Organic Agriculture and Food Security in India: Status, Challenges and Policy Measures

Organic agriculture is proposed as an effective technology to not only attain sustainable food system and ensure food security but also eliminate the use of harmful chemicals in India. Using a panel data, this paper assesses the state-wise adoption of organic farming and its contribution towards gross domestic product in India. Using a dynamic panel model, it further analyzes the impact of various economic indicators of organic farming such as biofertilizers, exports of organic products, fund allocation by the government, towards state gross domestic product in India. Considering the important role of this new technique to confer food security and sustainability in India, a number of policies have been introduced and implemented by the government to promote this sector. However, still organic farmers face a lot of constraints and challenges. This paper discusses these challenges faced by farmers and suggests potential policy measures that can exploit the potential of India to become global leader in organic agriculture.