Crop Rotation

Crop Rotation: Methods of Organic Farming are resorted to in order to grow Organic Foods. Methods of Organic Farming involve combining scientific knowledge with modern technology. However, the model is different. The emphasis is on totally based natural methods. It also falls back on basic modes of farming. Thus the old foundations have been used to develop the new. As is in any farming, one of the best farming techniques to resort to is Crop Rotation.

Farmers practicing the organic mode of cultivation, resort to Crop Rotation. This is in order to provide a thrust to their yields. This helps them to maintain the fertility of the soil. It also helps them to keep the land free of pests. This is a natural mode they resort to in order to maintain the fertility of the soil.

Types of Crop Rotation

Crop Rotation can be as simple as keeping to 2 different crops. These can be alternately cultivated or for that matter resorting to the multi-year plan involving several crops. It also involves the cultivation of cover crops which help in enriching the soil. These are cultivated in a planned sequence. They help to complement each crop cultivated before. This is a part of the rotational mode of organic farming.

The methods for organic farming have certain features about them. These are using naturally occurring biological processes. This mode of farming takes time. It also keeps a holistic plan in mind. It is devoid of the latest modes of farming. These are namely an overt dependence on technology irrigation, mechanization, chemicals, or hybrid seeds.

Crop diversity is what organic farming aims at. Another one of its features is that it focuses on the automatic and natural break- down of organic matter. It uses techniques like green manure and resorting to composting. This helps in replacing the nutrients in the soil. This is a replenishment technique. It helps to replace the nutrients in the soil that the previous crop yield draws out.

The organic mode of farming works on improving the fertility of the soil. This is by resorting to the crop rotational technique, cover cropping, the application of compost and mulching as well. Thus the rotational mode of growing crops helps in maintaining the fertility of the soil. This makes it a very important factor in the cultivation of organic foods. The rotating of crops in organic farming helps to live up to the ideal of organic farming. This is to minimize the damage caused to the environment by the use of measures related to physical weed control and the use of other natural methods.

Crop Rotation thereby helps in maintaining the ecological balance. It is one of the most natural modes of production. It serves as an important technique in organic farming sit helps to revive the fertility needed of the soil. Thus it helps in the complete doing away with a dependence on chemical fertilizers. It also helps in functioning as a natural pesticide. Thus crop- rotation also helps to keep away from the artificial use of chemical pesticides. Thus it is a boon to the organic modes of farming.

Read also: Organic Farming: Methods & Importance