Mitigating climate change through organic agriculture - Keynote address at the Third Organic Farming Association of India Convention, held at Anand, Gujarat (2010)

Green Revolution (GR) technologies, supported by official policies, and fuelled by agro-chemicals, machinery and irrigation, are well known to have improved agricultural production and productivity. While these technologies greatly helped developing countries to address their food-security and food-sovereignty needs, farmers using these technologies have had to depend on external inputs. These inputs constitute the major cost of production for small-holder farmers who are a majority in most developing countries of the Semi-Arid Tropics, given that small-holder farmers are challenged by shortage of cash resources and depend on family labour.

The manufacture/supply of the three major inputs of GR technologies – fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation – need fossil fuels and/or expensive energy and are in turn associated with serious environmental and/or health issues. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has conceded that agriculture (conventional, modern or GR) as practised today has negative environmental impacts including production of greenhouse gases (GHGs). This agriculture accounts for about one-fifth of projected greenhouse effects, and produces about 50% and 70%, respectively, of overall methane and nitrous oxide emissions. These are more harmful greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide.

In this context, this keynote address delivered at the Third Convention of The Organic Farming Association of India, held at Anand, Gujarat between 15-17 Dec 2010, explores the experiences of smallholder farmers in several developing countries in eco-friendly / sustainable organic / natural agriculture, and suggests that use of most of the 'cool agriculture' interventions practised by these farmers, are low-cost, maximize use of local natural resources, are sustainable, scientifically sound and have potential to mitigate climate change.

Issues with modern agriculture in the climate change scenario, details of the landmark IAASTD report, issues with the mainstream agricultural research for development system, fundamentals and FAQs about organic farming and how such 'cool agriculture' can mitigate global warming, and possible measures that can strengthen cool agriculture, are the main sections of this address.

The author notes that there is a dire need for agricultural scientists of the mainstream agricultural research system to study the potential of these interventions, instead of uncritically assuming them to be 'unscientific'.

Download the paper: