Editing Organic farming (section)

=== Sri Lanka ===
As was the case with most countries, [[Sri Lanka]] made the transition away from organic farming upon the arrival of the Green Revolution, whereupon it started depending more on chemical fertilizers. This became a highly popularized method when the nation started offering subsidies on the import of artificial fertilizers to increase rice paddy production, and to incentivize farmers to switch from growing traditional varieties into using high yielding varieties (HYVs).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Weerahewa |first1=Jeevika |last2=Kodithuwakku |first2=Sarath S. |last3=Ariyawardana |first3=Anoma |date=2010 |title=The Fertilizer Subsidy Program in Sri Lanka |url=https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/55709 |language=en-US}}</ref> This was especially true for young farmers who saw short-term economic profit as more sustainable to their wellbeing, compared to the long term drawbacks to the environment.<ref>{{cite journal |last=SOORIYAKUMAR |first=K |title=Farmers' Willingness to Pay for the Ecosystem Services of Organic Farming: A Locality Study in Valikamam Area of Sri Lanka |date=2019 |journal=Applied Ecology and Environmental Research |volume=17 |issue=6 |page=13815 |doi=10.15666/aeer/1706_1380313815 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2019ApEER..1713815S |s2cid=216122392 |issn=1589-1623}}</ref> However, due to the various health concerns with inorganic farming including the possibility of a chronic kidney disease being associated with chemical fertilizers, many middle aged and experienced farmers displayed skepticism towards these new approaches. Some even resorted to organic farming or utilizing insecticide free fertilizers for their crops.<ref name="auto3">{{Cite journal |last1=Horgan |first1=Finbarr G. |last2=Kudavidanage |first2=Enoka P. |date=2020-06-01 |title=Use and Avoidance of Pesticides as Responses by Farmers to change Impacts in Rice Ecosystems of Southern Sri Lanka |journal=Environmental Management |language=en |volume=65 |issue=6 |pages=787–803 |doi=10.1007/s00267-020-01272-x |pmid=32107569 |bibcode=2020EnMan..65..787H |s2cid=211525758 |issn=1432-1009}}</ref> In a study conducted by F. Horgan and E. Kudavidanage, the researchers compared crop yields of farmers in Sri Lanka who employed distinct farming techniques including organic farmers who grew traditional varieties, and insecticide-free fertilizer users and pesticide users who grew modern varieties.<ref name="auto3"/> No significant difference was found among the yield productions and in fact, organic farmers and insecticide-free fertilizer users lamented less about insects such as planthoppers as a challenge to their production. Regardless, many farmers continued to use insecticides to avoid the predicted dangers of pests to their crops, and the cheap sale of agrochemicals provided an easy approach to augment crop growth. Additionally, while organic farming has health benefits, it's a strenuous task which requires more man power.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Qiao |first1=Yuhui |last2=Halberg |first2=Niels |last3=Vaheesan |first3=Saminathan |last4=Scott |first4=Steffanie |date=2015-06-08 |title=Assessing the social and economic benefits of organic and fair trade tea production for small-scale farmers in Asia: a comparative case study of China and Sri Lanka |journal=Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems |language=en |volume=31 |issue=3 |pages=246–257 |doi=10.1017/S1742170515000162 |s2cid=154966563 |issn=1742-1705}}</ref> Although that presented a great opportunity for increased employment in Sri Lanka, the economic compensation was not enough to suffice the living expenses of those employed. Thus, most farmers relied on modern methods to run their household, especially after the economic stressors brought on by COVID-19.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |author1=Ted Nordhaus |author2=Saloni Shah |date=March 5, 2022 |title=In Sri Lanka, Organic Farming Went Catastrophically Wrong |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/03/05/sri-lanka-organic-farming-crisis/ |access-date=2022-07-12 |website=Foreign Policy}}</ref>

However, while Sri Lanka was still facing the new challenges of the pandemic, in the [[2019 Sri Lankan presidential election|2019 presidential election]] campaign, the president, [[Gotabaya Rajapaksa]] proposed a 10-year, national transition to organic farming to declare Sri Lanka as the first nation to be known for its organic produce.<ref name=":7"/><ref>{{Cite news |title=A rush to farm organically has plunged Sri Lanka's economy into crisis |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/10/16/a-rush-to-farm-organically-has-plunged-sri-lankas-economy-into-crisis |access-date=2022-07-12 |issn=0013-0613}}</ref> On April 27, 2021,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-06-14 |title=Sri Lanka's organic revolution hits farmers hard |language=en |work=Le Monde.fr |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2022/06/14/in-sri-lanka-the-sabotage-of-an-organic-revolution_5986670_114.html |access-date=2022-08-22}}</ref> the country issued an order prohibiting the import of any inorganic pesticides or fertilizers, creating chaos among farmers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mendis |first=Bakthi Dharmapriya |title=Prof. Vandana Shiva hails Lanka's decision to ban chemical fertilizer |url=https://www.dailynews.lk/2021/06/09/local/251203/prof-vandana-shiva-hails-lanka%E2%80%99s-decision-ban-chemical-fertilizer |access-date=2021-10-05 |website=Daily News |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite web |date=2021-06-08 |title=Sri Lanka Going Organic: Rethink the strategy; Agriculturists Write to President |website=The Sri Lankan Scientist |url=https://scientist.lk/2021/06/08/sri-lanka-going-organic-rethink-the-strategy-agriculturists-write-to-president/ |access-date=2022-07-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Priyadarshana |first=Tharaka S. |date=2021-12-03 |title=Sri Lanka's hasty agrochemical ban |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abm9186 |journal=Science |language=en |volume=374 |issue=6572 |pages=1209 |doi=10.1126/science.abm9186 |pmid=34855499 |bibcode=2021Sci...374.1209P |s2cid=244856651 |issn=0036-8075}}</ref> While such a change was made over concerns for the nation's ecosystems and the health of citizens where pesticide poisonings prevailed over other health related deaths,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Van Der Hoek |first1=W. |last2=Konradsen |first2=F. |last3=Athukorala |first3=K. |last4=Wanigadewa |first4=T. |date=1998-02-01 |title=Pesticide poisoning: A major health problem in Sri Lanka |journal=Social Science & Medicine |language=en |volume=46 |issue=4 |pages=495–504 |doi=10.1016/S0277-9536(97)00193-7 |pmid=9460829 |issn=0277-9536}}</ref> the precipitous decision was met with criticism from the agriculture industry. This included fears that the mandate would harm the yields of the country's major crops (despite claims to the contrary), that the country would not be able to produce enough organic fertilizer domestically, and organic farming being more expensive and complex than conventional agriculture.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Organic food revolution in Sri Lanka threatens its tea industry |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/1/organic-food-revolution-sri-lanka-tea-industry |access-date=2022-07-12 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":10" /><ref name=":7" /> To put this into perspective, 7.4% of Sri Lanka's GDP is reliant on agriculture and 30% of citizens work in this sector.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-28 |title=Sri Lanka Commercial Guide |url=https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/sri-lanka-agricultural-sector |website=International Trade Administration}}</ref> This means that about ⅓ of its population is dependent on this sector for jobs, making its maintenance highly crucial for the prosperity of the nation's social and economic status. Of special concern was [[Rice production in Sri Lanka|rice]] and [[Tea production in Sri Lanka|tea]], which are a staple food and major export respectively.

Despite it being a record crop in the first half of 2021, the tea crop began to decline in July of that year.<ref name=":7" /> Rice production fell by 20% over the first six months of the ban, and prices increased by around 50%. Contrary to its past success at [[self-sustainability]], the country had to import US$450 million worth of rice to meet domestic demand.<ref name=":7" /> In late August, the government acknowledged the ban had created a critical dependency on supplies of imported organic fertilizers, but by then food prices had already increased twofold in some cases.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last1=P |first1=Samyak |last2=ey |date=2021-09-05 |title=How Sri Lanka's overnight flip to total organic farming has led to an economic disaster |url=https://theprint.in/world/how-sri-lankas-overnight-flip-to-total-organic-farming-has-led-to-an-economic-disaster/728414/ |access-date=2021-09-08 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref> In September 2021, the government declared an [[2019–present Sri Lankan economic crisis|economic emergency]], citing the ban's impact on food prices, as well as inflation from the devaluation of Sri Lankan currency due to the crashing tea industry, and a lack of tourism induced by COVID-19 restrictions.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Perumal |first=Prashanth |date=2021-09-06 |title=Explained {{!}} What caused the Sri Lankan economic crisis? |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/business/explained-what-caused-the-sri-lankan-economic-crisis/article36314148.ece |access-date=2021-09-07 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-09-01 |title=Covid: Sri Lanka in economic emergency as food prices soar |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58390292 |access-date=2021-09-05}}</ref><ref name=":9" />

In November 2021, the country partially lifted the ban on inorganic farming for certain key crops such as rubber and tea, and began to offer compensation and subsidies to farmers and rice producers in an attempt to cover losses.<ref name="The New York Times 2021sri">{{cite web |last1=Wipulasena |first1=Aanya |last2=Mashal |first2=Mujib |date=7 December 2021 |title=Sri Lanka's Plunge Into Organic Farming Brings Disaster |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/07/world/asia/sri-lanka-organic-farming-fertilizer.html |access-date=19 January 2022 |website=The New York Times}}</ref><ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Watt |first=Louise |date=2021-11-21 |title=Sri Lanka abandons drive to become world's first organic country amid spiralling food prices |language=en-GB |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2021/11/21/sri-lanka-abandons-drive-become-worlds-first-organic-country/ |access-date=2022-01-18 |issn=0307-1235}}</ref> The previous subsidies on synthetic fertilizer imports were not reintroduced.<ref name=":7" />