our ban. we are not only taking everything from the environment but a real giving something back to the environment. in germany meanwhile organic farming remains a niche market why is it still not mainstream is seacom an example for other countries to follow. the authorities and see come are strict conventionally farmed fruits and vegetables are forbidden so they're being destroyed. smugglers were looking to sell this produce at a market in gun talk the state capital the smugglers were caught by pusong tamang

who's employed by the government as a food control officer. so we are doing something good for our or our. that's why we start feel sad because we are giving examples for the whole world this is not good for hell this is not good for environment so we are destroying all this things. fresh produce is destroyed on a regular basis and succumb with its policy the regional government is taking a firm stance against global farming practices that rely heavily on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. in 2016 seacom became the world's 1st 100 percent organic state. nestled in the eastern himalayas seacom covers 7000 square kilometers roughly half the size of the german state of tearing in the mile high city of gun is its capital. sica

might be part of india but in terms of agricultural policy it's forged its own path for the last 3 years. produce of valuable to its nearly 700000 inhabitants is organic only. by going for a goodly flood because for my kids the problem i saw this is 1st of all if you know how bad this is especially good for kids for us and i good for organic food not just decides for. organic farming expert. has traveled to see them on behalf of several international organizations for sustainability he's here to see if it's agriculture really is 100 percent organic and if it is how has the state managed it his 1st impressions are positive the copy if i just try to pepper it's fiery hot as a real bite exactly how a pepper should be this by the carrots are very fresh you can tell they were picked

just yesterday. it's a pleasure to see how fresh everything is what good quality the papaya is are excellent. you just want to cut them open and dig in so that's organic should be delicious looking produce with great flavor make from a dish that's organic. guy or has been tasked with deciding if seacom should be nominated for a christie juice international award for policies promoting agro college e spend a week here as a guest from germany a country seen in c come as highly progressive in terms of organic farming. meyerhoff or runs a conventional farm near past in southern germany approximately 60 percent of his earnings come from crops used for bio gas he wants to farm sustainably and avoid using pesticides but he doesn't believe that a complete switch to organic is necessary.

biters schiemann on both types of farming produce healthy crops that will help you live to 101 that the auto as that this is the analytics we use are very precise. these days that we can identify even the slightest residue so the idea that conventional farming has adverse effects on people's health i'm very skeptical yes keep this. despite his reservations my hope for experiments with organic practices now and then this year he did not use any insecticide on the rate seed he grows for human consumption today he wants to see if that's made a difference. those of us may use it isn't because we're seeing here is an infestation of rape stem weevils for me one bit look really for me as a farmer it's always very hard to gauge exactly what the pesticide does the vehicle museum is react to but you don't know exactly what effect it's had. neuer but i'd

like to try new things out and as a beekeeper i want to see if doing without pesticides is a bad. option open it's the i thought. it's all down to the harvest often at all that often given the infestation we're seeing here it's not looking promising. to switch to organic farming is a time consuming process and calls for a lot of patience crops and soil need to adjust after years of conventional farming . my whole force experiment with rape seed has cost him 25 percent of his usual yield next year he'll go back to spraying his crops with conventional farming crop losses aren't factored into the business model. in order to maximize profits farmers need to be an organized and unanimous group. it's german farmers day in the spot in the annual conference of the german farmers association

. the event demonstrates how much of farming in germany works it's a large scale industry led by risk adverse interest groups. the delegates insist they're open minded about organic farming but they're also quick to stress that it's a tricky market. when vo fine and from out of it would have been if we don't find sellers in the organic farming sector tells us that it prefers organic grain imported from ukraine then we need to take that into account we're not operating in a vacuum the market exists and it will continue to grow but a centrally planned 100 percent switch to organic farming just doesn't make sense. because it. judging by the mood at the farmers general assembly organic farming has little chance of flourishing the association carefully cultivates its ties to the

chemicals industry one of the world's largest pesticide manufacturers is among the event sponsors. and yet among germ. farmers there are many opponents of conventional methods here in the all to slant region north of hamburg one race back month turned his back on old school farming after 20 years. it's going to rain again on the weekend and if you don't even just let's get rid of those weeds in called striking back i'll buy the fence ok i'll get started. his apple orchard covers 50 hectares 2 years ago next month stopped using glyphosate and pesticides he uses mechanical methods to tackle weeds and relies on nature to regulate itself but weed control without the help of chemicals is a major challenge. before we've got an infestation of past. that's a part of organic farming but for me it's

a new problem a lawyer you know we don't have the option of regulating it we just have to hope that nature comes to our aid and that's enough and that beneficial insects are able to fight the pests in the largest you should linger with some to come from. a drop in yield is to be expected after a switch to organic farming the oil in with all this in here we've also got clouded drab moths an apple scab that's even. in the 1st year the apple harvest shrunk by 30 percent a tough lesson. moncrief i mean you get financial support for converting but it's nowhere near enough to offset the risk so far you have to shoulder the risk yourself. he's also not allowed to label his produce organic for the 1st 3 years that's because after decades of conventional farming the soil isn't yet certified as organic. the it's that important i have the production costs of organic farming but i'm not in

a position to market my produce as organic 35 so that adds up to costly production but uncertain prices through all missed the hear them pies and. farmers who convert to organic farming get little to no subsidies it varies from state to state but now a discount supermarket better known for pressuring farmers to lower their prices is trying to help raise those pennies subsidiary launched an initiative to help farmers who are transitioning to organic standards thereby boosting the sector. at so i got the other stats and we get producers who have decided to make this transition a higher return for their produce than they would get on the free market for conventionally farm produce that means we're paying them a premium which they pass on in the retail price high so our customers are paying slightly more for this produce than they pay for conventionally farmed goods but

not as much as they pay if the goods were certified organic. it's a scheme that makes financial sense for penny it saves costs by reducing its share of expensive imported goods. just 8 percent of farms in germany are organic demand for locally sourced organic vegetables tends to exceed supply. back in sea come here it took 13 years for the state's agriculture to transition to organic 66000 farmers were retrained. found guy is visiting mom and her husband. they have just 4 hectares of land but grow 16 sorts of fruits and vegetables even though they could live from sales of cauliflower broccoli and. we do it well not only to

harvest of us divil from the fair but we like to see the health of. we go for practicing. we go for maintaining the soil fertility and planting only a single crop. gives us the back to. the healthy ways so we go further of an idea of that. they harvest 3 times a year for their practice means they grow a main crop such as cauliflower alongside other crops that help it grow. the aim is to cultivate healthy and robust crops and suppress one needs insect pests and diseases. compost replaces artificial fertilizer. part of the process they help break down the organic waste into high quality compost for the fields. and other crops clearly don't need chemical use the

harvests have been steady for 6 years so the farmer is astonished to find her potatoes affected by a fungal disease for the 1st time it could mean total crops fail. but these setbacks aren't a disaster making a profit isn't the 1st priority and in the long run they know their harvests are dependable on the. one reason is crop rotation divided another is the compost it ensures a very healthy fertile soil so there's no soil borne disease. and the crops are very robust and here they use the curative properties of plant extracts to prevent the cross falling prey to disease. and the common thread. see comes organic farmers have faith in their methods they can't understand why other

countries aren't following their example especially germany. what they feel is more means being all sound in value they have a lot of knowledge and we have a small state or in germany many many. many many people. with the intellectual mind so i think in a way doing the grow and practice this organic farming in germany. the reason why farmers in seacom suffer so few setbacks has its roots in the national organic farming research institute here scientists develop methods to optimally protect and strengthen agricultural crops based both on traditional practices and the latest scientific findings. the farmers themselves have to be proactive over 700 further training programs are available to them maize

cultivation for example this farmer is experimenting with using new tree extract as a form of pest control that doesn't adversely affect beneficial insects. biologist rod. day fervently believes the extra work is worth it. or going to families and ecosystem services where we have a lot of. publishers increase the bumblebee population increase the mission of them grieve for you have the impact on the production system. in seek feeding the population is the 1st consideration but all the while protecting biodiversity and the environment a wealth of expertise in organic farming has been built up here in the himalayas nature is seen as a valuable asset that deserves to be handled with care. and

the fact that seeking became the world's 1st region to switch to 100 percent organic agriculture has a lot to do with people's attitudes. that they make. friends or make friends or be friends but if you would you. pass by that eyes out but i noticed here is that these farmers have a different mentality. and that they're part of nature. or might be something to do with their fates it will but they respect nature. and i was the same as because of that they can't really imagine using agro toxin eyes and artificial fertilisers dillard's as it's. chemical free farming in a vision that seacom is making reality. here at

another research institute staff and farmers have gathered to meet the man who led sea km's reinvention as a model organic stage and. was india's longest serving chief minister. he is the son of farmers and travels regularly through the state drumming up support for his mission. to the group of. persuading farmers to dispense with pesticides and artificial fertilisers wasn't easy at 1st for more than 40 years conventional farming was the norm here as it is across the rest of the country. their demographic pov on channeling is playing the long game it was very hard to convince the people is to sedley part of most it was because the people. that have it and where for thinking

this is a very difficult. but slowly people. realize we have to decide. now 3 other states in india are planning to go fully organic carbon channeling one the people who seek him over to his vision others are now following suit. should be organic by 2050 and for that we. want to get that. if we did what. it is definitely possible this is my message to the work. but the acid test is this does organic farming have the capacity to meet demand in a large industrialized nations.