Fields Without Farmers: Why Organic Farming Struggles to Take Root in Tamil Nadu
Most farmers are eligible to be certified organic under PGS-India, as long as they form clusters of at least 5 with other farmers. However, financial assistance lacks for these small groups, leading to transition periods without proper institutional support and decreased yields. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), a national scheme financially assisting with that transition, only supports clusters of 50 or more farmers. Considering that 93% of Tamil Nadu’s farmers are small and marginal, it’s extremely unrealistic to expect them to form such large groups. As a solution, this brief proposes the Small Farmer Organic Transition Act, a state-funded proagram that is parallel to PKVY’s approaches, but funds clusters of 5 to 49. Alongside this, a second proposal suggests the state utilizes its food procurement system to purchase organic food from its own farmers.
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