Sikkim the Organic Farming State

By Jonah Achumi A small tiny mountainous landlocked state in the Himalayas is now a cent per cent organic state, the first ever to be achieved by any state in India. Almost 15 years ago, way back in 2003 ,the Pawan Chamling-led government decided to make Sikkim an organic farming state through a declaration in the legislative assembly. Though being a landlocked state without any railway or air connectivity, Sikkim managed to achieve its mission it undertook overcoming all obstacles by the sheer grit of determination of the government, the people’s participation and their desire to live healthily. After the journey embarked, it was not without obstacles and unique challenges; but today Sikkim has set an example not only to the nation but to the whole world. Why today organic food matters is because all our foods and almost every eatable item are now mixed with varieties of chemicals, or say harmful poisons causing diseases ranging from indigestion to food poisoning to even cancers. . It is a good step that our Nagaland state government too has taken a plunge into this organic mission which ensures us a vision of light at the end of our gloomy long tunnel of toxic foods flooding all over our markets. The recent unearthing of formalin laced fishes in our state is just a tip of the iceberg. The adverse effects of chemical fertilizers to soil, health and well-being of the people and environment had forced the state government to launch an organic movement in Sikkim. The state government’s initiatives had a ripple effect across India leading to organic farming gaining currency in other states. By engaging in organic farming as a ‘life saving’ profession, the state of Sikkim has sounded a clarion call so that a message goes across the world that organic way of life can undo damage done by consumption of chemical-laced food. They have everything possible to sustain their organic revolution and pass on the initiatives to next generation of farming community. And this has earned the state applause from every corner. Over the years around 75000 hectares of land in Sikkim has been converted into certified organic farms following the guidelines as prescribed by National Programme for Organic Production. However it had its share of struggle. Though Sikkimese farmers never depended on chemicals heavily but there was the use of synthetic fertilizers. It was when the state banned its use that the farmers were compelled to go the organic way. After experiencing severe health and environmental problems due to the high usage of chemically intensive and conventional farming methods, the state gradually banned all chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. The state made sure that laws were enforced strongly with fines and even jail terms for those breaking them. A seven year long plan was adopted to ban the use of chemical fertilizers. Since organic cultivation does not allow the use of chemical fertilizers, they were soon replaced by organic plant nutrients gradually. One remarkable aspect of the Sikkim government was in making its intent clear and taking the people on board. It even spread its campaign by why, how and what should be the steps to accomplish the mission. This subject was added even in the school curriculum. Training by organic experts on a war footing was initiated with building of proper infrastructures and mobilizing resources on a full scale. The state has banned even the use of plastic bags (one of the most toxic soil polluter) whereas our state is yet to see this in reality as most of the bans whatever the government imposes seem to be only in the papers but never in reality. And as the saying goes, luck favors those who struggle, this mission has improved the quality of the soil which further improves the standards of the crops produced there. Out of 1.24 million tonnes of organic production in the country around 80000 million is supplied by this tiny state of Sikkim alone. This is indeed a big achievement. Other states like Kerala, Mizoram and Arunachal are on their way too to become an organic state emulating the Sikkim way. In a country like ours where banned pesticides in 67 countries are still in use any increase in organic farming will make a difference in aspects of health, longevity and the environment. Why organic farming is becoming very important is because everyone wants to live healthy and longer. Now people all over the country and world seems to be asking ‘Will organic farming be possible and succeed in other countries too? When the demand becomes more, the supply too will become more and hence prices will go down so the worry of high cost of organic foods should be left to rest. The state government should introduce healthy and stable market system for the local farmers where their toil and sweat should not be allowed to go in vain unlike in the past where farmers cultivating ginger, cabbages etc. incurred heavy losses and all their products wasted without any prospective buyers. Sikkim government has set up organic retail stores in New Delhi and selling Sikkim’s organic products and due to the surge in demand for the Sikkim’s organic products farmers are now earning more than 20 percent than before. More stalls are also planned in other major cities by the government. An argument that organic products cost more has been replied by a market specialist saying when a whole state becomes hundred percent organic the cost, time and energy that are put into segregating, packaging, labeling and differential pricing are saved and therefore the price of everything organic falls.Thus everyone profits, both financially as well as health wise .Domestic revenue and health of the community thus takes a front seat. Organic agriculture is important for our health and the future of our world for many reasons. It is needed to sustainably feed the world. It carries far fewer toxic pesticide residues and is grown using no GMOs. It doesn’t poison farmworkers or the micro-organisms living in the soil that produce healthy, drought-resistant crops.Organic farming is also better suited to climate change, protects biodiversity, enhances soil fertility, and, to top it off, organic foods are more nutritious and taste better. But again the question such as without pesticides and other tools known for producing high-yield agriculture, would organic food really be able to produce enough food to feed people? Many studies from around the world show that organic farms can produce about as much if not more food than conventional farms. It may take several seasons for farmers to learn the new ways and see success but as the soil and biodiversity recovers, the yields go up.Another question that props up is, could the best way to preserve our water supplies, be with organic farming? Organic soil is better able to hold onto water because it uses organic material. Therefore, plants have more access to water, and they produce more food. Over the past years, we have held Year of Farmers, Year of Entrepreneurs, Year of Plantation which could not yield the desired result as much expected that could not only be attributed to the government alone for the failure but to the people as well. But we hope the kick-off to an organic state materializes because it deals and matters to our very own food that we eat in our plate every day. Nobody want to eat poison, do we? A concrete step with a vision only will ensure a holistic and sustainable economy. Instead of depending on the outside market forces, we Nagas can become a self - dependent economy and also solve our unemployment problem to a large extend. We have to convince our educated youths to engage deeply in organic farming, which is a life saving profession, and every youth in the world must be made aware of its importance for the future world. We must also take into confidence leaders from across different organizations to join us in this noble mission. The govt. should also set up organic wholesale market to lift up the small farmers and set up retail stores in all the districts and also outside the states. Will our small state ever become self-sufficient in agriculture during challenging times of natural calamities like floods, riots etc. that takes place outside the state? Our small state is flooded with myriad of countless NGOs and SHGs, welfare societies, unions, association, clubs etc. and sometimes it makes one wonder what we are really doing? The dream of white-collared jobs has killed the spirits of venturing out in the business sector. The deficit of capital among the majority of the populace has also discouraged one too many young bloods. Adding salt to the wound, the syndicate system of some NPGs in nexus with unscrupulous traders has killed the spirit of entrepreneurship amongst the many enterprising youths. The dream of government jobs and looking for easy money has fully made the younger generation become dependent and it burdens us only. It is time for the church, NGOs and the people to take war-footing strides and make this dream into a reality. Whether we are a farmer or a consumer, if we want a world with less toxic food and a world safer for our health, environment and our changing climate, we all have a role to play and choose to support organic cultivation and promote it. Increasing organic agriculture won’t be an easy task when everybody today is looking for quick returns and more profits. It is an indeed unique challenge but it is worth it. Prime Minister Narendara Modi said ‘Sikkim the small tiny state has achieved today and shown the world because of its tremendous hardwork and belief in an idea.’ They have committed fully to their belief and vision, can we? It’s about time we become and turn a producer society from a sort of parasitic or a consumerist society. When thinking about the success of Sikkim, we might also want to consider the advantages this state had to begin with. The state is small and culturally homogeneous which is very much like our state of Nagaland. And many of the farmers already had knowledge of traditional, organic ways of farming which many of our Naga people in our state’s rural areas still do. But Sikkim still had to overcome considerable challenges and there are lessons to be learned from their journey. Every area and people will have it’s own unique challenges and advantages. Perhaps the most important aspect of the Sikkim example is that it will inspire other areas to go organic, or at least, to try out more organic farming methods and use fewer toxic chemicals. This will go a long way in improving our food production and the health of our world. Endnote: Last year, when there was a continuous bandh for weeks during the ULB crisis, many people were worrying over the scarcity of ration and essentials. A friend of mine, who have sufficient plot of land use to grow vegetables and some fruits, was undeterred as he had enough spacious gardens to feed him and his family. He need not worry about rushing to the market during the relaxation periods of the bandh but could also generously share with his neighbours. If similar crisis happens in future how many of us will be self-sufficient to sustain ourselves and feed ourselves? The tiny landlocked state of Sikkim became self-sufficient without depending on the outside forces was proved during the recent Gorkhaland agitation for a separate statehood. The arterial National Highway 10 connecting Siliguri to Gangtok was blocked, cutting supplies to the landlocked state but then Sikkim could manage its own vegetable production from her own bountiful organic farms. We sure do have a lesson to learn from it.