In a country where Monsanto has control over 95% of cotton seed, and where the most hated bio-tech company of the century has caused a massive 291,000 suicides with its poisonous pesticides and fertilizers, GMOs and extortionist business practices, a tiny Himalayan state has done the unthinkable.
It took 10 years for India’s eastern state of Sikkim to implement organic practices and convert 75,000 hectares of agricultural land into certified organic farms. Earlier this year, the Prime Minister of India formally declared Sikkim — which now produces 800,000 tons of organic produce, accounting for nearly 65% of all of India’s 1.24 million tons — the country’s first 100% organic state free of harmful pesticides, chemical fertilizers and toxic GMOs.
In 2003, the Chief Minister of Sikkim declared in the state legislative assembly that Sikkim would shun chemical pesticides and fertilizers and return to natural methods of farming. Their intention was to solve environmental and health problems caused by chemical intensive farming methods. Later, the state government banned the entry and sale of chemical inputs for farmland, leaving farmers with no option but to go organic. The journey wasn’t easy. There were farmers’ protests, dissent and resistance. There were worries of production falling, due to the heavy costs involved in the transition. The farmers were barely sustaining themselves, so questions were raised about feasibility of using indigenous technologies — like pheromone traps to control fruit flies, bio-pesticides, and bio-fertilizers — and natural alternatives —like compost and manure made from dung, decayed leaves, and dry grasses. Full story...
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It took 10 years for India’s eastern state of Sikkim to implement organic practices and convert 75,000 hectares of agricultural land into certified organic farms. Earlier this year, the Prime Minister of India formally declared Sikkim — which now produces 800,000 tons of organic produce, accounting for nearly 65% of all of India’s 1.24 million tons — the country’s first 100% organic state free of harmful pesticides, chemical fertilizers and toxic GMOs.
In 2003, the Chief Minister of Sikkim declared in the state legislative assembly that Sikkim would shun chemical pesticides and fertilizers and return to natural methods of farming. Their intention was to solve environmental and health problems caused by chemical intensive farming methods. Later, the state government banned the entry and sale of chemical inputs for farmland, leaving farmers with no option but to go organic. The journey wasn’t easy. There were farmers’ protests, dissent and resistance. There were worries of production falling, due to the heavy costs involved in the transition. The farmers were barely sustaining themselves, so questions were raised about feasibility of using indigenous technologies — like pheromone traps to control fruit flies, bio-pesticides, and bio-fertilizers — and natural alternatives —like compost and manure made from dung, decayed leaves, and dry grasses. Full story...
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