Karnataka organic farming policy - a case study from dakshina kannada

Abstract

The term organic farming has now been adopted into state led development initiatives. It is seen as an alternative way of not only overcoming the crisis in agriculture but also to make agriculture a profitable sector in the long run. The thesis focuses on one such initiative, i.e. the Karnataka Organic Farming Policy that was introduced in the state in 2004. The immediate concern of the policy was the spate of farmers suicides the state had seen over a decade, and in the long term to initiate a shift within agriculture policy and practice in the state. In 2005, the Karnataka government introduced the policy and implemented the programme across 28 districts, which known as Village Organic Farming Project - 2005. It was introduced in one village from each district in the initial phase of the project. I conducted prolonged fieldwork for over a year in the project village of Dakshina Kannada. Based on my research, I present some important observations from the field, that of different stakeholders, which include farmers, farmer organisations, local state officials, policy experts, NGOs involved in the implementation of the programme. More importantly, I was interested in understanding the policy both as a process and practice, both in the way it was implemented in the village as well as how the concept and practice of organic farming was popularised and presented among villagers. I also tried to capture the different perspectives among villagers on the concept and practice of organic farming, but particularly their views on the Karnataka state organic farming policy. This public policy is significant in many ways, as it not only marks a departure, at least on paper, from the broad framework of agricultural policy of the state, but also seeks to experiment with and promote organic farming in the villages of Karnataka. Lastly, the thesis reflects on how the Karnataka government has strategically integrated organic farming in to state policy, diluting the philosophy and practice of organic farming in the process.