Small farmers can benefit drastically by practicing organic farming as it helps them get a high premium for their produce and reduce the capital investment involved in farming. Organic agriculture for small farmers, however, has its own limitations.
These limitations were studied by the Office of Evaluation and Studies (OE), International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD). They include the following:
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Organic farming is labor intensive. Hence it is beneficial for a small farmer who has abundant labor in his/her family. A small farmer who does not have sufficient labor at home may find it difficult to hire external labor and therefore organic farming may not be feasible for him/her.
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Organic farming may also turn out to be expensive given the situation when a small farmer has to carry out the transition, modify the soil structure drastically or get a certification.
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Though a farmer can use a good deal of traditional knowledge in organic farming, since the practice is not as common as chemical farming, it is difficult for good scientific organic farming practices to propagate to the small farmers.
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Certification is also an important aspect of organic farming. In many cases, providing education related to necessary certifications and the guidelines that need to be followed for obtaining the certifications may be difficult.
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Since organic produce is not traded in many markets, marketing the organic produce may be difficult for a small farmer.
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Small farmers can successfully practice organic farming with proper guidance from public and non government organizations. However, the complexities of problems that these organizations may have to deal with and the costs involved in running these organizations may make the entire activity unachievable.
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In organic farming, soil fertility needs to be replenished with the application of organic fertilizers regularly. If the organic fertilizers are not produced locally, it might be difficult for the small farmer, who would purchase the fertilizers in small quantities to obtain them from elsewhere. Further due to low economies of scale, there might be a huge transportation cost associated with the organic fertilizers obtained from long distances.
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It has also been observed that organic food prices are not stable and keep fluctuating from time to time. In such a scenario a low price might affect a small farmer drastically.
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Since the volume of organic food production is low (about 1-2% of total food production), it is very difficult to implement social security measures such as minimum support price.
Other articles of interest
Benefits of Organic Farming for Small Farmers
Organic Farming in India
Organic Food Consumption in India
Organic Food Exports from India
Further Reading:
IFAD
