https://reasonstobecheerful.world/how-one-indian-state-went-100-organic/
"In Pelling, a town in Western Sikkim in India with the best views of the
Himalayan peak Kanchenjunga, Tsering Bhutia gazes at the terraced field behind
his house. “We’ve grown organic black cardamom for years,” he says. “But ever
since a blight destroyed my crop, I’ve been contemplating making a homestay
here instead…” About two miles away, Rinchen Lama adds homegrown vermicompost
to her field. “The squash I grow is the most delicious you’ll ever eat,” she
says. “But my kids also like other vegetables, so I get them from the market.”
In a state that officially went 100 percent organic in 2016, and won what many
regard as the Oscar for best public policies — the UN Food and Agriculture
Organisation’s Future Policy Gold Award — in 2018, such stories paint an honest
picture of the challenges that arise in fundamentally altering how our food is
grown. But this change is necessary: An estimated 52 percent of agricultural
land across the globe is moderately to severely degraded due to monoculture,
chemical pesticide and fertilizer use, and groundwater extraction — and this
will accelerate unless these practices change. And in 2019, a United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) report found that commercial food production over
the last 50 years has driven more biodiversity loss globally than any other
activity.
When it comes to organic farming, Australia leads the world’s tally with 53
million hectares under cultivation, and at 4.7 million hectares, India stands a
far second (the United States, at 2.06 million hectares, is ninth). Not many
countries and regions have managed to transition to 100 percent organic food
production, as it is tricky and initially expensive. Here’s how Sikkim
succeeded where Sri Lanka failed disastrously."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
