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As the Green Revolution swept across continents after World War II, traditional ways of farming with nature were pushed aside. If a community or an individual chose to farm organically, their efforts were ignored by the mainstream and shoved behind the glamour of local county fairs, written off as backward or unscientific. Traditional practices that focused purely on maintaining long-term soil health were abandoned in favour of intensive, yield-heavy chemical inputs.
In pre-independence India, a British botanist named Sir Albert Howard arrived to teach Western chemical techniques. He was humbled by the local peasants instead. He noticed that the traditional Indian methods of recycling organic waste back into the soil created incredibly strong, pest-resistant crops. Howard took these observations back home, huddled a small group of thinkers who collectively realised that a natural, balanced organic plant nutrition system is singularly the most accountable aspect of organic farming.
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In 1939, one of the world's earliest organic farming funds was documented. Lady Eve Balfour of England launched a project known as the Haughley Experiment. Her work proved that the biological efficiency of soil was superior to chemical prowess. It garnered such immense success and attention that it led to the formation of the Soil Association in 1946, the world's first organisation to promote organic farming.
Across the Atlantic, the Rodale Institute (1949, USA) became the first body globally to create independent research grants to help transition from chemicals to organic inputs. This funding loop allowed early agronomy pioneers to systematically test the performance of a clean, biological plant booster array over synthetic variants, validating alternative agriculture as a credible science.
A Synthetic ‘Green’ Revolution
Post-World War II (late 1940s), synthetic fertiliser became a global fad. Usage numbers surged by millions of tons annually. And by the end of 1949, consumption of over 14 million metric tons was recorded across 70+ countries, with the US, Germany, Britain and Japan being the chief industrial mammoths.
Rodale raised the initial $5,000 USD through public donations from his Organic Gardening and Farming magazine readers. The first recipients were independent growers who used the money to establish Walnut Acres. This small-scale backing proved that scaling fields through clean, chemical-free organic farming methods laid the foundation for a forthcoming $100 billion market!
Many institutional players began following the blueprint of these early grants. The late 1950s witnessed more localised standard setting for organic farming, chemical fertiliser use, and other guidelines based on various factors such as area, topography, temperature, geography, population size, etc. Early researchers focused heavily on deploying localised botanical extracts to discover non-toxic methods for crop management.
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Farming Against the Storm
In 1972, five progressive groups convened in Versailles, France and formed the International Federation of Organic Agriculture (IFOAM). A ripple effect was sent through the mid-1980s and 90s, with more grants, committees and societies forming for the progress and propagation of organic farming.
In India, as the global organic farming wave took root, independent activists and NGOs formed the Association for Propagation of Indigenous Genetic Resources at Wardha, Maharashtra. India's first organized resistance against the chemical-heavy Green Revolution was staged, championing the production of localized, certified organic farming products.
The historic Bordi Conference was held in Maharashtra in 1990 led by pioneering agricultural philosophers like Bhaskar Save revered as the Gandhi of Natural Farming. Discussions focused on sustainable agriculture, traditional holistic farming systems, and the deep integration of non-violence into lifestyle alternatives. Save's ideology inspired a core group of founders to establish Vanvadi, a renowned 65-acre forest-regeneration and collective farming community in Maharashtra, that relies on traditional organic plant fertilizers, especially for the forest floor.
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In 2001, the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) was launched. Its establishment paved the way for targeted financial grants through an institutional framework. Farmers, cooperatives and companies today can secure these opportunities and monitor them through the central Jaivik Kheti portal that tracks state-sponsored allocations. Growers tested the commercial viability of natural bio stimulant for early crop development.
Participation in these frameworks is community-vetted through the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS-India). This ambitiously cuts up to 60% of field expenditures. This way, smallholder unions, independent growers and cooperatives stay out of debt deathtraps and volatile market fluctuations while proving the long-term effectiveness of organic pest control products over synthetic ones.
Corporate players brought more serious infrastructure and regulatory organisation to organic farming. Conglomerates like Walmart and ITC Limited launched dedicated contract-backed organic frameworks in India. Domestic enterprises, namely Fabindia, Organic India, and 24 Mantra Organic, stepped in to build supply lines for organic farming products and technologies, and provide farmers with structured grants, standardised quality controls, and premium pricing.
The market of public subsidies, accolades, fellowships, grants, etc. is expanding and reshaping the culture of farming. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna deploys ₹31,500 per hectare over three years to cover inputs, training, and certification alongside the Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Padhati. Furthermore, the ₹1 lakh crore Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) unlocks interest-subvented post-harvest capital, while the foundational National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) institutionalises rigid export standards.
Rebellion with a Cause!
There are comprehensive database portals like Jaivik Bharat, APEDA NPOP & TraceNet, National Centre for Organic and Natural Farming (NCONNF) that act as repositories of state, national and district-level grants, alongside step-by-step documentation guidelines and direct links to help agro communities navigate the formal application process. Urban hobbyists can also discover certified organic pesticides for garden and household use.
The eligibility criteria to apply for these grants remain expansive. It spans individual growers, local cooperatives, Farmer Producer Organisations, smallholder groups in a three-year chemical transition, etc. Public cluster grants like Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, Jaivik India or Dharti Mitr Awards are also sought for progressive, cash-value prices, and for more independent progressive growers, these validate organic pesticides on a significantly regional level.
Securing these grants renders a vital economic cushion for absorbing operational risks. During the initial transition phase, farmlands frequently experience temporary yield drops. Applying for financial backing guarantees baseline security and protects families from debt traps, with their farmland naturally regenerating for the future with organic farming and biotechnology farming methods.
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Awards, grants, commissions, etc. are incentives, and unlike loans, one does not have to worry about earning to pay back. However, there are some rudimentary standards and criteria to maintain that are protocolic to receiving the grant. Applicants must hold valid land titles, income certificates, or certified Farmer Producer Organisation cards. Once approved, retaining the funds requires strict adherence to systems such as the aforementioned PGS-India. PGS also mandates regular soil testing and complete exclusion of synthetic chemicals to verify compliance.
Internationally, Andhra Pradesh’s Community-Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) program recently defeated global competitors and secured Sweden’s $1.5 million USD Food Planet Prize.
Such milestones, when coupled with research backing from global bodies like the OFRF, SARE, Rodale Institute, etc., cement biological agriculture as a high-value, data-backed global asset class.
Another landmark victory for India was the Sikkim Organic Mission receiving the prestigious UNFAO Future Policy Gold Award for converting an entire state to 100% certified organic cultivation.
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Make ‘way’ while the Sun shines!
The transition from a chemical-heavy dependence to a bio-conscious future is fully underway. As a progressive organic fertiliser company, Lacgene does not merely passively watch the shift happen. We are actively leading the change by engineering organic inputs which can bridge the gaps between research and execution timelines for improved and sustainable soil health and retained fertility. Our primary goal is to deliver comprehensive, reliable farming solutions. Aligning firmly with India's highest regulatory standards, we have secured the NPOP and Jaivik Bharat certifications.
Our core initiative, Farm Better, remains consistently advocative for clean, residue-free agricultural practices, starting with organic fertilizer. We equip farmer cooperatives, unions, and commercial enterprises with organic inputs and high-efficiency biological solutions that naturally restore soil fertility and ecological resilience without adverse side effects.
