Some links are:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_farming

http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/org_farm/orgfarm_introduction.html

http://thenextgalaxy.com/8-disadvantages-and-advantages-of-organic-farming/

http://www.small-farm-permaculture-and-sustainable-living.com/advantages_and_disadvantages_organic_farming.html

www.googleimages.com

 

MODERN METHODS OF CROP IMPROVEMENT (PLANT BREEDING) :

Plant breeding is the art and science of changing the traits of plants in order to produce desired characteristics. Plant breeding can be accomplished through many different techniques ranging from simply selecting plants with desirable characteristics for propagation, to more complex molecular techniques.

 Plant breeding has been practiced for thousands of years, since near the beginning of human civilization. It is practiced worldwide by individuals such as gardeners and farmers, or by professional plant breeders employed by organizations such as government institutions, universities, crop-specific industry associations or research centers.

International development agencies believe that breeding new crops is important for ensuring food security by developing new varieties that are higher-yielding, disease resistant, drought-resistant or regionally adapted to different environments and growing conditions.

One major technique of plant breeding is selection, the process of selectively propagating plants with desirable characteristics and eliminating or "culling" those with less desirable characteristics.^[3]

Another technique is the deliberate interbreeding (crossing) of closely or distantly related individuals to produce new crop varieties or lines with desirable properties. Plants are crossbred to introduce traits/genes from one variety or line into a new genetic background. For example, a mildew-resistant pea may be crossed with a high-yielding but susceptible pea, the goal of the cross being to introduce mildew resistance without losing the high-yield characteristics.

Traits that breeders have tried to incorporate into crop plants include:

1. Improved quality, such as increased nutrition, improved flavor, or greater beauty
2. Increased yield of the crop
3. Increased tolerance of environmental pressures (salinity, extreme temperature, drought)
4. Resistance to viruses, fungi and bacteria
5. Increased tolerance to insect pests
6. Increased tolerance of herbicides
7. Longer storage period for the harvested crop

 

The key characteristics of organic farming include:

• Protecting the long term fertility of soils by maintaining organic matter levels, encouraging soil biological activity, and careful mechanical intervention
• Providing crop nutrients indirectly using relatively insoluble nutrient sources which are made available to the plant by the action of soil micro-organisms
• Nitrogen self-sufficiency through the use of legumes and biological nitrogen fixation, as well as effective recycling of organic materials including crop residues and livestock manures
• Weed, disease and pest control relying primarily on crop rotations, natural predators, diversity, organic manuring, resistant varieties and limited (preferably minimal) thermal, biological and chemical intervention
• The extensive management of livestock, paying full regard to their evolutionary adaptations, behavioural needs and animal welfare issues with respect to nutrition, housing, health, breeding and rearing
• Careful attention to the impact of the farming system on the wider environment and the conservation of wildlife and natural habitats

 

ADVANTAGES:

They are closely regulated.

Better taste and more nutrition.

Costs are lowered

The environment doesn’t suffer

Poison-free

Food Keeps Longer
 
Disease and Pest Resistance

Weed Competitiveness

Lower Input Costs 
 
Drought Resistance

Added Value


DISADVANTAGES:

It’s a whole lot more work

The consumer pays the price

Cross Breeding Happens

Productivity is less

Cultivation is hard

Takes a lot of time

It requires considerably more skill.

 

ORGANIC FARMING:

Organic farming is a form of agriculture that developed from a desire to improve soil quality and the environment, and from a concern about the use of synthetic chemicals and fertilizers in agriculture. It relies on naturally-sourced fertilizers such as compost, manure, green manure, and bone meal and places emphasis on techniques such as crop rotation, companion planting.

Organic agricultural methods are internationally regulated and legally enforced by many nations, based in large part on the standards set by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), an international umbrella organization for organic farming organizations established in 1972.

Organic farming methods combine scientific knowledge of ecology and modern technology with traditional farming practices based on naturally occurring biological processes. Organic farming methods are studied in the field of agroecology. While conventional agriculture uses synthetic pesticides and water-soluble synthetically purified fertilizers, organic farmers are restricted by regulations to using natural pesticides and fertilizers. An example of a natural pesticide is pyrethrin, which is found naturally in the Chrysanthemum flower.

 The principal methods of organic farming include crop rotation, green manures and compost, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation. These measures use the natural environment to enhance agricultural productivity: legumes are planted to fix nitrogen into the soil, natural insect predators are encouraged, crops are rotated to confuse pests and renew soil, and natural materials such as potassium bicarbonate and mulches are used to control disease and weeds. Hardier plants are generated through plant breeding rather than genetic engineering.

In India, states such as Sikkim and Kerala have planned to shift to fully organic cultivation by 2015 and 2016 respectively.