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Editor’s Note: Markets for organic foods continue to

skyrocket, but

more

can be done to help poor farmers participate in this

growth and reap

some

of the many benefits associated with organic

production. A UN study

conducted in India shows how, with effective

government support,

organic

agriculture can help reduce rural poverty and increase

the quality of

life

for small farmers.

 

Organic farming could help reduce rural poverty: UN

study

http://www.infochangeindia.org/AgricultureItop.jsp?section_idv=10#4339

 

Organic food production could offer a way out of

poverty for many small

farmers in developing countries. But only if they

receive government

support, says a new study conducted in India and China

 

South Asian farmers who have switched over from using

synthetic

fertiliser

to more eco-friendly, traditional forms of organic

farming have earned

more and achieved a higher standard of living, says a

recent study by

the

United Nations. However, small farmers are often

excluded from

supportive

government reform programmes that encourage organic

farming, says the

UN's

International Fund for Agricultural Development

(IFAD).

 

" In China and India, organic production is growing

steadily, " says the

Italian-sponsored report, presented by the IFAD's

Phrang Roy and

Caroline

Heider and senior Italian officials in Rome, on

January 25. The study

looked at the role of organic agriculture in rural

poverty reduction.

Also, when and under what conditions organic farming

can be integrated

into development programmes.

 

" The value of Chinese exports grew from less than $ 1

million in the

mid-1990s to about $ 142 million in 2003, with more

than 1,000

companies

and farms certified. In India, there has also been

remarkable growth,

with

about 2.5 million hectares under organic farming and

332 new

certifications issued during 2004, " the report notes.

 

In addition to bringing about higher prices for

agricultural produce,

lower unemployment and less rural migration, " organic

farming reduces

the

health risks posed by the use of toxic chemicals, as

well as the high

costs of chemical pesticides and fertilisers. (Also),

the environment

benefits from improved soil management and

less-polluting techniques, "

said the IFAD.

 

However, the paradox is that Indian and Chinese

farmers already

producing

for export are the ones benefiting from this booming

sector. Small

farmers

are often denied government assistance in storing,

processing,

certifying

and exporting their produce, while domestic markets

for organic produce

are " very limited in China and even scarcer in India " .

A large

proportion

of organic products are sold informally without

certification controls.

 

The study points out that for small farmers to want to

make the soil

improvements that organic farming requires they needed

security of

tenure,

access to family labour and support organisations to

help them with

training, loans and collective marketing.

 

In areas where conditions favour the adoption of

organic agriculture by

small farmers, it could provide a long-term solution

to poverty, while

reducing migration and improving the health conditions

and environment

for

entire communities.

 

But, in order to hold out hope for the world's small

farmers, organic

farming must grow sustainably and not lose its " added

value " , or prices

and incomes would drop, says the study. If organic

agriculture expands

too

rapidly it may lose its added value and prices and

incomes could

decrease

considerably. Organic agriculture should not,

therefore, be considered

a

panacea that can be used to reduce poverty in any

environment, at any

time, cautions the IFAD.

 

Source: www.un.org/news, January 25, 2005

www.ifad.org, January 25, 2005

 

 

 

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