Lukas, M. and Cahn, M. (2008) Organic agriculture and rural livelihoods in Karnataka, India. In: Cultivating the Future Based on Science. , ed. by Neuhoff, D., Halberg, N., Alfödi, T., Lockeretz, W., Thommen, A., Rasmussen, I. A., Hermansen, J., Vaarst, M., Lueck, L., Caporali, F., Jensen, H. H., Migliorini, P. and Willer, H.. Livestock, Socio-economy and Cross disciplinary Research in Organic Agriculture, 2 . Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau (FiBL), Italy, pp. 476-479. ISBN 978-3-03736-024-8

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Abstract

The research explored the effects a change from conventional to organic farming had on the livelihoods of a group of farmers in Karnataka, South India. It involved semistructured interviews with organic farmers, NGOs, consumers, marketing organisations, and the State Agricultural Department. The farmers in the case study perceived that they had improved their livelihoods over the long term by the conversion from conventional to organic farming. Reduced costs for external inputs
and reduced labour requirements together with similar or higher yields and premium prices resulted in higher net-farm incomes. The conversion to organic farming reduced the reliance on credits and the risk of crop failure due to pests, diseases and droughts, thereby reducing vulnerability. In addition, the farmers mentioned enhanced natural
assets, reduced risk of pesticide poisonings, improved food safety, higher levels of self-sufficiency, and the access to networks supporting knowledge exchange and political participation as important benefits of the conversion. However, almost all the case study farmers noted that the conversion period was difficult due to temporarily declining yields and a lack of information and experiences. This is likely to be a major
constraint preventing asset-poor farmers from adopting organic agriculture.

Document Type:	Book chapter
Programme Area:	UNSPECIFIED
Research affiliation:
Date Deposited:	18 May 2021 19:46
Last Modified:	18 May 2021 19:46
URI:	http://cris.leibniz-zmt.de/id/eprint/3568

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