ORGANIC AGRICULTURE IN NEPAL

      Nepal is an agriculture-based economy with about 85% of the population dependent on    

     agriculture; whereas 80 % of the population survives as agriculture laborers. Despite   

     farmers doing hard labor, they are unable to improve their quality of living and instead live in                            

     miserable poverty.

In Nepal, modern technology has been implemented to increase the supply of agriculture production. It has a history of using chemical fertilizers and pesticides for the last 35 years for higher agriculture production yields. This includes genetic modification, chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides in agriculture. Although the use of these chemicals provides instant benefits, in long run these chemicals destroy the production capacity and nutritional value of the soil; negatively impacting human life and leading to other environmental problems, such as decimating the natural variety of plants.

Since there are various places in Nepal that are still beyond the reach of these chemical inputs due to lack of transportation, we still have time to make them aware of the situation and stop using such chemicals. Farmers of Nepal are still far from all the negative environmental effects of the inorganic methods.

Before the use of chemical fertilizers, the quality of rice was very high and full of flavor. While the rice was being cooked in the kitchen, all the surrounding areas would be full of the aroma. With the use of fertilizers, the quality of rice has deteriorated; the production is high but the quality of taste and nutritional value has diminished. Due to the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, all agriculture products are being contaminated and unhealthy. Also, using these kinds of chemicals negatively impacts the ecosystem and has a direct effect on climatic change and global warming.

Organic agriculture means agricultural systems that promote the environmentally, socially and economically sound production of crops. With respect to the natural capacity of plants, animals and local conditions, it aims to optimize quality production in all aspects of agriculture and the environment. We must not think of agriculture with a commercial mind –viewing it for our individual benefits. Rather, by properly utilizing natural resources, which are gifts of nature, we should be able to produce high quality agricultural products while compensating for nature.