Organic farming
Organic farming · Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana · NPOP · Jaivik Bharat
12 min read · Updated 2026-05-25
What is Organic farming?
Organic farming is a system that excludes synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, GM seeds and growth hormones, relying instead on farmyard manure, compost, bio-fertilisers, bio-pesticides and crop rotation. In India it is certified under NPOP (2001) for exports and PGS-India for the domestic market, carries the Jaivik Bharat logo, and is funded through Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, launched in 2015.
The story
In April 2016, Sikkim's Chief Minister Pawan Chamling stands at a UN-FAO event in Milan and accepts the Future Policy Gold Award for the world's first 100% organic state. The journey began in 2003 with a state assembly declaration; by 2010 all 75,000 hectares of farmland were under organic conversion. By 18 Jan 2016, Sikkim was certified organic across all crops. Per-capita farmer income rose 35% between 2014 and 2017 — but yields, in the first three years, fell 20%.
Two thousand kilometres west in Andhra Pradesh, the Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) programme of Vijay Kumar has by 2025 enrolled 8 lakh farmers on 10 lakh hectares — the world's largest agro-ecology programme. Their slogan: "Save soil — and the soil will save you." No chemical fertiliser. No chemical pesticide. Only desi cow-dung + cow-urine concoctions (jeevamrutha, ghanajeevamrutha, beejamrutha, neemastra). PM Modi cited the experiment at the Niti Aayog 2025 meeting.
The 1960s Green Revolution doubled India's grain. The next revolution — if there is to be one — may swap chemicals for compost. Whether it can scale beyond Sikkim and Andhra is the test.
Why this matters for UPSC
GS-III tests organic farming definitions (vs natural farming vs sustainable farming), national schemes (PKVY, MOVCDNER, BPKP), certification (NPOP, PGS-India, Jaivik Bharat logo), and case studies (Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh natural farming, Himachal). Prelims has tested NPOP (2018), Jaivik Bharat (2017), Sikkim 100% organic (2017). Mains weighs the productivity-sustainability trade-off.