Organic for whom?
THE Balochistan Organic Agriculture Policy 2024 was an important step in the right direction. At a time when climate change, water scarcity and soil degradation threaten rural livelihoods, the policy recognises that chemical-intensive agriculture is neither ecologically sustainable nor economically secure in the long term. Yet the real test lies in implementation. The policy’s impact will depend on whether it genuinely centres small farmers, women producers and food sovereignty — or whether it becomes another market-led reform that leaves structural inequalities intact.
The policy responds to the growing global demand for organic products and understandably seeks to position Balochistan within that opportunity. However, organic agriculture is more than certification and export value chains. At its core, it is about restoring soil life, conserving water, strengthening local food systems and enhancing farmer autonomy.
If the primary emphasis remains on certified commodities for distant markets, the province risks narrowing organic agriculture into a commercial niche rather than allowing it to transform diversified production systems that serve both income generation and household food security. Benefits must accrue first to farmers — not to exporters, certifiers or textile buyers.
The risks of international certification: International certification is often presented as the gateway to premium markets. In reality, it can create new dependencies. Certification entails annual inspection fees, compliance costs and documentation requirements that disproportionately burden smallholders. It favours larger, well-resourced producers and consolidates control in the hands of exporters and third-party auditors. Standards are frequently designed in contexts far removed from Balochistan’s ecological and social realities.
Organic agriculture cannot simply be imported as a model.
More critically, certification ties farmers to volatile international markets. In today’s geopolitical climate — marked by trade disruptions, shifting regulations and unstable demand — overdependence on distant buyers is economically hazardous. A single market shock can cause carefully constructed supply chains to collapse, leaving farmers with debt, unsold produce and no safety net.
Organic agriculture should not become another externally driven compliance regime in which farmers shoulder production risks while premiums are captured elsewhere.
Instead of borrowing definitions wholesale, the policy should articulate its own locally grounded understanding of organic agriculture — rooted in Balochistan’s agroecology, water scarcity and food security needs. It should prioritise low-cost, locally produced bio-inputs; farmer-saved and locally adapted seed; participatory or group certification systems; and robust local marketing channels.
If organic conversion becomes bureaucratically complex, financially burdensome or externally dependent, small farmers may be excluded from the very opportunities the policy promises.
Grounding knowledge in local realities: Organic agriculture cannot simply be imported as a model. Universities and extension services must build upon farmers’ centuries-old knowledge of dryland cultivation, mixed cropping and risk management. Borrowed solutions that ignore local ecological limits are unlikely to endure.
Women at the centre: Women’s labour sustains rural agriculture in Balochistan — from seed preservation to post-harvest processing and livestock care. Yet they remain largely invisible in policy frameworks. For equitable outcomes, implementation must ensure inclusive extension services, targeted ca-pacity building and meaningful access for women to markets and decision-making spaces. Sustainability without gender justice is incomplete.
Food security first: In a province defined by water scarcity and climate variability, land use must prioritise food. Organic agriculture offers an opportunity to rebuild soil health and diversify cropping systems, but diversification must include vegetables, pulses and grains that secure household nutrition. Cash crops have a role, but they should not displace essential food production in ecologically fragile regions.
The Balochistan Organic Agriculture Policy opens an important conversation about the province’s agricultural future. Its success will not be measured by certified acreage or export volumes, but by healthier soils, reduced farmer indebtedness, stronger local markets, improved household nutrition and greater autonomy for farming communities. If implementation keeps these priorities at its core, organic agriculture can become more than a market label — it can become a pathway towards ecological restoration and farmer sovereignty in Balochistan.
The writer is an educationist, agroecologist and development activist.
Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2026