The development of Organic Farming in Indonesia

Organic farming is agricultural cultivation techniques that rely on natural ingredients without the use of synthetic materials.

The main goal of organic agriculture is to provide agricultural products, especially food that is safe for the health of producers and consumers and does not damage the environment. Obtained information that more and more farmers, especially in the area of vegetable production of pesticide poisoning and fairly high levels of toxins in the blood of farmers concerned.

Consumers are aware of the importance of food safety more and more. Besides the requirement that agricultural products should be produced from environmentally-friendly system (eco -labelling) intensified attention. Organic farming is intended to produce agricultural products are safe for consumption and safe for the environment.

Desired foodstuffs other than safe for consumption also must be able to support the realization of a healthy life for consumers. It is necessary for the nutrients, minerals, vitamins and balanced enough. That is often forgotten is the deficiency of some minerals such as iodine, zinc, copper, iron and others. This happens because most of our agricultural land deficiency of these elements or elements can not be absorbed by plants. The use of organic materials can also bind to these elements that temporarily can not be absorbed by plants. If foodstuffs are consumed, the greater the likelihood of consumers deficient element / mineral is. Therefore various possibilities need to be considered carefully in the application of organic farming in Indonesia.

Soil organic matter content have sufficient and healthy is a medium that microbial life is very good and from a variety of biochemical reactions that take place in this land produced chemical and biological balance each other healthy, so that the use of pesticides will be greatly reduced.

FUTURE BEFORE VARIETY OF HIGH POWERED

Yielding varieties of high yield, especially on major food crops such as rice, wheat, maize, sorghum and cassava began to develop in the 1960s. Previously used traditional varieties or varieties are yielding medium or low. These varieties are generally less responsive to inorganic fertilizer. At that time an-organic fertilizer that is widely used is ZA, DS, and ES with a low dose. The use of urea and TSP is still very limited. Relatively many plants use inorganic fertilizers is sugarcane. Organic fertilizers such as manure compost, green manure, and animal bones are relatively widely used.

The use of artificial pesticides is very limited. Botanical pesticides are also used on a limited basis. Pests of plants is also low and can be addressed with botanical pesticides. Pests that relatively many by rodents, birds, walang rice pest, locusts and lice. Knowledge of the parasites and predators of pests already exist although not developed as it is now.

At that time organic farming is done naturally. Production and crop productivity is relatively low, but the number of population is still small.

MASA VARIETY OF HIGH POWERED

This period starts since discovered and developed varieties like IR-8, IR-5, IR-20, Pelita I, and so on, especially in Asia, varieties of wheat, maize and sorghum in the US and Europe and later in Asia.

These different varieties have high yield. To support this high yield power plants have to absorb various nutrients, especially nutrient in large quantities. Relatively large nutrient needs can not be met by soil and organic material on the ground is concerned. Moreover, large nutrient needs are not constant between different phases of plant development. It required an additional form of inorganic fertilizers more soluble and taken plants, among others: Urea and TSP. Inorganic fertilizer required volume is relatively small, so easy in use. By not feel the use of inorganic fertilizers is shifting the use of organic fertilizer, thus almost eliminated and forgotten. Moreover, when an organic fertilizer produced in very large numbers efficiently, subsidized, so the price is low, so that more forgetting organic fertilizer. Actually, the use of inorganic fertilizers would be more efficient when combined with organic fertilizer and do not intend to get rid of organic fertilizer.

At the same time, the development of high yielding varieties of this change some properties of the plant include: more susceptible to certain pests or diseases. Plant tissue becomes softer and more preferably of pests or pathogens. While the gene that carries resistant properties have not known and have not been used at the beginning of this period. Disturbance some pests to spread widely in a relatively short time and threatens production and food supplies. While the population is increasing quite rapidly. Pest-resistant gene discovery and pembaurannya into high-yielding varieties require a relatively long time, opened up opportunities for the use of synthetic pesticides on a large scale. The use of botanical pesticides are not able to grow rapidly, due to various weaknesses.

Use of synthetic pesticides also adversely impact the natural enemies of pests, so use more and more. So bad pests, then burning straw made increasingly weakening the sense of natural enemies and deplete soil organic matter content. It is inevitable once obtained high yield crop varieties that are resistant to certain pests, participate inhibit the use of synthetic pesticides.

Awareness of the dangers of the use of synthetic pesticides appear after various failures and damage caused by the use of high yielding varieties and synthetic pesticides. The use of synthetic pesticides is not only an impact on pests, but also on the environment and especially the health of farmers (user of pesticides) and consumers.

Until now the use of synthetic pesticides and inorganic fertilizers / synthetic and high yielding varieties are still taking place despite increasingly recognized some weaknesses in addition to superiority. During this period at many agricultural production systems, use of organic fertilizers can be said to be done, except in vegetable crops. As a result, in 1988, detected more than 66% of the samples paddy soil organic matter content has less than one per cent indicating that the soil in a critical condition. This criticality is still in progress toward increasingly critical to date.

However, some traditional crops in some central production still apply organic farming naturally, for example duku, mangosteen, durian, bark, jackfruit, paddy huma and others.

Some places are limited modern organic farming has emerged since the 1950s, for example in Rodhale Institute in New York and certain farmers in Japan.

MODERN ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

In recent years, modern organic farming started to go into farming systems Indonesia sporadic and small. Modern organic farming evolved scientifically and consciously to obtain healthy living through food is safe for health and environmentally friendly production systems and secure against anyone, especially manufacturers. Modern organic farming is still not widely known, there are many questionable. Conception is still evolving. While the emphasis is more to abandon the use of synthetic pesticides. With the development of science and technology on health, environmental, microbiology, chemistry, molecular biology, biochemistry and others, organic agriculture will continue to grow. Many things are still to be researched and developed in order to achieve the goal of organic agriculture and the adequacy of the supply of agricultural produce are met.

In the trade of organic agricultural products necessary guarantees for the consumer, because it is difficult to distinguish organic agricultural products from non-organic KASAD eyes (visual). It required labeling. Indonesia does not have the certification body that is capable / accredited to provide the intended label. While this is still using the institutions of other countries, even though the original inspector Indonesian citizens.

Socialization and development of organic farming support institutions still have intensified for the welfare of farmers safety / health of consumers and the preservation of a healthy environment.

[1] Paper presented at the National Seminar and Exhibition of Organic Farming, Spices and Medicinal Research Institute in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Forestry Society of Jakarta and Organic Agriculture of Indonesia, Jakarta, 2-3 July 2002.

[2] Chairman of the Indonesian Society of Organic Farming (MAPORINA) 2000-2003.