Prospects of organic agriculture in eastern himalayan region-A case study of Mizoram

The role of organic agriculture, whether in farming, processing, distribution, or consumption, is to sustain and enhance the health of ecosystems and organism from the smallest microbe in the soil to the human beings. The broad objectives of organic farming in India can be sustainable agriculture, environmental protection, increasing agriculture production, conservation of natural resources, food self-sufficiency and rural development in the light of the adverse effects of the conventional farming system the country practiced for about 30–40 years and the potential benefits of the organic methods. The North-East constitutes eight states and covers an area of 2.62 lakh sq.km. accounting for 7.9% of total geographical area of the country. With a total population of 39 million, it accounts for 3.8% of total population of India. It is a region with strong natural and human resources. The agricultural productivity is the lowest, irrigation facility almost non-existent in many of the areas and consumption of fertilizer is extremely low in the region. The region provides considerable scope and opportunity for organic farming due to least utilization of chemical inputs. It is estimated that 18 million hectare of such land is available in the North-East, which can be exploited for organic production. The paper discusses the progress and the present status of organic agriculture in the North Eastern state of Mizoram with reference to status and prospects of organic agriculture in the state from farming system perspective.