ArticlePDF Available

Achieving Zero Hunger under Sustainable Development Goals Concerning Organic Agriculture

Authors:
  • Indira Gandhi University, Meerpur-Rewari

Abstract

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were formulated to accomplish highly required overall human development without depleting the environment for future generations. Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2) aims for "Zero Hunger" with eight associated targets. These associated targets set in motion the overall development of agriculture that provides healthy food and raises the living standard of smallholder farmers while maintaining the natural base. SDG2 and other SDGs are intertwined, and achieving SDG2 targets will help accomplish other goals that have been weakening due to climate change, carbon emission, excessive use of chemicals, droughts, locust attacks, and pandemics. The essence of achieving SDG2 is directly linked to food production and access. The current food production based on conventional farming harms the environment and is unsustainable in the long run. Thus, the need for an alternative food production system that ensures sustainable development is emphasized. Organic farming is a food production system based on agroecological principles and promotes sustainable development. We reviewed the role of the present organic farming as a food production system to achieve SDG2. We analyzed the four targets of SDG2 and assessed whether organic farming can achieve the sub-targets of SDG2. Besides food security, organic farming ensures economic viability for small farmers, provides nutritious food and promotes biodiversity. Innovative research, practices, stakeholder partnerships, and a comprehensive framework are recommended. CONTACT Avinash
Achieving Zero Hunger under Sustainable Development Goals
Concerning Organic Agriculture
VIKAS BATRA1, AVINASH1*, ASHISH KUMAR2 and NUPUR SOTI2
1Department of Economics, Indira Gandhi University, Meerpur-Rewari, India.
2University School of Management Studies, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India.
Abstract
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were formulated to accomplish
highly required overall human development without depleting the environment
for future generations. Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2) aims for
“Zero Hunger” with eight associated targets. These associated targets set
in motion the overall development of agriculture that provides healthy food
and raises the living standard of smallholder farmers while maintaining the
natural base. SDG2 and other SDGs are intertwined, and achieving SDG2
targets will help accomplish other goals that have been weakening due to
climate change, carbon emission, excessive use of chemicals, droughts,
locust attacks, and pandemics. The essence of achieving SDG2 is directly
linked to food production and access. The current food production based
on conventional farming harms the environment and is unsustainable in
the long run. Thus, the need for an alternative food production system that
ensures sustainable development is emphasized. Organic farming is a
food production system based on agroecological principles and promotes
sustainable development. We reviewed the role of the present organic
farming as a food production system to achieve SDG2. We analyzed the
four targets of SDG2 and assessed whether organic farming can achieve
the sub-targets of SDG2. Besides food security, organic farming ensures
economic viability for small farmers, provides nutritious food and promotes
biodiversity. Innovative research, practices, stakeholder partnerships, and
a comprehensive framework are recommended.
CONTACT Avinash avinash.eco.rs@igu.ac.in Department of Economics, Indira Gandhi University, Meerpur-Rewari, India.
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Enviro Research Publishers.
This is an Open Access article licensed under a Creative Commons license: Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY).
Doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CARJ.12.1.18
Article History
Received: 19 October
2023
Accepted: 12 March
2024
Keywords
Agriculture;
Food Production System;
Organic Farming;
Sustainable Development
Goal 2.
Current Agriculture Research Journal
www.agriculturejournal.org
ISSN: 2347-4688, Vol. 12, No.(1) 2024, pg. 219-230
Introduction
Before the advent of modern agriculture, organic
farming constituted a prevalent global practice.1
The modern organic farming movement was
started by Sir Albert Howard and Lady Eve Balfour
in the U.K. and Jerome Rodale in the U.S. and
220
BATRA et al., Curr. Agri. Res., Vol. 12(1) 219-230 (2024)
can be traced back to the 1940s.2,3 Howard rmly
advocated the “The Law of Return”, which states that
recycling waste material and giving back to farms
is necessary for soil fertility and humus.2 Collecting
all his experience with native farmers in India, he
made a pivotal contribution by popularizing and
studying the Indore composting process , a method
for recycling waste products as a source of fertility.
His research rests on a concrete scientic basis
and elucidates intricate interdependencies among
human, soil, plant, and animal health.4 Organic
practices mirror the environmental dynamics of
forests, always giving back more than it takes,
ensuring long-term soil fertility.5 The fundamental
doctrines guiding organic practices align with
the imperatives of sustainable development,
emphasizing its harmonious synchronicity with
natural systems to protect both agricultural and
environmental well-being over the long term. The
emergence of the notion of sustainable development
took place while environmental degradation peaked
due to industrialization.
The end of the 18th century was the advent of the
First Industrial Revolution in Britain, followed
by Europe and the USA.6 However, historians
emphasise that the period after 1870 is the era
of the Second Industrial Revolution, which fuelled
the growth engine and brought radical changes
in human history.7 The same paradigm shift was
observed when the green revolution started in
agriculture. It was the need of the hour, as food
insecurity severely a󰀨ected developing countries.
The Green Revolution brought signicant changes
in agricultural practices. It was the package of
High Yielding Varieties (HYV) seeds, fertilizers
and pesticides, and the use of machinery. This
increased food production (especially wheat and
rice) exponentially in African and Asian regions.8
The Green Revolution's tremendous achievement
helped developing countries secure food for
everyone. For say, India could not feed its growing
population from 1947 to 1960, and food availability
was only 417 grams per day per person.9,10 Calorie
intake will decline further if the green revolution is
not introduced.11 Contrary to the post-independence
situation, India feeds the world's largest population
today and is among the most signicant agricultural
product exporters.
However, the developmental pursuits led to a
signicant apprehension: the threat of environmental
degradation. Rising sea levels, flooding and
droughts, and the spread of deadly diseases
are the signicant environmental consequences
believed to originate from the expanding industrial
and agricultural activities.12,13 Eventually, a scenario
developed wherein human actions jeopardized their
habitat by securing their homes.
These events catalyzed the inception of a concept
named sustainable development. There are many
definitions of sustainable development, but the
Brundtland Commission Report (WCED, 1987)
gave the most widely accepted denition. The report
denes sustainable development as "meeting the
current generation's needs without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs." Sustainable development consists of two
words: "sustainable" and "development".14 Together,
a sustainable development approach for long-
term economic growth while maintaining natural
capital.15,16 Moreover, the concept of sustainable
development rests on three pillars: environmental
sustainability, Economic sustainability, and social
sustainability. These pillars are interrelated and
interlinked17 and must be aligned inclusively. Within
the purview of sustainable development, the SDGs
are formulated, and to achieve SDGs, these three
pillars must be ensured.
From MDGs to SDGs: Common Future for all
In the 2000s, World leaders from 189 countries
unied to constitute Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) from 2000 to 2015. These MDGs were
formulated to achieve its eight goals focused only
on developing countries. Among the eight goals,
the topmost priority of the world is to eradicate
poverty and hunger. E󰀨orts of MDGs dragged one
billion people out of extreme poverty, 90% coverage
of primary child education, and reduction in hunger
and malnutrition.18,19 Despite these e󰀨orts, the MDGs
were criticised for limited coverage (only made
for developing countries) with narrow concepts
(economic and social dimensions) built into them. In
contrast to the MDGs, the sustainable development
goals were built universally. These SDGs are more
comprehensive and concentrate on all dimensions
of sustainability.20,21 Thus, economic growth, social
221
BATRA et al., Curr. Agri. Res., Vol. 12(1) 219-230 (2024)
progress, and environmental equilibrium are the
mechanisms of sustainable development,14 and
SDGs incorporate these mechanisms at the center.
There are 17 ambitious goals with 169 associated
targets to be achieved by 2030. These related
goals and targets laid the blueprint or road map
for the countries to achieve a sustainable future for
everyone.
Out of these 17 goals, Sustainable Development
Goal 2 aims for “Zero Hunger” and is crucial for
achieving other goals. SDG2 aims to ensure food
security, eradicate malnutrition, and promote
sustainable agriculture. Moreover, all SDGs are
interlinked, any action towards one target a󰀨ects the
progress of others. SDG2 strongly synergies with
SDG 1, “No poverty”, and SDG 3 “, Good health and
well-being”, and is directly associated with SDG 6,
11, 13, and 15.22 Mollier23 showed how SDG2 works
in synchronicity with other goals. For say, food and
nutrition are inseparable from poverty reduction.
Similarly, the increased income of farmers will further
reduce poverty because most people experiencing
poverty belong to rural areas. Again, access to
healthy and nutritious food leads to reduced mortality
rates and disease reduction.
To achieve zero hunger, the goal comprises eight
targets divided into two groups. The targets from
2.1 to 2.5 focused on food security and sustainable
agriculture measures, and the remaining three
targets from the 2A-2C aim for market-related
measures on agriculture.24
Table. 1
Food security and Target 2.1: End hunger and ensure access to food for everyone
sustainable agriculture Target 2.2: Eradicate all forms of malnutrition
Target 2.3: Doubling productivity and income of small farmers
Target 2.4: Sustainable agriculture
Target 2.5: Maintain genetic diversity of seeds, plants, and animals
Market-related Target 2A: International corporation for investment in agriculture
measures Target 2B: Free trade and low distortions in the world agricultural market
Target 2C: Proper Functioning of Food commodity and derivatives
Source: Otekunrin25
Alternative Food Production System
In 2019, the agriculture sector produced 9.4 billion
tons of primary crops.26 The massive agricultural
production is the result of the “Green Revolution”. The
package includes high-yielding varieties
of seeds (HYV) that are highly responsive to fertilizers,
improved irrigation techniques, and modern
machinery. These HYV seeds were developed by
the Rockefeller Foundation’s Mexican Agriculture
Program (MAP) in the 1950s. The success of the
green revolution soon reached other parts of the
world, especially in Developing countries like India,
Indonesia, and the Philippines. Subsequently,
cereal production tripled, and a signicant impact
was observed in lower food prices and poverty.11
In late 1967, the Green Revolution was introduced
in India in three heartland states: Haryana, Punjab,
and Western Uttar Pradesh (U.P).29 Afterwards, the
production increased from 72.35 million tonnes in
1965-66 to 173 million tonnes in 1989-90.27 Contrary
to the belief of increased foodgrain production,
scholars Stone,28 Kumar,29 and Chaudhary30 hold
the opposite views and highlight new facts on the
green revolution. For say, Kumar29 showed that
from from1950 to 1964, Punjab's agriculture was
growing at a healthy rate of 4.6%, while yields were
increased by 45% and food availability per capita
increased from 144.1 kg per annum to 171.1 kg
per annum. Meanwhile, Stone28 reported that the
success of the green revolution was the outcome of
irrigation, nancial support, and returns of the rains,
not the other way around. Apart from these views,
many studies reported environmental, public health
and economic concerns due to the green revolution
originator of chemical farming.
222
BATRA et al., Curr. Agri. Res., Vol. 12(1) 219-230 (2024)
Costs of Chemical Farming that no One Pays:
Negative Externalities
Despite the tremendous growth in food production,
the Green Revolution was criticised on environmental
grounds. Pimentel31 showed that extensive pesticides
harm soil quality and fertility, leading to soil erosion.
Apart from soil fertility, water exploitation and
water pollution are other major concerns of using
chemicals in agriculture.32 Using fertilizers and
pesticides harms both consumers and producers.
Rising cases of farmers unintentionally consuming
pesticides lead to severe disease or even death.33
Moreover, consuming chemical-ingested food also
puts public health at risk.31,34 The heartland of the
green revolution, Punjab and Haryana met the same
fate of environmental crisis.27,35,36
Apart from concerns originating from man-made
interference, agriculture is drastically a󰀨ected by
climate and extreme phenomena such as rising
global temperatures, droughts, heatwaves, and
locust assaults.37 With the current food production
facing multifaceted constraints and rapidly changing
climate change, it is not able to meet the 2030
deadline of SDG2. The urgency to shift toward
sustainable alternative food production is the utmost
priority for the world.
Organic farming is an alternative production system
with ecology, care, and fairness fundamentals.
Organic farming practices incorporate agroecological
practices based on circular systems using residual
and organic manure instead of external chemical
inputs. By refraining from chemical fertilizers
on farms, organic farming produces positive
spillovers, such as no risk of water contamination,
a premium price of organic products, healthy
and nutritious food, increased soil fertility, and
promoted biodiversity.38 These positive impacts
of Organic farming qualify as a feasible alternative
in the long run since it is economically viable and
environmentally sustainable.38 Moreover, Torres et
al.40 and Bandanaa et al.39 analyzed the sustainability
performance of organic farming. Organic farming
ensures environmental, social, and economic
sustainability. Šeremešić et al40 and Setboonsarng
and Gregorio18 examined the role of organic
farming in achieving SDGs and found that organic
farming aligns with every SDG goal and contributes
signicantly.
Although organic farming signicantly contributes
towards sustainability and sustainable development
goals, many concerns remain. One such problem
is whether converting a hundred per cent towards
organic farms is possible. And if possible, how
will developed and developing countries perform
towards conversion? Muller41 analyzed the former
part of the question by employing the model that
estimated converting 100 % into organic production
leads to more accumulation of land under cultivation
to compensate for the lower yield. However,
converting to 100% organic has the potential to
provide su󰀩cient food in addition to the reduction
in adverse environmental impacts by agriculture.
Similarly, Kirchmann42 showed to ll the 35% yield
gap, 50% extra land will required to produce the exact
yield. The latter part of the question has diverging
views. Developed and developing countries have
di󰀨erent economic characteristics and dependencies
on agriculture. With an extensive resource base
and higher per capita income, developed countries
respond di󰀨erently towards adopting and converting
organic farming than developing countries.
Schader43 investigated the adoption of organic
farming in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The study's
outcome revealed heterogeneity in the uptake of
organic farming among farmers despite having higher
prots (144%). Factors such as limited capacities,
market access, and lack of inputs were hindering
the uptake of organic farming. Similarly, Blockeel44
reported that sharing activities were constraints for
the uptake of organic farming. Considering these
constraints of organic farming, achieving SDG2
seems ambitious. However, if food production
is not the way forward, the alternative must be
scaled up to ensure sustainable development. Thus,
we reviewed this crucial question: Can the current shape
of organic farming help to achieve SDG2 by 2030?
The paper starts with the introduction in section
1, with two sub-sections on common future and
alternative agriculture. In section 2, the study laid
out the material and methods used. In section 3,
the paper showed the status of the targets of SDG2.
Section four of the paper reviewed the achievement
of SDG2 targets concerning organic farming.
223
BATRA et al., Curr. Agri. Res., Vol. 12(1) 219-230 (2024)
Materials and Methods
The study reviews the objective, and to narrow down
the area, the study is conned to only the rst four
targets: 1) Ensuring food security and 2) eradication
of malnutrition, 3) increasing productivity and
income of smallholder farmers, and 4) sustainable
agriculture. We used the keywords “ORGANIC
FARMING”, “ZERO HUNGER”, “SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT GOAL 2”, and “ORGANIC
FARMING AND FOOD SECURITY” to explore the
open database of Google Scholar. Further reports
from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and World
Bank were reviewed. The list of papers and reports
was added to the annexure.
Fig. 1: Dimensions of Organic Agriculture
Source: Author’s creation
Status of SDG2 targets
Although the world has improved over time to
achieve SDG2, recent pandemics, climate change,
economic slowdown, conict, and war have dragged
back this progress37,45 With the current state of
targets, SDG2 is unlikely to be achieved by 2030.24,25
As per the estimate of FAO (2021), food insecurity
worldwide has increased recently after consistent
declines. About 118 million people worldwide fall
in the category of undernourishment, and a total
estimated 768 million (9.9 %) people were facing
hunger. However, the rising trend of PoU started
in 2014, and COVID-19 amplied the movement
to its new peak. Further, the estimated number of
moderate and severe food insecurity increased to
2.37 billion in 2020, which means nearly one in three
people worldwide have no or inadequate access
224
BATRA et al., Curr. Agri. Res., Vol. 12(1) 219-230 (2024)
to food. Of 768 million hungry people, 418 million
belong to Asia, 281.6 million, and 59.7 million to
Africa, Latin America and Caribbean, respectively.
Otekunrin et al.25 used Global Hunger Index (GHI)
scores to show the hunger situation in Africa. The
study reported that the Central African Republic
(CAR), Chad, Madagascar, Zambia, Sierra Leone,
and Sudan were among the countries with severe
hunger.
Past studies have also demonstrated that countries
that do not guarantee food intake for their residents
have a more signicant population of malnourished
citizens. Globally, malnutrition and its dimensions
share a substantial portion of the disease burden,
including 13 major risk factors and life-long and
irreversible conditions 23. FAO (2021) reported
that in 2020, 149.2 (22 %) million and 45.4
(6.7 %) million children who were under the age of
ve were reported stunted and wasted. Of these,
three-quarters of stunted children reside in Asia
and Africa, while more than half a quarter and
one-quarter of wasted children are in Asia and
Africa, respectively. One in three women is still
a󰀨ected by anaemia. The condition of malnourished
children su󰀨ers both physically and mentally.46 Food
insecurity and malnutrition are not the only situations
where people su󰀨er. The farmers (especially small
farmers) are worst a󰀨ected due to the economic
unfeasibility.
Smallholder farmers operate on farms of less than
2 hectares, comprising 3 billion people out of 475
million households in developing economies. An
estimated 50 to 70% of world food was grown by
smallholder farmers, but the absurdity is that they
were food insecure.47 According to the Sustainable
Development Goals Report (2021) by UN DESA,45
a survey of 37 countries, most farmers fall into
the smallholder category. In some countries, they
constitute 90 % of farmers. However, the study
found that small-scale farmers’ labour productivity
and income are lower than large farmers. The
report also claimed that female farmers constitute
the majority of small farmers but earn two to three
times less than men. FAO48 survey of 9 developing
countries in Africa and Asia reported that many poor
are concentrated in rural areas, and poverty among
smallholder farmers was higher than the national
poverty headcount. For example, in Sub-Saharan
Africa, smallholder farmers earn over one dollar a
day (p. 25). The situation is further aggravated due
to the rapidly changing environment worldwide.
Sustainable agriculture is the ideal growth in
agriculture without depleting the natural capital.49,50
However, the agriculture sector spreads negative
externalities which harm human health and
the environment. Food systems are hurting the
environment by utilizing 70 % of the water withdrawal,
contributing to 60 % of biodiversity loss.51 According
to the World Bank research titled "Addressing Food
Loss and Waste," consumers or merchants waste
one-third or nearly 1.3 billion tons of food produced
globally during the supply chain. The concern further
intensies due to climate change. Globally, climate
change has adverse e󰀨ects on agriculture and food
security. According to Lesk et al.,52 droughts and
extreme heat signicantly impact cereal production,
resulting in a 9-10 % reduction in production.
The most consumed cereal wheat and rice crops
are vulnerable to temperature increases.53 The
increasing temperature has recently directly a󰀨ected
crops and food security. All the concerns require a
food production system that is climate resilient and
economically viable.
Can Organic Farming Secure Food and Eradicate
Malnourishment?
Food production is the base for food security and
becomes more critical when farmers live there,
and environmental concerns are attached to it. The
fragile food security situation in developing countries
of African and Asian regions makes them vulnerable
to economic shocks and climatic events. Can organic
farming as a primary food production system ensure
food security? Schoonbeek et al.38 indicated that two
sides exist and are divided on this matter; optimism
says that, in the long run, organic farming can
meet food security; conversely, pessimists hold the
opposite view. However, Globally, current organic
farming produces 10% less yields when compared
to conventional farming.54 According to Seufert,55 a
meta-analysis study comparing the yield of organic
and conventional farming. The study revealed that
organic farming grows lower yield, ranging from 5%
in rain-fed regions. Whereas yields are 13% less
when best practices are used in organic farming and
34% less when both techniques are comparable.
Similar results were found in Forster,56 Singh &
225
BATRA et al., Curr. Agri. Res., Vol. 12(1) 219-230 (2024)
Grover,57 and Manjunathan and Puttaswamahia58
studies that showed a more signicant yield gap
between organic and conventional farming.
Contrary to these studies, many scholars59–63 have
a positive approach to feeding the world through
organic farming. Chaudhary63 analyzed the yield
performance of organic farming in Haryana, India
(the heartland of the green revolution). The result
indicates that 98 farmers out of 218 (44%) organic
farmers in 2020 produced a yield above the state
average. The author further strengthened the
argument with the support of many ICAR studies
that reported organic yields are similar and higher
than conventional farming. Similarly, a 12-year
long-term Farming System trial by Pearsons64
at Rodale Institute showed that manure-based
organic farming (MNR) yield is higher than the
state average of Pennsylvania, USA. Ehyhorn
et al.65 showed a comparable yield in organic and
conventional farming. However, it can be argued that
organic farming is still in its early stages and only
available for niche markets. The long-run perspective
of organic farming is that it has the potential to meet
the challenge of food security within the framework
of sustainability.18,38,59,61,66
In the long run, organic farming is a practical
approach to ghting undernourishment in developing
countries. Organically produced products are healthy
and safe and have massive demands in developed
and developing countries. Das et al.67 and Schoon-
beek et al.38 reviewed several reports and papers
concluding that organically produced food contains
various nutrients, minerals, and vitamins compared
to conventional food. Organic farming provides
nutritious food, but there is still a matter of debate on
its nutritional aspects and doubtful potential to secure
enough food. However, there is no doubt that organic
farming has the potential to provide consumers with
safer food and more sustainable production, which
contributes signicantly to reducing malnutrition.
Organic Farming can Ensure Increased Income
for Farmers.
Organic farming may not produce yield comparable
to conventional farming, but economically, it
provides better opportunities to farmers, especially
smallholder farmers. Organic farming is cost-
e󰀨ective and compensates for lower yield through
the premium produce price. Perasons68 analyzed the
long-term protability under three farming systems:
Conventional, legume-based, and manure-based
organic. The author reported that organic under
legume and manure-based have higher gross
revenues of 21% and 47 % compared to conventional
management when the premium price is attached.
Even excluding the premium price, organic forage
and grain sold at the conventional produce rate can
generate 45% higher returns than the conventional
system. The meta-analysis by Crowder and
Reganold69 revealed that organic farming is 22 to
35 % more protable and has a higher benet-cost
ratio. Similarly, Heena et al.,70 Singh and Grover,57
and Manjunatha and Puttaswamaiah58 showed a
higher benet-cost ratio in organic farming. One
of the most consumable crops is basmati rice, studied
by Eyhorn et al.65 found that organic smallholder
farmers earn higher profits. Similarly, Forster
et al,56 Bachmann,71 Eyhorn et al.,60 and Mishra
et al.72 revealed that small-scale producers prot
more from organic farming. Ayuya et al.73 linked
certified organic producers to multidimensional
poverty, showing that licensed organic producers
are less likely to be poor than those not participating
in organic farming certication. Being economically
viable is not the only su󰀩cient condition for achieving
SDG2, organic farming must also be sustainable.
Organic Farming as a Sustainable Agriculture
Changing climate and increasing global disasters
require a resilient and sustainable food production
system.74 Organic farming proactively protects
the environment and provides disaster resilience.
Organic farming performs better than conventional
farming in agrarian distress like drought or crop
failure. Lotter et al.75 reported comparing organic
and conventional methods of a 21-year Rodale
Farming System trial. The trial showed signicantly
better yields in organic farming than conventional
farming, even in the severe drought years of 1999.
This is because organically managed soils have
better water retention capacity and good soil health,
yielding better even in drought conditions.75,76
Pearsons,64 in a decade-long study, showed that
organic-managed farms have better soil health,
higher soil organic matter (SOM), higher total carbon
(C), and higher respiration rates in soil. Similarly,
Patil et al.77 showed that crop failure was 40 % lower
in the case of organic agriculture. Organic farming
226
BATRA et al., Curr. Agri. Res., Vol. 12(1) 219-230 (2024)
is based on agroecological principles and promotes
biodiversity. The meta-analysis by Rahmann (2011)
of 396 studies from 327 case studies revealed
higher biodiversity around organic farms. Promoting
the ecosystem of birds, predatory insects, and
soil organisms helps reduce pests. Moreover,
agriculture is susceptible to climate change. Organic
farming is resilient and emits low greenhouse
gasses.66,78,79 Patil et al.77 claimed that organic
farming maintained nitrogen in the soil and reduced
nitrogen loss, positively impacting the environment
and ensuring environmental sustainability. Das et al.67
and Reganold and Watcher79 maintained that
organic farming promotes soil fertility and is eco-
friendly. Moreover, when positive environmental
externalities are converted into monetary value,
organic farming becomes more profitable than
conventional farming.69 The farmers recognize the
benets of using organic farming. Manjunathan
and Puttaswamaiah58 revealed that farmers opt
for organic farming as the primary food production
method because of its environmental benets.
Conclusion
The Industrial Revolution and the Green Revolution
were paradigm shifts in human history. Nevert-
heless, the paradigm shift was the cause of the
environmental crisis. To respond to these concerns,
sustainable development was invented, which rests
on three dimensions, i.e., economic, social, and
environmental. These concepts were incorporated
into Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which
ensure human development without harming nature.
SDG2 aims for Zero Hunger, which ensures that
the food production system provides food security
and nutrition with sustainable food production.
Eventually, the negative externalities fused with the
current food production system do not align with
sustainable development. The world's utmost priority
is the alternative measure that feeds the world
without harming nature. Organic farming meets the
dimensions of sustainable development, ensures its
three pillars, and becomes more critical for achieving
SDG2 targets. The analysis of organic farming on
the rst four targets of SDG2 showed that organic
farming can be managed well in many aspects, but
there are still various challenges to cope with. With
the current state and patterns of organic farming,
the objective of food availability for everyone is still
challenging to achieve. However, in the long run,
organic farming does ensure food security and
provides higher income and better employment
opportunities to smallholder farmers. Even farmers
favour organic farming because its eco-friendly
inuence promotes soil fertility, biodiversity, and
resistance to droughts and climate change.
Consequently, organic farming becomes a mandate
for policymakers to implement as the primary food
system. But to shift toward organic farming as a
direct food production system, policymakers and
institutions must frame and enforce robust policies.
The study suggests innovative research and
practices to respond to the yield gap and private
and public partnerships to promote organic as the
primary food production to promote organic farming,
especially in developing countries. Moreover, a larger
framework will help developing countries smooth the
transition toward ecological farming. Additionally,
access and availability of food for everyone, which
leads to public health, must be ensured through
inclusive policies. In conclusion, organic farming can
be the key to meeting the demand of an ever-growing
population with safe and nutritious food and help to
save our mother earth.
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank the reviewers for their
feedback, which has helped us improve our article.
Funding
The author(s) received no nancial support for this
paper's research, authorship, and/or publication.
Conict of Interest
We, Vikas Batra, Avinash, Ashish Kumar and Nupur
Soti, the authors of this paper, hereby declare that
we do not have any conict of interest.
Data Availability Statement
Not Applicable
Ethical Approval Statement
As this is a review paper and does not involve any
experiments on humans or animals, no specic
ethics approval was required for this study.
Authors’ Contribution
The review paper was a collaborative e󰀨ort involving
contributions from several authors. Dr Vikas Batra
227
BATRA et al., Curr. Agri. Res., Vol. 12(1) 219-230 (2024)
played a key role in conceptualising, supervision,
providing structure of the paper, and nalising the
manuscript. Whereas Avinash has contributed
on preparing original draft of the paper, nding &
selecting quality papers, and nalising manuscript.
Ashish Kumar contributed in providing critical inputs,
reviewing and conceptualisation. Nupur Soti played
a pivotal role in editing process and review process.
Reference
1. Prasad R. Organic farming vis-à-vis modern
agriculture. Curr Sci. 2005;89(2):252-254.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24110568
2. Heckman J. A history of organic farming:
Transitions from Sir Albert Howard’s War in
the Soil to USDA National Organic Program.
Renew Agric Food Syst. 2006;21(3):143-150.
doi:10.1079/RAF2005126
3. Lotter DW. Organic agriculture. J Sustain
Agric. 2003;21(4):59-128. doi:10.1300/
J064v21n04_06
4. Balfour LE. The Living Soil.; 1951.
doi:10.1097/00010694-195104000-00016
5. Barton G. Sir Albert Howard and the Forestry
Roots of the Organic Farming Movement.
Agric Hist Soc. 2001;75(2):168-187. http://
about.jstor.org/terms
6. van Neuss L. Why Did the Industrial
Revolution Start in Britain? SSRN Electron
J. Published online 2015. doi:10.2139/
ssrn.2696076
7. Mokyr J, Strotz RH. The second industrial
revolution, 1870-1914. In: Storia
Dell’economia Mondiale. Vol 21945.; 1998.
https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.
northwestern.edu/dist/3/1222/les/2016/06/
The-Second-Industrial-Revolution-1870-
1914-Aug-1998-1ubah7s.pdf
8. Avinash, Batra V. Does Organic Farming
Ensure Food Security? An Analysis of
Developing Countries. Asian J Agric
Extension, Econ Sociol. 2023;41(5):165-175.
doi:10.9734/ajaees/2023/v41i52038
9. Nelson ARLE, Ravichandran K, Antony
U. The impact of the Green Revolution on
indigenous crops of India. J Ethn Foods.
2019;6(1):1-10. doi:10.1186/s42779-019-
0011-9
10. Ghosh J. Social Policy in Indian Development.;
2002. https://www.researchgate.net/
publication/304733095_Social_Policy_in_
Indian_Development#read
11. John DA, Babu GR. Lessons From the
Aftermaths of Green Revolution on Food
System and Health. Front Sustain Food Syst.
2021;5:1-6. doi:10.3389/fsufs.2021.644559
12. Martinez LH. Post industrial revolution human
activity and climate change: Why the United
States must implement mandatroy limits on
industrial greenhouse gas emmissions. J L
Use Environ Law. 2005;20(2):403-421. http://
www.jstor.org/stable/42842978
13. Mitchell JFB. The “greenhouse” e󰀨ect and
climate change revisited. Rev Geophys.
1989;27(1):115-139. doi:10.1088/0034-
4885/65/1/201
14. Mensah J. Sustainable development:
Meaning, history, principles, pillars, and
implications for human action: Literature
review. Cogent Soc Sci. 2019;5(1). doi:10.1
080/23311886.2019.1653531
15. Diesendorf M. Sustainability and Sustainable
Development. Sustain Corp Chall 21st Century.
2000;2:19-37. doi:10.4324/9781315442044-
11
16. Du Pisani JA. Sustainable development
– historical roots of the concept.
Environ Sci. 2006;3(2):83-96.
doi:10.1080/15693430600688831
17. Basiago AD. Economic, social, and
environmental sustainability in development
theory and urban planning practice.
Environmentalist. 1999;19(2):145-161.
doi:10.1023/A:1006697118620
18. Setboonsarng S, Gregorio EE. Achieving
sustainable development goals through
organic agriculture: Empowering poor women
to build the future. ADB Southeast Asia Work
Pap Ser. 2017;2(15):1-26. http://www.adb.
org/publications/corrigenda%0Awww.adb.org
19. Servaes J. From MDGs to SDGs. In: Servaes
J, ed. Sustainable Development in the Asian
Context. Springer Nature Singapore; 2017:1-
21. doi:10.1007/978-981-10-2815-1
228
BATRA et al., Curr. Agri. Res., Vol. 12(1) 219-230 (2024)
20. Fanzo J. Healthy and Sustainable Diets
and Food Systems: the Key to Achieving
Sustainable Development Goal 2? Food
Ethics. 2019;4(2):159-174. doi:10.1007/
s41055-019-00052-6
21. Gil JDB, Reidsma P, Giller K, Todman L,
Whitmore A, van Ittersum M. Sustainable
development goal 2: Improved targets and
indicators for agriculture and food security.
Ambio. 2019;48(7):685-698. doi:10.1007/
s13280-018-1101-4
22. Valin H, Hertel T, Bodirsky BL, Hasegawa T,
Stehfest E. Achieving Zero Hunger by 2030
A Review of Quantitative Assessments of
Synergies and Tradeos amongst the UN
Sustainable Development Goals.; 2021.
doi:https://doi.org/10.48565/scgr2021-2337
23. Mollier L, Seyler F, Chotte J luc, Ringler
C. Zero hunger: End hunger, achieve food
security and improved nutrition, and promote
sustainable agriculture. Atlas Sustain Dev
Goals 2018 From World Dev Indic. Published
online 2017:6-8. doi:DOI: 10.24948/2017.01
24. Arora NK, Mishra I. Current scenario and
future directions for sustainable development
goal 2: a roadmap to zero hunger. Environ
Sustain. 2022;5(2):129-133. doi:10.1007/
s42398-022-00235-8
25. Otekunrin OA, Otekunrin OA, Momoh S,
Ayinde IA. How far has Africa gone in
achieving the zero hunger target? Evidence
from Nigeria. Glob Food Sec. 2019;22:1-12.
doi:10.1016/j.gfs.2019.08.001
26. FAO. World Food and Agriculture - Statistical
Yearbook 2021.; 2021. doi:https://doi.
org/10.4060/cb4477en
27. Chaudhary MK, Aneja DR. Impact of Green
Revolution on Long-Term Sustainability of
Land and Water Resources in Haryana.
Indian J Agric Econ. 1991;46(3):428-432.
doi:10.22004/ag.econ.272671
28. Stone GD. Commentary: New histories
of the Indian Green Revolution. Geogr
J. 2019;185(2):243-250. doi:10.1111/
geoj.12297
29. Kumar R. India’s Green Revolution and
Beyond: Visioning Agrarian futures on
selective readings of agrarian pasts. Econ
Polit Wkly. 2019;54(34):41-48.
30. Chaudhary R. Green Revolution and the Yield
Question. Econ Polit Wkly. 2020;55(50):54-
56.
31. Pimentel D. Green revolution agriculture
and chemical hazards. Sci Total
Environ. 1996;188(SUPPL. 1):86-98.
doi:10.1016/0048-9697(96)05280-1
32. Srivastav AL. Chemical Fertilizers and
Pesticides: Role in Groundwater
Contamination. LTD; 2020. doi:10.1016/
B978-0-08-103017-2.00006-4
33. Donthi NR. Pesticide Poisoning in India
Challenges of Data and Management in Public
Health. Econ Polit Wkly. 2021;45 & 46:17-
20. https://www.epw.in/journal/2021/45-46/
commentary/pesticide-poisoning-india.html
34. Rana A, Arya V, Sharma N. Heavy Uses
of Pesticides in India: A Quantitative
Analysis. Indian J Ecol. 2022;49:994-1004.
doi:10.55362/ije/2022/3627
35. Shiva V. The Violence of the Green Revolution
Third World Agriculture, Ecology and Politics.
Zed Books Ltd.; 1993.
36. Singh RB. Environmental consequences of
agricultural development: A case study from
the green revolution state of Haryana, India.
Agric Ecosyst Environ. 2000;82(1-3):97-103.
doi:10.1016/S0167-8809(00)00219-X
37. FAO. The Impact of Disasters and Crises on
Agriculture and Food Security: 2021. FAO;
2021. doi:10.4060/cb3673en
38. Schoonbeek S, Azadi H, Mahmoudi H,
Derudder B, De Maeyer P, Witlox F. Organic
Agriculture and Undernourishment in
Developing Countries: Main Potentials
and Challenges. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr.
2013;53(9):917-928. doi:10.1080/10408398
.2011.573886
39. Bandanaa J, Asante IK, Egyir IS, et al.
Sustainability performance of organic and
conventional cocoa farming systems in
Atwima Mponua District of Ghana. Environ
Sustain Indic. 2021;11:1-10. doi:10.1016/j.
indic.2021.100121
40. Šeremešić S, Dolijanović Ž, Simin MT, Vojnov
B, Trbić DG. The future we want: Sustainable
development goals accomplishment with
organic agriculture. Probl Ekorozwoju.
2021;16(2):171-180. doi:10.35784/
pe.2021.2.18
41. Muller A, Schader C, El-Hage Scialabba
N, et al. Strategies for feeding the world
more sustainably with organic agriculture.
229
BATRA et al., Curr. Agri. Res., Vol. 12(1) 219-230 (2024)
Nat Commun. 2017;8(1):1-13. doi:10.1038/
s41467-017-01410-w
42. Kirchmann H. Why organic farming is not the
way forward. Outlook Agric. 2019;48(1):22-
27. doi:10.1177/0030727019831702
43. Schader C, Heidenreich A, Kadzere I,
et al. How is organic farming performing
agronomically and economically in sub-
Saharan Africa? Glob Environ Chang.
2021;70(June):102325. doi:10.1016/j.
gloenvcha.2021.102325
44. Blockeel J, Schader C, Heidenreich A, et
al. Do organic farming initiatives in Sub-
Saharan Africa improve the sustainability
of smallholder farmers? Evidence from ve
case studies in Ghana and Kenya. J Rural
Stud. 2023;98(January):34-58. doi:10.1016/j.
jrurstud.2023.01.010
45. UN DESA, United Nations. The Sustainable
Development Goals Report 2021.; 2021.
https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2021/
The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-
Report-2021.pdf
46. Gundersen C, Ziliak JP. Food insecurity
and health outcomes. Health Aff. 2015;
34(11):1830-1839. doi:10.1377 hlthaff.
2015.0645
47. Giller KE, Delaune T, Silva JV, et al. The future
of farming: Who will produce our food? Food
Secur. 2021;13(5):1073-1099. doi:10.1007/
s12571-021-01184-6
48. FAO. The Economic Lives of Smallholder
Farmers.; 2015. https://www.fao.org/3/
i5251e/i5251e.pdf
49. Chopra K. Sustainability of agriculture. Indian
J Agriclture Econ. 1993;48(3):527-535.
doi:10.22004/ag.econ.274896
50. Yunlong C, Smit B. Sustainability in agriculture:
a general review. Agric Ecosyst Environ.
1994;49(3):299-307. doi:10.1016/0167-
8809(94)90059-0
51. UNEP. Food systems hold key to ending
world hunger. Nature Action. Published July
14, 2021. Accessed October 6, 2023. https://
www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/food-
systems-hold-key-ending-world-hunger
52. Lesk C, Rowhani P, Ramankutty N. Inuence
of extreme weather disasters on global
crop production. Nature. 2016;529:84-87.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/nature16467
53. Ahmad J, Alam D, Haseen MS. Impact
of Climate Change on Agriculture and
Food Security in India. Int J Agric Environ
Biotechnol. 2011;4(2):129-137. https://www.
indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:ijae
b&volume=4&issue=2&article=007
54. MacRae RJ, Frick B, Martin RC. Economic
and social impacts of organic production
systems. Can J Plant Sci. 2011;87(5):1037-
1044. doi:https://doi.org/10.4141/CJPS07135
55. Seufert V, Ramankutty N, Foley JA. Comparing
the yields of organic and conventional
agriculture. Nature. 2012;485:229-232.
doi:10.1038/nature11069
56. Forster D, Andres C, Verma R, Zundel C,
Messmer MM, Mäder P. Yield and economic
performance of organic and conventional
cotton-based farming systems - Results from
a eld trial in India. PLoS One. 2013;8(12):1-
15. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0081039
57. Singh IP, Grover DK. Economic Viability of
Organic Farming: An Empirical Experience
of Wheat Cultivation in Punjab. Agric Econ
Res Rev. 2011;24(2):275-281. https://www.
indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:aerr
&volume=24&issue=2&article=010
58. Manjunatha T, Puttaswamaiah S.
Comparative economic analysis of organic
and conventional farming in Karnataka.
Indian J Econ Dev. 2021;17(4):757-766.
doi:https://doi.org/10.35716/IJED/21106
59. Badgley C, Moghtader J, Quintero E, et al.
Organic agriculture and the global food supply.
Renew Agric Food Syst. 2007;22(2):86-108.
doi:10.1017/S1742170507001640
60. Eyhorn F, Ramakrishnan M, Mäder P. The
viability of cotton-based organic farming
systems in India. Int J Agric Sustain.
2007;5(1):25-38. doi:10.1080/14735903.20
07.9684811
61. Thakur DS, Sharma KD. Organic farming
for sustainable agriculture and meeting the
challenges of food security in 21st century:
An economic analysis. Indian J Agriclture
Econ. 2005;60(2):205-219. doi:10.22004/
ag.econ.204396
62. Chaudhary R. Is alternative agriculture
revolutionary. In: Alternative Economic
Survey, India 2007-2008: Decline of the
Developmental State. Daanish Book;
2008:77-95. https://kalnet.kshec.kerala.gov.
in/vund/Record/uok2.115444
230
BATRA et al., Curr. Agri. Res., Vol. 12(1) 219-230 (2024)
63. Chaudhary R. Myth of Organic Farming
Being Low Yielding Busted in the Heart of
Green Revolution Region. Mainstream Wkly.
2022;60(39-42). http://mainstreamweekly.net/
article12761.html
64. Pearsons KA, Omondi EC, Zinati G, Smith A,
Rui Y. A tale of two systems: Does reducing
tillage a󰀨ect soil health di󰀨erently in long-
term, side-by-side conventional and organic
agricultural systems? Soil Tillage Res.
2023;226(April 2022):105562. doi:10.1016/j.
still.2022.105562
65. Eyhorn F, van den Berg M, Decock C, Maat H,
Srivastava A. Does organic farming provide
a viable alternative for smallholder rice
farmers in India? Sustain. 2018;10(12):1-15.
doi:10.3390/su10124424
66. Azadi H, Schoonbeek S, Mahmoudi H,
Derudder B, De Maeyer P, Witlox F. Organic
agriculture and sustainable food production
system: Main potentials. Agric Ecosyst
Environ. 2011;144(1):92-94. doi:10.1016/j.
agee.2011.08.001
67. Das S, Chatterjee A, Pal TK. Organic farming
in India: A vision towards a healthy nation.
Food Qual Saf. 2020;4(2):69-76. doi:https://
doi.org/10.1093/fqsafe/fyaa018
68. Pearsons KA, Chase C, Omondi EC, Zinati
G, Smith A, Rui Y. Reducing tillage does
not affect the long-term profitability of
organic or conventional eld crop systems.
Front Sustain Food Syst. 2023;6:01-15.
doi:10.3389/fsufs.2022.1004256
69. Crowder DW, Reganold JP. Financial
competitiveness of organic agriculture
on a global scale. Proc Natl Acad Sci.
2015;112(24):7611-7616. doi:10.1073/
pnas.1423674112
70. Heena, Malik D, Pant P. An economic
comparison of organic and conventional
guava cultivation in Hisar district of Haryana.
Pharma Innov J. 2021;10(4):366-371. https://
www.thepharmajournal.com/special-issue?y
ear=2021&vol=10&issue=4S&ArticleId=6100
71. Bachmann F. Potential and limitations of
organic and fair trade cotton for improving
livelihoods of smallholders: Evidence
from Central Asia. Renew Agric Food
Syst. 2012;27(2):138-147. doi:10.1017/
S1742170511000202
72. Mishra AK, Kumar A, Joshi PK, D’Souza A,
Tripathi G. How can organic rice be a boon
to smallholders? Evidence from contract
farming in India. Food Policy. 2018;75:147-
157. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
foodpol.2018.01.007
73. Ayuya OI, Gido EO, Bett HK, Lagat JK, Kahi
AK, Bauer S. Effect of Certified Organic
Production Systems on Poverty among
Smallholder Farmers: Empirical Evidence
from Kenya. World Dev. 2015;67:27-37.
doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.10.005
74. World Bank. Addressing Food Loss and
Waste: A Global Problem with Local Solutions.
Published online 2020:128. http://hdl.handle.
net/10986/34521
75. Lotter DW, Seidel R, Liebhardt W. The
performance of organic and conventional
cropping systems in an extreme climate
year. Am J Altern Agric. 2003;18(3):146-154.
doi:10.1079/AJAA200345
76. Wachter JM, Painter KM, Carpenter-Boggs
LA, Huggins DR, Reganold JP. Productivity,
economic performance, and soil quality of
conventional, mixed, and organic dryland
farming systems in eastern Washington
State. Agric Ecosyst Environ. 2019;286:1-12.
doi:10.1016/j.agee.2019.106665
77. Patil S, Reidsma P, Shah P, Purushothaman
S, Wolf J. Comparing conventional and
organic agriculture in Karnataka, India:
Where and when can organic farming be
sustainable? Land use policy. 2014;37:40-51.
doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2012.01.006
78. Jouzi Z, Azadi H, Taheri F, et al. Organic farming
and small-scale farmers: Main opportunities
and challenges. Ecol Econ. 2017;132:144-
154. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.10.016
79. Reganold JP, Wachter JM. Organic agriculture
in the twenty-first century. Nat plants.
2016;2:1-8. doi:10.1038/nplants.2015.221
... Therefore, if Nigeria wish to fix into the Sustainable Development Goal2 (SDG2) on Zero Hunger without depleting the environment for future generations and provide enough food the citizens, organic farming is the option (Batra, Vikas, Kumar & Soti, 2024). Sustainable Development Goal aims at development of agriculture that provides healthy food and raises the living standard of smallholder farmers while maintaining the natural base (Batra et al., 2024). SDG2 targets sustainable production of adequate amount of food to meet the food requirements of all citizens on the planet earth and every person must have economic and physical access to the available food" (Batra et al., 2024, Sitthisuntikul, Yossuck & Limnirankul, 2018 OA is the option. ...
... Sustainable Development Goal aims at development of agriculture that provides healthy food and raises the living standard of smallholder farmers while maintaining the natural base (Batra et al., 2024). SDG2 targets sustainable production of adequate amount of food to meet the food requirements of all citizens on the planet earth and every person must have economic and physical access to the available food" (Batra et al., 2024, Sitthisuntikul, Yossuck & Limnirankul, 2018 OA is the option. This would ensure family survival and sustainability of small farm holdings. ...
Research
This paper investigated the role of organic agriculture (OA) in improving food security of small-scale farmers in Nigeria. The study was conducted at Achoze and Ogunda Farm Settlements in Kogi State, Nigeria. Cochran Formula and a random sampling technique were employed to determine the sample size and selection of 242 respondents respectively. Close ended and structured questionnaires were used to collect the primary data from the respondents. Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, pie-chart and Likert Scale were used to analyse the data. The result shows that majority of the farmers are males, old, poorly educated, but well experienced with small farm size and poor extension contact. The result also indicates that 58% of the farmers are unaware of OA and 66.1% are food unsecure. The result equally reveals that OA has some attributes, for example, high productivity, high income, sustainable production and reduction in pests and diseases incidence which makes it a viable alternative method for food production for improving food security. But conscious efforts such as training of extension agents and provisioning of extension logistics, conducting conferences and creating conducive policy environment should be made to promote it. It was concluded that the farmers are small scale farmers who lack extension information but they are food unsecured. OA has attributes to improve food security but the small-scale farmers are unaware of the technique, however, they could be helped through various promotion exercises to adopt the method. The study recommended that young and educated farmers should be encouraged and trained to take up OA, extension contact to be improved and logistics provided, awareness should be created among the farmers through various media and attributes of OA should be exploited by adopting the technique to improve food security of small holder farmers and Nigeria at large.
... The organic farming system has the potential to increase the farmer's income while maintaining the stability and welfare of the farmers (Hm et al., 2020). In the same manner, as the majority of the farmers living in poverty are from rural areas, the higher income will help to further reduce poverty (Batra et al., 2024). There might be a potential financial benefit to the producers and distributors of organic food products which helps to reduce poverty and provide food security (Thongplew et al., 2023) Zero Hunger -SDG 2 A possible strategy for tackling the problems with global food security is the use of organic farming systems. ...
... These solutions can support a more just and equitable food system by emphasising sustainability, enhancing nutrition, and supporting rural economies. To achieve its full potential, organic agriculture has to confront certain obstacles (Batra et al., 2024). ...
Article
Full-text available
The greater Global concern today is climate change and global warming and to combat this issue the United Nations has set 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by the year 2030 with the collective efforts of member nations. The conventional food system has exploited natural resources in a very negative manner which impacted both human health and the ecological system. The organic food system is an alternative to this which uses a natural way of production prohibiting chemical and artificial synthesis. This study aims to explore the role of the organic food system in achieving Sustainable Development Goals. The result of the study shows that the organic food system has a significant positive impact in the form of environmental sustainability, public health, social impact, and economic impact on the people. The organic food system significantly contributes to the SDG1, SDG2, SDG3, SDG12, SDG13, SDG14, and SDG15 by reducing poverty, mitigating hunger worldwide, protecting the health of the people and well-being, sustainable consumption and production, climate action, protecting life on the land and under the water.
Article
The aim of this study is the quantitative and qualitative characterization of food waste from the restaurant sector in Riobamba, Ecuador as part of circular economy efforts. A weekly analysis of waste generation data collected from 13 participating restaurants showed that the average daily food waste generated was 18.48 kg/restaurant/day. The highest percentage (55%) was produced by organic waste, which was primarily composed of waste from vegetables. Plastics represented most of the recyclable waste (21%), and 24% of the waste was disposable. With a low dry matter content of 24.33 ± 5.12% and an average moisture level of 75.68 ± 5.12%, the high organic content indicates its potential for value-adding through biological recycling processes like anaerobic digestion and composting. Fruit and vegetable waste had high moisture levels (80.3 ± 2.54% and 81.2 ± 2.75%, respectively), which made them perfect for composting and biogas production. However, the moisture and dry matter contents differed greatly amongst the waste categories. The increased dry matter concentration of animal protein waste (54.5 ± 4.30%) indicated that it may be converted into products with added value, such as animal meal and oils. Plant protein waste needs to be processed quickly to avoid spoiling because of its extraordinarily high moisture content (95.7 ± 3.20%) and low dry matter (4.3 ± 3.20%). The findings underscore the necessity for focused measures, such as composting, anaerobic digestion, and enhanced recycling, to optimize resource recovery and mitigate environmental consequences.
Article
Ensuring progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of “no poverty” and “zero hunger” in the face of changing climatic conditions is crucial for developing countries like Nepal, which, due to limited domestic resources, must rely on foreign aid to strengthen food production. This study examines the critical role of foreign assistance in achieving SDG 2, which focuses on ending hunger and promoting sustainable agriculture. Specifically, we investigate the threshold impact of foreign agricultural aid on agricultural production in Nepal from the first quarter of 1975 to the fourth quarter of 2020. Using threshold analysis, we find a nonlinear relationship between agricultural aid and agricultural production. Below the threshold, agricultural aid boosts production significantly, but above it, the relationship reverses. Additional variables, such as cultivated areas, public agricultural expenditure, and agricultural credit, increase production substantially, although their effects vary between regimes. The farm labor force shows contrasting effects, with a negative impact below the threshold and a positive impact above it. Rainfall negatively affects agricultural production in a low-aid regime but becomes beneficial in a high-aid regime. In contrast, temperature has an insignificant positive impact below the aid threshold but significantly hinders production above the specified threshold. Our findings indicate that leveraging substantial foreign aid to increase public investment in agriculture, specifically through infrastructure, research and development, and extension services, will enhance the effectiveness of aid in boosting food production and reducing hunger.
Chapter
This chapter explores the intersection of green chemistry and the sustainable development goals (SDGs), emphasizing the critical role of sustainable practices in agriculture, particularly in the development and application of eco-friendly pesticides. As global agricultural demands increase, the reliance on conventional chemical pesticides poses significant environmental and health risks, necessitating a shift towards greener alternatives. The principles of green chemistry provide a framework for designing safer, more effective pesticides that minimize ecological impact while enhancing agricultural productivity. This work reviews recent advancements in green analytical techniques and biopesticides, highlighting their potential to reduce pesticide contamination and promote sustainable agricultural practices. By aligning agricultural innovation with the SDGs, this study advocates for an integrated approach to food security that prioritizes environmental health, social equity, and economic viability, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable future.
Article
Nanocellulose, a promising green material derived from various bio-sources, has potentiality on and off-site in the agricultural sector. Due to its special qualities, which include high strength, hydrophilicity, and biocompatibility, it is a material that may be used in a variety of industries, especially agriculture. This review explores in this article production processes, post-processing procedures, and uses of nanocellulose in soil fertility increment and sustainable agriculture. A variety of plant materials, agricultural waste, and even microbes can be used to isolate nanocellulose. Nanocellulose is produced using both top-down and bottom-up methods, each of which has benefits and limitations of its own. It can be applied as nano-biofertilizer in agriculture to enhance beneficial microbial activity, increase nutrient availability, and improve soil health. Moreover, nanocellulose can be used in fertilizer and pesticide formulations with controlled releases to increase efficacy and lessen environmental effects. Innovative approaches to sustainable agriculture are provided by nanocellulose technologies, which also support the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially those pertaining to eradicating hunger and encouraging responsible consumption. Nanocellulose promotes climate action and ecosystem preservation by increasing resource efficiency and decreasing dependency on hazardous chemicals, ultimately leading to the development of a circular bioeconomy. Nonetheless, there are still issues with the high cost of production and the energy-intensive isolation procedures. Despite its various potentialities, challenges such as high production costs, environmental concerns, and regulatory issues must be addressed for nanocellulose to be widely adopted and effectively integrated into farming practices.
Article
Full-text available
Reducing tillage and supporting continuous living cover (CLC) can improve agroecosystem sustainability under both organic and conventional field crop production. What is less clear, however, is how reducing tillage affects the economic sustainability of organic field crop systems with CLC as compared to conventional field crop systems. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a comprehensive economic analysis based on field records and crop yields from the long-term Farming Systems Trial (FST) at Rodale Institute in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. The FST (established in 1981) comprises three farming systems (conventional, low-input organic, and manure-based organic) which were split into tilled and reduced-till treatments in 2008. FST field activities, inputs, and crop yields from 2008 to 2020 were used to construct enterprise budgets to assess cumulative labor, costs, returns, and economic risk of six replicated theoretical farms. Reducing tillage on the conventional farms led to lower gross revenues (−10%), but lower annual costs (−5%) helped maintain similar net returns but increased economic risk as compared to tilled conventional farms. Reducing tillage on the low-input organic farms also led to lower gross revenues (−13%) and lower annual costs (−6%), which maintained net returns and increased risk relative to the tilled, low-input organic farms. For the more diverse manure-based organic farms that include periods of mixed perennial cover, reducing tillage had a smaller effect on overall costs (−2%) and no effect on gross revenues, net returns, or economic risk. Overall, reducing tillage did not affect the long-term profitability of any of the three FST farming systems. Regardless of tillage practices or organic price premiums, the manure-based organic system supported higher net returns than the conventional system. This finding suggests that continuous living cover and manure inputs may have a greater influence on system profitability than tillage practices.
Article
Full-text available
India is an agrarian country. The pace in the use of agricultural pesticides has increased significantly over the decades. In 2020-21, Maharashtra (13243 tonnes) and Uttar Pradesh (11557 tonnes) would have the highest pesticide use, while Punjab (5193 tonnes) and Haryana (4050 tonnes) pesticide consumption slowly decreased as compared to last year. The states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, and Andhra Pradesh consumed 70% of all pesticides. Maximum pesticide usage is harmful to humans, animals, and plants. Many researchers discovered pesticide residue even in fishes (37.56 mg l , 38.38 ng g , 101.28 ng g ), and mother milk (43.40±0.064 mg kg , -1 -1 -1 -1 33.33±0.055 mg kg , 3.45±0.022 mg kg ) which is an alarming situation. In this review, we try to analyze and draw the full picture related to the -1 -1 excessive usage of pesticides in different states of India and their hazardous impacts on the human body, water, and the environment.
Article
Full-text available
Achieving SDG2 (zero hunger) in a situation of rapid global population growth requires a continued focus on food production. Farming not merely needs to sustainably produce nutritious diets, but should also provide livelihoods for farmers, while retaining natural ecosystems and services. Rather than focusing on production principles, this article explores the interrelations between farms and farming systems in the global food system. Evaluating farming systems around the world, we reveal a bewildering diversity. While family farms predominate, these range in size from less than 0.1 ha to more than 10,000 ha, and from hand hoe use to machine-based cultivation, enabling one person to plant more than 500 ha in a day. Yet, farming in different parts of the world is highly interdependent, not least because prices paid for farm produce are largely determined by global markets. Furthermore, the economic viability of farming is a problem, globally. We highlight trends in major regions of the world and explore possible trajectories for the future and ask: Who are the farmers of the future? Changing patterns of land ownership, rental and exchange mean that the concept of ‘what is a farm’ becomes increasingly fluid. Next to declining employment and rural depopulation, we also foresee more environmentally-friendly, less external input dependent, regionalised production systems. This may require the reversal of a global trend towards increasing specialisation to a recoupling of arable and livestock farming, not least for the resilience it provides. It might also require a slow-down or reversal of the widespread trend of scale enlargement in agriculture. Next to this trend of scale enlargement, small farms persist in Asia: consolidation of farms proceeds at a snail’s pace in South-east Asia and 70% of farms in India are ‘ultra-small’ – less than 0.05 ha. Also in Africa, where we find smallholder farms are much smaller than often assumed (< 1 ha), farming households are often food insecure. A raft of pro-poor policies and investments are needed to stimulate small-scale agriculture as part of a broader focus on rural development to address persistent poverty and hunger. Smallholder farms will remain an important source of food and income, and a social safety net in absence of alternative livelihood security. But with limited possibilities for smallholders to ‘step-up’, the agricultural engine of growth appears to be broken. Smallholder agriculture cannot deliver the rate of economic growth currently assumed by many policy initiatives in Africa.
Article
Full-text available
The potential of organic agriculture and agroecological approaches for improving food security in Africa is a controversial topic in global discussions. While there is a number of meta-analyses on the environmental, agronomic and financial performance of organic farming, most of the underlying data stems from on-station field trials from temperate regions. Data from sub-Sahara Africa in particular, as well as detailed real-farm data is scarce. How organic farming is implemented in sub-Saharan Africa and how it performs in a smallholder context remains poorly understood. We applied a novel observational two-factorial research design, which allowed to evaluate the impacts of i) interventions for introducing organic agriculture and ii) specific organic management practices on 1,645 farms from five case studies in Ghana and Kenya, which we closely monitored for 24 months. Among the farmers who have been exposed to the interventions, we found heterogeneous adoption of organic agriculture principles, depending on the intervention. Furthermore, we found rather passive than active organic management among farmers. Most yields and gross margins under organic management remained at similar levels as the conventional values in four of the case studies. In one case study, however, coffee, maize and macadamia nut yields increased by 127–308% and farm-level gross margins over all analysed crops by 292%. Pooling our data across all case studies, we found significantly higher (+144%) farm-level gross margins on organically managed farms than on conventional farms. This indicates the potential of organic and agroecological approaches if implemented well. Based on our observations, we argue for improving the implementation of organic agriculture projects in settings with smallholder farmers. Limited capacities, lack of appropriate inputs and market access are major agronomic and institutional challenges to be addressed. Furthermore, we argue for supporting a differentiated debate about which types of organic farming are really desirable by classifying approaches to organic farming according to i) their intention to work organically and ii) the degree of following the organic principles. This will support the design and implementation of targeted policy interventions for stimulating sustainability of farming systems and rural development.
Article
Food insecurity is a major challenge in front of developing countries. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United States (FAO) [1] reported that 2 billion people face moderate or severe food insecurity, of which 1.02 billion are found in Asia, 674.5 million in Africa, and 205.3 million in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2019. Inadequate food creates serious health issues among people, especially children worst affected by it. The situation further deteriorates in developing countries where poverty and population rates are high. The overconsumption of fertilizers in agriculture leads to environmental degradation and severe human illness. The unsustainability of the current agriculture model has raised many concerns about the future demand for food for an ever-growing population. The alternative method as suggested by many experts is Organic farming. The positive externalities attached to organic farming have enormous potential and it plays a very significant role in protecting the environment, providing safe food, and eventually sustainability. Further, linking the goal of food security with organic farming can help developing countries provide nutritious food and help in protecting the environment. The paper explores the situation of food insecurity worldwide and the current agriculture model performance and failure to achieve food security in many developing countries. The paper also analyses the role of organic farming to attain food security and elaborate on the limitations of organic farming to ensure food security and provides alternative models for improvement in current situations. For this purpose, study uses secondary data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for analysis of the food production in these two regions and reviews various research articles, FAO documents, and reports based on conventional and organic farming. The literature was accessed using Google Scholar, Institutions and Government Websites. The conventional farming put developing countries into the dilemma, to ensure food security for its population or protect environment, due to its unsustainability in long run. However, the current status of organic agriculture production is still meagre compared to conventional food production. The low yield in organic farming does not ensure the food security for the distant future but in long run organic farming can ensure the food security. The study recommended policy makers to formulate such policies which ensure sustainable food production without compromising food security in developing countries.
Article
Organic agriculture (OA) is often regarded as a sustainable agricultural pathway for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, and an increasing number of initiatives promoting OA were initiated over the last decades. However, holistic empirical evidence on the effects of such initiatives on the sustainability of smallholder farmersis still scanty. We analyzed the effects of five initiatives promoting OA on farm-level sustainability. We selected farmers exposed to the initiatives (n = 678) and control farms (n = 957) in five different case studies, two implemented in Ghana and three in Kenya. We used a farm-level multi-criteria assessment tool that evaluates to what extent the environmental, social, economic, and governance sustainability goals formulated in the FAO-SAFA Guidelines are addressed by farmers. We found that the initiatives had limited effects on reducing farmers reliance on chemical inputs use (pesticides and synthetic fertilizers) and uptake of organic or agroecological practices. Nevertheless, the results show that the initiatives were able to trigger significant (p-value < 0.05) positive effects mainly for the environmental sustainability goals. In contrast, the goals within the economic, social and good governance sustainability dimensions were rarely affected. Moreover, certified initiatives had more frequently a positive sustainability effect compared to uncertified initiatives.
Article
Tillage reduction is an increasingly common goal of farmers worldwide to reduce soil erosion and improve agroecosystem sustainability. Reduced tillage is usually achieved by different strategies in conventional and organic agricultural systems, yet it is unclear if these different strategies have contrasting effects on soil health. To compare how reduced-till strategies affect soil health under conventional and organic management, we evaluated soil health of a long-term field crop trial in Pennsylvania, USA. This trial was established in 1981 with three side-by-side management systems: an agrochemical-based conventional maize-soybean system (CNV), a legume-based low-input organic grain system (LEG), and a manure-based organic grain and forage system (MNR). Ten years after reduced-till treatments were introduced in 2008, herbicide-based no-till in the CNV system did not affect soil organic matter (SOM), cation exchange capacity, permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC), or autoclaved-citrate extractable (ACE) protein content under conventional field crop production. Reducing tillage in the conventional system significantly increased potentially mineralizable carbon (PMC) by 23 ± 11%, and led to more severe surface compaction, reflected by 23 ± 9% shallower penetration resistance at 300 psi. In the LEG and MNR systems, tillage was reduced through cover crop-based rotational no-till, where maize and soybeans were no-till planted following the use of a roller-crimper to terminate fall-planted cover crops. In these two organic systems, moderately reducing tillage did not cause significant changes in individual soil health indicators except for a 17 ± 8% increase of PMC in the MNR system. Individual soil health indicators and Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health (CASH) scores generally did not differ between the CNV and LEG systems, and were significantly higher in the longer-rotation, manure-based MNR system. These results suggest that soil health in organic systems was determined more by diversified crop rotations and adequate organic inputs than by reducing tillage frequency, whereas in conventional systems other co-adapting soil health practices might be necessary to alleviate surface compaction and realize the full benefits of reduced tillage.