Gujarat to set up nation’s first Organic Farming University

Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel announced country’s first university exclusively focussing on organic farming. The main objective is to help farmers in switching to unconventional methods of farming.
•    A fund of Rs 10 crore has been earmarked towards the university in the annual 2016-17 budget, presented recently.
•    The place may be chosen near to agriculture Kamdhenu University in Gandhinagar district.
•    For promoting organic farming, state government has taken steps like setting up of a cell to implement its new organic farming policy.
•    Organic food is food that has been grown or processed without synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers, irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.
•    The organic food movement began in the 1940s in response to the Green Revolution. The Green Revolution marked a significant increase in food production due to the introduction of high-yield varieties, the use of pesticides, and better management techniques.
•    When farmers spray pesticides, this can leave residue on produce. Organic farmers use insect traps, careful crop selection (disease-resistant varieties), predator insects or beneficial microorganisms instead to control crop-damaging pests.
•    Currently, 800 million people suffer from hunger and malnutrition worldwide. Around 16 million will die from it. 
•    If conventional farming were replaced by organic farming, the number of people suffering would explode to 1.3 billion, assuming farmers use the same amount of land they are using now.