Nutrient levels in the soil have recently decreased dramatically. Fruit and vegetables no longer have the vital properties that they did 50 years ago.
The potassium level of spinach has decreased by 53% and the iron content has decreased by 60%. Broccoli has lost 75% of its calcium content. Vegetables have lost at least 24% of their magnesium, with carrots losing 75%. The potassium level of spinach has decreased by 53% and the iron content has decreased by 60%. Broccoli has lost 75% of its calcium content. Vegetables have lost at least 24% of their magnesium, with carrots losing 75%.
Food in the 1940s had more nutrients than food in 2021.
You'd have to eat for today to acquire the same amount of potassium as a carrot in 1940. You'd have to consume three apples or oranges to equal the iron content of the fruit your parents had in 1940. Eight oranges are required to extract the same amount of Vitamin A as one orange. The only issue is with the soil's quality. We import strawberries and asparagus from all over the world because we want to be able to consume them all year. We are encouraged to shop locally and, during the season, to reduce the carbon footprint of our food and improve the planet's health. However, shopping not only locally and seasonally, but also from farm sources, improves our health.
Crop rotation and organic farming are common practices on local farms, CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), and packaged programs.
If this is the case, frozen fruits and vegetables should be purchased. As soon as they're picked, they're flash-frozen at their nutritious peak.
Organic farming is a type of agriculture that promotes environmentally friendly and sustainable methods in contrast to conventional agricultural practices, which use artificial chemical-based fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals. Organic farming is recognized internationally for its environmental benefits, although there are ongoing debates about its economic sustainability. In the United States Department of Agriculture'sNational Organic Program (NOP), organic agriculture includes both agroecology and permaculture.
Contrary to popular belief, organic farming is not a certification fad, but rather a method of farming with practices based on sound science and managed with an eye towards environmental sustainability. According to a review article published in "The Open Ecology Journal" in 2012, "Organic is not the most environmentally sustainable type of agriculture, but organic systems can react to changing crop rotation, nutrient management, and field energy patterns over time." In other words, the challenges of organic agriculture are complementary to sustainable agriculture systems.
"In 2003, the United Nations Food and AgriculturalOrganization (FAO) reported that around 90% of the world's arable land was required for conventional uses. The report also stated that 1 billion people were dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods and that 70% of land-based pollution was from agricultural sources. or a product, but rather a set of holistic practices that must be followed from crop rotation to livestock grazing. In addition to artificially-produced fertilizers and pesticides being prohibited, the use of genetically modified organisms, nanomaterials, and sewage sludge is also forbidden. For a farmer to receive the Certified Organic label from the USDA's NOP or other regulatory agencies, they must pay a fee and follow all of the agency's regulations.
According to theUnited States Department of Agriculture (USDA), organic food sales have grown30% annually since 1997, amounting to a market worth $21 billion in 2016.
India's Organic Agriculture
In India, organic farming is still in its infancy. According to the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, 2.78 million hectares of cropland were under organic agriculture as of March 2020. This is less than 2% of the country's total net sown area of 140.1 million hectares.
Because organic farming is mostly concentrated in a few states, numerous states have taken the lead in increasing this sector. With0.76 million acres, Madhya Pradesh takes the top rank on the list, accounting for over 27% of all Indian organic farming areas.
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra account for more than half of the country's organic farming. The top ten states account for almost 80% of the total land area in terms of organic farming.
Organic farming is only possible on a limited fraction of land.
There are currently no other entirely organic Indian states. Most states have only a modest percentage of net sown land that is organic. Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra, which account for the highest area under organic cultivation, just 4.9, 2.0, and 1.6 percent of the net sown area is allocated to organic farming. Meghalaya, Mizoram, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Sikkim are some of the states with at least 10% organic net planted area. OnlyGoa is not surrounded by hills. Even though organic farming covers 10% or more of the net planted area in Union Territories like Delhi, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, and Chandigarh, the agricultural area of these territories is fairly small. Organic agricultural practices cover less than 10% of the net planned area in the great majority of other states.
There's no certainty that policy changes will result in more organic coverage.
Although at least 20 states have legislation or systems in place to promote organic farming, widespread adoption remains a challenge. many Indian states, including Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh, have expressed interest in becoming organic or organic-farming states, according to reports. In the absence of 100 percent organic aspiration, only a few states have set concrete, quantitative goals. Some governments have taken years to enact policies, but in absolute terms, they have yet to cover a large quantity of territory. Karnataka and Kerala have had organic rules in place since 2004, yet only 1.1 percent of their net cropland is organically farmed. Newly created policies, on the other hand, have already covered a significant area in states like Rajasthan. States may have started the process of converting land to organic even before the legislation was passed. Only a few Indian states have state-level organic certification agencies accredited by the Agricultural and Processed Food products Export Development Authority (APFDEA), including Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Telangana, Sikkim, Bihar, Karnataka, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh (APEDA).MP Organic, OrganicRajasthan, Nasik Organic, Bastar Naturals, Kerala Naturals, Jaivik Jharkhand,Naga Organic, Organic Arunachal Pradesh, Organic Manipur, Tripura Organic, and five Rivers by Punjab are among the states that have produced or are developing organic brands.
NPOP accounts for a significant portion of organic coverage.
India established a national organic farming policy in 2005. Organic farming covers 2.78 million hectares of land, accounting for about 2%of India's net sown area. NPOP covers 1.94 million hectares, PKVY 0.59 million hectares, MOVCDNER 0.07 million hectares, and state schemes and non-schemes0.17 million hectares. To put it another way, the NPOP system covers around 70%of the country's organic landmass, with 30% of it now being transformed. The thNPOP initiative, which began in 2001, now covers more than 70% of the country's organic land. The PKVY and MOVCDNER initiatives began in 2015-16, and they now account for 21.5 percent and 2.6 percent of total organic land in the country, respectively. The remaining 6.1 percent of organically cultivated land iseither part of a state program or has no connection to one. Between 2015 and2018, NPOP certification accounted for 96% of all certified organic foodoutput, while Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) certification accounted for4% of total certified organic food production. Madhya Pradesh is India's mostorganic state, with NPOP covering over 90% of its organic land. The NPOPinitiative has covered more than 80% of the organic land in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. PKVY covers more than half of India's states, while NPOP covers less than half.
Despite the country's small organic farming area, India has the highest number of organic growers. India has around 1.9 million farmers, accounting for 1.3 percent of the country's 146 million agricultural proprietors as of March 2020. Some farmers aren't certified, so they're left out, particularly in hilly, tribal, and rain-fed areas where organic farming is the norm.