to balance this situation, organic farming should be practised. Instead of using chemicals, natural resources such as organic matters, minerals and microbes are used. An organic farming system relies on a large-scale application of compost, crop rotation, residues, green manuring, biofertilizers, biopesticides and the biological control of insects and pests.

Protecting long-term soil fertility by maintaining soil organic matter levels, supporting soil biological activity and careful mechanical intervention, providing crop nutrients directly, nitrogen self-sufficiency, organic manuring, etc., may sustain productivity of the system.

Organic farming has been described as a complex system where productivity is improved with increasing years under organic management. Several transitional studies have reported initially lower yields. Developing strategies for lowering the risk of yield loss during transition from conventional farming to certified organic designation is the subject of a number of research studies all over the world.

Organic agriculture is a viable alternative because it enlivens the soil, strengthens natural resource bases and sustains biological production at levels to commensurate the carrying capacity of managed agro-ecological systems. Organic systems relying on locally derived inputs are capable of providing stable yields while maintaining the soil quality and plant protection.

An important thing to keep in mind with respect to organic farming is the production of higher value agricultural commodities, vegetables, fruits, oils, fish and animal forage, etc. These products fetch higher prices in the market and are demanded by consumers who prefer these commodities because these are pure and do not have side effects on health.

Natural farming is a way of agriculture that preserves the ecosystem. It does not involve the use of harmful chemicals and fertilizers – rather symbiotic life forms are cultured, ensuring weed and pest control and optimal soil biological activity which maintain fertility. By default, poor farmers practice organic farming in many parts of Pakistan. Although much of the country practices the traditional system of organic farming, still it is not declared or certified. Moreover, five million hectares or 24.4 per cent of the total cultivated area is rain-fed where the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is negligible. Small farmers are practicing more organic farming compared to that of landlords.

The demand for organic products is increasing in the whole world day by day due to which the government of Pakistan has established 25 laboratories (2003-04) for testing pesticide residues in agricultural products. The number of these labs will be increased throughout the country eventually.

A number of research studies have shown that organic farming ensures better yields at low cost and fetches more income. Organic manures {compost, village compost and town compost), sewage, green manure (leguminous and non-leguminous plants), edible oil cakes (mustard cakes, groundnut cakes, linseed cakes, etc.), non-edible oil cakes (sunflower cakes, neem cakes, castor cakes, etc.), slaughterhouse wastes and fish wastes} and biofertilizers may be used for crop production as a substitute for chemical fertilizers because the importance of organic manures cannot be overlooked. They supply all the essential elements required for the growth and development of plants, but are readily decomposed by soil microbes when applied.

In addition, manures supply micronutrients and have a positive effect on the soil’s physical properties. Different strains of biofertilizers are available for different crops depending upon their nature whether they are legumes or non-legumes as well as for different kinds of nutrients. Research has shown that sole application of biofertilizer in case of legumes successfully substituted inorganic nitrogen fertilizer and demand only for starter dose of fertilizer whereas for non-legumes their combined application with well rotten manures proved to be the most effective and can replace synthetic fertilizer. Organic matter resulting from the application of organic manure has strong and positive effects on the infiltration of water into the soil. This effect is mainly due to a decrease of the soil bulk density and improvement in aggregation and structure of the soil. Organic manure improves the fertility of the soil with out leaving any residual effects in the soil and is much cheaper compared with the chemical fertilizers. An examination of entire agro-ecosystem is critical in the development of the successful organic farming system.

Given the rapidly growing demand for the organic food in the western markets, organically grown food, which usually fetches a 20-40 per cent premium over other produce, represents a new opportunity for the small farmers for whom a lack of means to buy fertilizers and pesticides can be turned into an advantage. Difficulties arise, however, by the way of certifying such produce and then marketing it even with in the domestic market in the developing countries. The primary objective in promoting the organic farming is a way of lifting multitudes of small farmers out of poverty.

The popularity of the organic food is creeping up across western countries as retailers to farmers start to favour this pesticide-free way of food production. These organic products have high nutritional value and are free from contamination by pesticides. A food chemist claims that organic tomatoes had higher levels of secondary metabolites and higher level of vitamin C. Organic broccoli had higher level of flavonoids. These flavonoids and metabolites known to act in the body as antioxidants and found in a variety of plants have been shown to promote several beneficial effects in the cardiovascular system and decreasing the body’s inflammatory immune response, etc. Small-scale farmers with 5-12.5 acres of land are important component of the agriculture. In Pakistan, they constitute 93 per cent of the agricultural community.

The global market for organic food is worth $37 billion set to grow to $102 billion by 2010. USA, is considered a world leader in transgenic, and is the largest importer of organic food followed by the European Union. The organic craze is spreading worldwide. The global trade in processed herbal medicines and food supplements is estimated at $60 billion. Since 1985, there has been significant growth in the organic food industry, particularly in western countries. Sale of organic products reached $8 billion in USA in 2001, with a 20 per cent annual growth rate. This shows that organic farming is a growing business and so steps should be taken to encourage this practice properly in Pakistan.

The writers are freelance contributors

 

Use of Fertilizers, Manures and Insecticides by the Farm Size
Farm Size
(ha)	Total Farms	Fertilizers & Manures		Fertilizer only		Manures only		Plant Protection
		No.	% of total	No.	% of total	No.	% of total	No.	% of total
All farms	6620224	1425144	22	3481401	53	327477	5	1805106	27
Govt. farms	170	47	28	95	56	1	1	85	50
Pvt. Farms	6620054	1425097	22	3481306	53	327476	5	1805021	27
total
< 0.5	1290098	278660	22	507638	39	127612	10	171711	13
0.5 - < 1.0	1099330	270710	25	574344	52	59523	5	260639	24
1.0 - < 2.0	1425370	321983	23	820794	58	54986	4	424293	30
2.0 - < 3.0	966411	204719	21	565870	59	33951	4	317381	33
3.0 - < 5.0	890755	174686	20	515315	58	27609	3	301074	34
5.0 - < 10.0	580200	109171	19	319884	55	14649	3	214150	37
10 - < 20	260791	47312	18	129443	50	6725	3	85643	33
20 - < 40	77773	12489	16	35600	46	1725	2	21701	28
40 - < 60	15277	2613	17	6684	44	212	1	4126	27
60 - > 60	14054	2744	20	5761	41	285	2	4294	31
(Source: Agriculture Statistics of Pakistan, 2004)

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