The economics of organic sugarcane farming (OSF) and inorganic sugarcane
farming (ISF) have been examined and the OSF has been assessed with
respect to important sustainability indicators such as conservation of
soil, water, power and farmers’ economic well-being and livelihood security.
The study is based on data for 2004-05 collected from 30 certified OSF and
30 ISF sample households from the Jalgaon district of Maharashtra. The
OSF households have been found younger and more educated having
larger landholdings and better resources. The OSF is labour-intensive,
but its cost of cultivation is lower due to savings on chemical fertilizers,
irrigation, seeds and agrochemicals. The yield on OSF has been reported
lower but it is more than compensated by the price premium received and
the yield and profit stability observed on the OSF. In addition, the OSF has
been found superior in terms of economic well-being and livelihood security
of the farmer. The study has revealed that OSF has enormous potential for
improving sustainability of agriculture and has suggested that organic
farming should receive prime attention from all stakeholders to realize its
full potential in increasing and providing the much sought after
sustainability to agriculture
