Round table discussion on researchable issues in Integrated Organic Farming Systems

17^th August 2016, Modipuram

ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research, Modipuram organized a round table discussion on researchable issues in Integrated Organic Farming Systems (IOFS) was organized here today.

Prof. M. Premjit Singh, Vice Chancellor, Central Agricultural University, Imphal chaired the discussion and highlighted that soil health is the base of sustainable production and ecological balance for human and livestock health. He also emphasized that organic farming in farming systems perspective needs to be promoted in the de-facto organic regions.

Dr S. Bhaskar, ADG (Agronomy, Agro-forestry and Climate Change), ICAR, New Delhi, co-chairman of the discussion, opined that external organic inputs need to be reduced to make organic farming cost effective and sustainable.

Dr AS Panwar, Director, ICAR-IIFSR flagged the researchable issues in IOFS and informed that low/zero external input based organic farming is must for complete realization of benefits of organic farming and to increase income of the farmers.

Dr. A.K. Patra, Director, ICAR-IISS, Bhopal and Dr Himanshu Pathak, Director, ICAR-NRRI, Cuttack,   Chief Agronomists of AICRP on IFS centres, Project Co-coordinators of Utilization of Animal energy, biological nitrogen fixation and STCR along with  all the Principal Investigators representing all Agro-Climatic zone of India have participated in the round table discussion and brain stormed to identify researchable issues in IOFS.

Researchable issues on IOFS identified

• Development and screening of crop(s)/varieties having better root biomass and identification of food-feed crops under organic farming is essential to meet the soil-livestock-human requirements.
• Locally available best practices of organic clusters/farmers for nutrient, pest, disease and weed management should be documented and refined for integration in the IOFS for reducing the external inputs.
• Eco-friendly conservation practices such as land configuration based water conservation, residue retention and in-situ recycling needs to be given priority.
• Long-term ecological study sites needs to be established in all agro-climatic regions for assessing the long term impact of organic farming practices on soil, livestock, human, society and environment.
• Development of nutrient enriched/pest repellent composts and liquid products through blending of locally available green/green leaf/pest repellent/medicinal herbs/indigenous earth worms.
• Organic farming is incomplete without livestock. Hence, research on efficient utilization of animal energy with improved equipment’s, bio-gas etc for meeting the energy requirement of household and farms are essential under IOFS. Feed and fodder crops needs to be included in IOFS for sustainability with emphasis on initiation of farmer’s participatory research on IOFS.

(Source: ICAR-IIFSR, Modipuram)