Today, Sikkim is the first 100% organic state in the world. All of its farmland is certified organic. The transition has benefitted more than 66,000 farming families that practice organic and agroecological farming on more than 76,000 ha of land. Agriculture is still the main stay of rural population of Sikkim. Due to adverse geographical location and difficult terrain, the expansion of area under cultivation is limited. The significance of horticulture in improving land use, promoting crop diversification, generating employment and providing nutritional security to people has been recognized by and large by common man, general public, framers and programme implementers. Hence, horticulture features as an important area in the overall policy framework for development in the State.

Challenges

The challenge is two-fold, very low per-capita availability of land and decreasing trend of farmers working on farms. The best agriculture system is sustainable agriculture, which is economically viable for the individual farmer and also environmentally friendly. Being an organic State, the Department is propagating and advocating farmers to adopt new and modern technology of organic farming system to sustain production and certification process in identified areas.

The policies and programmes on organic farming in tune with our natural endowments envisage in making Sikkim a Model Organic State. The march towards organic farming has led to substantial department interventions. The Department has formulated a plan programme to curtail the percentage of food grain deficit. Maximum thrust is being given in increasing the productivity of various crops through proper crop management in organic system of farming, extension of irrigation facilities farm mechanization, value addition and post-harvest management.

At a Glance

• Dominated by a fragile mountainous environment, Sikkim is not suited to intensive industrial farming and the use of chemicals had always been relatively low compared to other Indian states.
• Political commitment to support organic farming in Sikkim began in 2003 and was consolidated in 2010 with the design of the Sikkim Organic Mission. This road map clearly detailed all the measures necessary to achieve the target of becoming a fully organic state by 2015, a goal that was reached within just 12 years. Nowadays Sikkim is the first 100% organic state in the world.
• The implementation of Sikkim’s policy was successful due to the fact that it combines mandatory requirements, such as gradually banning chemical fertilizers and pesticides, with support and incentives, thus providing sustainable alternatives.
• More than 66,000 farming families benefitted from the policy, which however reaches beyond organic production and proves truly transformational. For instance, Sikkim’s tourism sector benefited greatly from the new organic image: between 2014 and 2017 the number of tourists increased by over 50 percent.

Objective

The political reasons behind the conversion of the entire state to organic and agroecological agriculture are multifaceted. On one hand, organic farming was perceived as the closest agricultural system to the traditional Sikkimese way of farming, which is traditionally rain-fed with low adoption of external inputs. On the other hand, mainstreaming organic and agroecological farming in the whole state was (and is) seen also as a strategy to preserve ecosystems and citizen’s health, and to deliver huge socioeconomic benefits. The government was convinced that this decision would help young people stay on the land and would attract local and foreign sustainable tourism, while opening opportunities to reach premium organic markets.

By creating and ensuring a domestic market for organic products controlled by the farmers, the policy aims to make farming sustainable, remunerative and respectable, including for youth, and to ensure seed and food sovereignty. It also tackles environmental issues, such as enhancing soil fertility, biodiversity and water conservation, and addresses health issues, by avoiding the use of agrochemicals and other hazardous materials, by ensuring bio-security and by ensure quality control of organic inputs and agricultural produce. Among the objectives of Sikkim’s State Policy on Organic Farming is also the conservation of traditional knowledge related to agriculture.