The ‘Lankan food crisis shows the reality of organic farming.’
This was the title of a recent column by Indian economist Swaminathan Anklesaria Aiyar in a national daily. Aiyar’s paper examined the Sri Lankan food crisis, which was precipitated by the President’s recent decision to transition from chemical to organic farming.
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While the media blamed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who clearly misjudged the reduction in agriculture production, Aiyar blamed the situation on organic farming. He urged Indian states against it while expressing optimism about genetically modified crops.
The Green Revolution’s negative social and environmental consequences are as well recognised as the decreased agricultural yields and higher prices associated with organic products. However, a growing body of research has placed its trust in organic farming to fulfil global climate objectives while also conserving natural ecosystems.
When a country’s food security is at risk, it is absurd to reduce the decision to a binary option between conventional and organic farming. The issue therefore becomes, does the Sri Lankan situation provide enough cause to dismiss organic farming? Or is it a hastily made political decision?
According to the President’s office website, the decision was not made on the spur of the moment. It began in 2019, with the National policy framework named ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’ yearning for a ‘healthy and productive nation safeguarding people’s right to safe food,’ followed by a Gazette decision on May 6, 2021, prohibiting the import of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
Fertilizer overuse has contaminated ground and surface water, and excessive nitrate levels are causing eutrophication and disrupting aquatic ecosystems. Chronic renal failures in Sri Lanka have been connected to cadmium poisoning in water from fertiliser run-off, and pesticides have been associated to an increase in the prevalence of various cancers.
Sri Lankan Farming crisis
Every year, hundreds of farmers are killed while spraying them on their fields.
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In a nutshell, the expenses of HYVs are ‘externalised’ to the natural environment. Individuals who suffer from health problems bear these expenses, as do taxpayers when the government spends their money on pollution reduction.
As a result of the externalised expenses, the prices of chemical farm produce remain artificially low. If the Sri Lankan government advisory panel did not consider the impending price increase of organic farm food, they would be completely naive.
What was dubbed “poor yield” by the green revolution was significantly less extractive of soil nutrients. Farmers borrowed less since this farming required far less cash for inputs.
When agricultural productivity is clearly declining, it is crucial for a tiny nation like Sri Lanka to examine what percentage of its fields produce’real’ food and how much is utilised for plantations.
Food cannot be replaced for tea, rubber, cashew, coconut, sugarcane, or oil palm. Agricultural operations are carried out on 41.63 percent of Sri Lanka’s total land area. Of this, 23.45 percent is dedicated to paddy and other field crops, while 10.32 percent is dedicated to plantations.
Given Sri Lanka’s persistently lower paddy yields compared to international norms, will this acreage be sufficient to stockpile supplies for a rice-eating nation? Was this element taken into account in the decision?
In 2019, food and beverages accounted for 7.2% of total imports. Wheat, rice, potatoes, onions, and other farm products are included. Was this raised to bridge the looming yield gap?
Contrary to popular belief, the ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’ paper includes agricultural export as an industry and offers subsidies and price assurance systems. Was this revisited following the ruling on organic farming?
Because generations of farmers have embraced green revolution farming, the skills and expertise essential for organic farming are in short supply today. Can Sri Lankan farmers make the best seed choices? Is it possible for them to gain access to seed banks? Are they aware of bio-pesticides and organic soil nutrients?
Applying NPK to soil is not the same as treating it with organic fertilisers, and conserving seeds is not the same as purchasing new ones every season.
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Conclusion
The key to success, then, is not a dramatic choice to go organic, but rather teaching farmers, making residents aware of the benefits, developing proper infrastructure, and sustaining a supply chain of agricultural inputs.
This must be supplemented by deciding on a transition route and reviewing policies that encourage plantations and exports. Without these safeguards, the future of organic agriculture, not science, is jeopardised.
Tags: #bio-pesticides, #crops, #farmers, #farming, #fertilizer, #getgreengetgrowing, #gngagritech, #greenstories, #organic, #organicfarming, #organicfertilisers, #soil, #SriLankan
