Organic agriculture is growing very rapidly in industrialized countries, as consumers are increasingly interested in buying food free of pesticides and other chemicals. But it may have its most important application in developing countries, particularly as the costs of fossil fuels continue to escalate, and as we enter a world where droughts are increasingly common and where water for irrigation is at a premium.

Among producer countries, Sri Lanka maintains a reputation in organic crop production and export different varieties of organic products adhering to International standards. For over a decade, Sri Lanka had exported a range of organically certified products. The country is considered the pioneer in the Asian region, to introduce organically certified tea and cinnamon to the world market. The total area under organic agriculture in Sri Lanka in 2008 was established at 19.191ha (0.81% of total cultivated lands) and this has further increased to 31585ha (1.33% of total cultivated lands) in 2010. Statistics also highlight the significant increase in organic production from 4216Mt in 2007 to 41,128.3Mt in 2010 (IFOAM & FiBL statistics).

The Sri Lanka government has increased its support towards organic producers through a number of initiatives

Organic farming has been one the fastest growing segments of agriculture in the U.S. and other parts of the world since the early 1990s. Organic agriculture is growing rapidly in industrialized countries, consumers are increasingly interested in buying food free of pesticides and other chemicals. But it may have its most important application in developing countries,

Fastest growing segment of agriculture

particularly as the costs of fossil fuels, and the fertilizers and pesticides derived from them, continue to escalate, and as we enter a world where droughts are increasingly common and where water for irrigation is at a premium.

While today’s large-scale food producers continue to profit and consumers see supermarket shelves overflowing with farm products, the unseen costs of our dependence on agribusiness exert a mounting toll.

Farmlands have become increasingly dependent on chemical fertilizers, which have short-term benefits but contribute to soil depletion over time. Water retention is diminished in non-organic farmland, resulting in erosion of topsoil with chemical residues entering water sheds. We, consumers, have quietly accepted these changes in farming practices as the cost of feeding a growing nation, and because there seem to be no practical alternatives.

Recent experiments in small organic farming practices, and the release of a 30-year side-by-side farming study by the Rodale Institute, have shown this reasoning to be fundamentally flawed. Organic farming, both large and small scale, is more productive than ‘conventional’ chemical-dependent farming. Organic farming is not only the best way to feed the world – it is the only way to feed the world in a sustainable way. Organic, and various integrated and mixed farming systems, are capable of producing yields that approach, or even exceed, those of conventionally-managed systems, particularly during times of drought. And they can do so over large scales and with greater energy efficiency.