With the introduction of the concept of organic agriculture the definition of agriculture changed a lot throughout the world. Organic agriculture or organic farming is a unique form of agriculture without the use of all kinds of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides for increasing the fertility of the soil and protecting it from the attack of insects and pests. No chemical products are used for organic fertilizers and according to recent surveys conducted all over the world the use of only organic fertilizers, mineral powders and natural potash are actually helping in increasing the fertility of the soil much more than the use of chemical fertilizers and insecticides. The organic fertilizers that are mainly used for organic farming are farmyard manure, crop residues, sewage sledge, press mud, forest litter, industrial waste.
Apart from that various other bio-fertilizers that are used in organic agriculture or organic farming include blue green algae, powdered neem cake, sead mill,azolla, mioneral powder like rock phosphate and green sand. phosphorous-solubilizing and mobilizing organisms, phosphobacterium and vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) are used for meeting the need of phosphorus for the crops. Besides, things like burnt rice, rice straw and composted coconut coir pith are also very useful for increasing the fertility of soil.
Apart from increasing the fertility and productivity of the soil, use of these organic fertilizers and mineral powder also helps in yielding good quality crop which is another major reason behind the increased use of organic farming across the world. According to recent studies, places where organic farming are practiced regularly are producing better quality crops and in larger quantity than places where chemical fertilizers are being used for farming.
Speaking about the impact of organic farming it has to be said that the method of crop rotation has made the biggest contribution in the economy of the countries where this form of farming is being practices. Crop rotation is a unique method where different kinds of organic fertilizers are used for cultivating various crops on a single block of soil. The concept of crop rotation has made it possible for farmers to cultivate potato or cabbage on a block of soil where he had cultivated crops like wheat or rice in the previous seasons. However, apart from that, other methods of organic farming like cover cropping, mulching, application of compost, green manure have also made huge impact on the agricultural productivity of many countries.
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