Foreword

Summary

The Centre for Environment Education seeks to bring innovative strategies for environmentally sound decision-making to the notice of policy-makers, planners and the general public. CEE's Environment and Development book series provides access to the viewpoints of development theorists and practitioners from diverse fields of natural resource management. All manuscripts published under the series undergo an intensive value addition process, which involves reviews by experts and peers. The authors also present at pre-publication workshops that critically evaluate the manuscript and provide valuable feedback, which is then integrated into the manuscript. The books that come through this process, therefore, end up being more representative of thinking on policy issues and the process of their development also helps enliven the discussion on themes that they address.

Organic Farming is recommended for being a more sustainable form of agriculture. With increasing hazards caused by the use of chemicals in present day farming, alternative methods are the need of the hour. Organic farming utilizes simple techniques, with barely any harmful consequences to the environment while reducing health risks to consumers. Organic farming is gaining popularity worldwide and there is a mounting demand for organic products in the market.

The author introduces the concepts of organic farming and outlines the genesis of modern agricultural techniques before describing alternative practices which include soil conservation, nutrient management and irrigation techniques as well as the preparation of organic manure and compost.