EN3029 Organic Farming for Sustainable Agricultural Production Syllabus:
EN3029 Organic Farming for Sustainable Agricultural Production Syllabus – Anna University Regulation 2021
COURSE OBJECTIVES
• To educate the students about the fundamental principles of organic farming, the ways to design resource efficient farming system and sustain food production adequate for the world’s population.
UNIT I INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIC FARMING
Definition of organic farming – Need of organic farming -– Conventional Vs. organic farming – Benefits of organic farming – Social and market aspects of organic farming – Global status (growth, land distribution, share and major producers) of organic farming – Organic farming suitability in India – Challenges of organic farming – Future prospects – Success stories
UNIT II COMPONENTS, CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIC FARMING
Concept of sustainable development – Principles of organic farming – Key objectives of organic farming – Incorporation of crop residues – Crop rotation – Intercropping – Farmyard manure – Animal manures – Green manuring – Concentrated organic manures – Compost – Vermicompost – Biofertilizers – Biopesticides – Steps to a successful organic transition
UNIT III ORGANIC CROP PRODUCTION
Crop production plan – Conversion requirements and duration – Landscape – Choice of crops and varieties – Diversity in crop production and management plan – Nutrient management – Pest, disease and weed management – Contamination control – Soil and water conservation – Products/ additional inputs for use in fertilising, soil conditioning, pest, disease and weed control
UNIT IV ORGANIC ANIMAL HUSBANDRY, FOOD PROCESSING AND HANDLING
Livestock living condition – Length of conversion period – Animal sources/origin – Breeds and breeding – Mutilations – Animal nutrition – Veterinary medicine – Transport and slaughter – Bee keeping – Food processing ingredients and methods – Storage pest management – Packaging – Labelling – Cleaning and sanitizing of food processing facilities
UNIT V ORGANIC CERTIFICATION AND MARKETING
Guidelines and procedures for organic certification – Organic certification agencies – Grower group certification for organic agriculture – Tamil Nadu Organic Certification Department – Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority – National Programme for Organic Production standards – Organic food marketing, growing opportunities and regulations
TOTAL: 45 PERIODS
COURSE OUTCOME
On completion of the course, the student is expected to be able to
CO1 Define ‘organic farming’ from multiple perspectives
CO2 Understand about the concepts, principles and components of organic farming
CO3 Get knowledge on the organic crop production practices for sustainable agriculture
CO4 Suggest the sustainable ways of animal production and know about the standard requirements for the processing, handling and storage of organic foods
CO5 Learn about organic certification systems, process to be followed for domestic sales/exports, and opportunities/ challenges in marketing of organic produce
REFERENCES
1. Organic Farming Theory & Practice, S. P. Palaniappan and K. Annadurai (Eds.), Scientific Publishers, 2018.
2. Sustainable Development of Organic Agriculture: Historical Perspectives, E. Kimberly (Eds.), CRC Press, 2017.
3. Organic Farming for Sustainable Agriculture, D. Nandwani (Eds.), Springer, 2016.
4. Science and Technology of Organic Farming, A.V. Barker (Eds.), CRC Press, 2016.
5. Organic Crop Production: Ambitions and Limitations, H. Kirchmann and L. Bergström (Eds.), Springer, 2008.
6. Organic Farming: Policies and Prospects, S. Dabbert et al. (Eds.), Zed Books, 2004.