Indian State of Kerala Starts 10-Year Conversion to All-Organic Farming
The southern Indian state of Kerala has officially announced a new farming policy which aims to covert all agriculture in the state to organic methods over the next ten years. In the first phase 30,000 hectares converted, The Hindu Business Line reports, and then proceeds in a "phased and compact manner."
The policy advocates adopting a compact area group approach in organic farming by encouraging formation of organic farmers groups, clubs, self-help groups and cooperatives for the purpose of cultivation, input production, certification and marketing.
There is need for ensuring organic farming approach in all the watershed development areas and extend support, including capacity building and financial assistance, for soil and water conservation measures through ongoing programmes.
In order the facilitate the transition, the policy highlights the need to provide interest-free loans to small and marginal farmers.
Recently, the state of Sikkim, in the northeast part of the country, announced that it had converted 6,000 of its 70,000 hectares of agricultural land to organic agriculture, on way to converting it all by 2015.
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