Organic Agricultural Policy in Kerala, South India

Abstract

In 2002, the state government of Kerala, India, launched an organic agriculture policy initiative with the document Jaivakeralam: The Context and Need for a “Sustainable Agricultural Development Policy” for the State of Kerala, a policy statement promoting organic agriculture as a sustainable alternative for Kerala in the post-Green Revolution era. During the beginning of the organic agriculture movement in the 1960s and 1970s in Europe and Japan, organic farming represented antimodern agriculture. The movement explored environmentally friendly farming, as well as alternative, face-to-face local markets. Organic farming in Kerala, however, is basically export-oriented and pro-market. Nevertheless, it aims to support marginalized and small farmers, employing a package of subsidies and price guarantees. Therefore, this paper explores how the antimodern aspects of the organic agriculture movement were combined with a pro-market “alternative,” investigates the policy process that made organic agriculture a priority in Kerala., and illuminates the stresses and negotiation of agricultural policy-making in contemporary India.