Over the past decade, India has increasingly shifted its focus toward promoting sustainable agriculture. Terms like organic farming, zero-budget farming, integrated systems, and chemical-free agricultural practices have been embedded in budgetary speeches at least seven times between 2015 and 2025.
India's organic farming sector has witnessed remarkable growth in under a decade, as seen in the increase in area, production, and exports. In 2015, India's organic farming area stood at just 4.72 million hectares. By 2023, this figure had tripled to 10.17 million hectares, representing 2.6 per cent of the country’s total agricultural land. Similarly, organic production rose to 2.9 million metric tonnes by 2023.
The leading states in organic cultivation — Madhya Pradesh (26 per cent), Maharashtra (22 per cent), Gujarat (15 per cent) and Rajasthan (13 per cent) — have played a crucial role in India’s organic agricultural transformation.
A closer look at the numbers reveals a strong link between organic farming and tribal populations in India. Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan account for 76 per cent of the country’s total organic farming area. These states, along with Odisha, are home to 73.7 per cent of India's tribal population.
Madhya Pradesh, the leading state in organic farming, also has the highest tribal population, with 1.53 crore people, making up 24.09 per cent of its total population. Similarly, Maharashtra (1.05 crore), Odisha (0.96 crore), Rajasthan (0.92 crore), and Gujarat (0.89 crore) have significant tribal populations, according to the 2011 Census.
This connection is no coincidence. Tribal communities have practiced sustainable farming for centuries, long before modern organic methods were recognised. Currently, 8.6 per cent of India's population is tribal, with nearly 90 per cent living in rural areas, primarily engaged in agriculture as farmers or labourers.
Nearly two-thirds work in the primary sector, thriving in regions rich in natural resources. Their traditional farming methods, rooted in biodiversity conservation, have played a crucial role in shaping India’s organic farming success.
This deep historical connection has helped India achieve global recognition in organic farming, securing the world’s second-largest cultivable organic area and the highest number of organic farmers — 55 per cent of the total organic producers worldwide. Tribal communities have not only cultivated the land but also safeguarded it, ensuring its fertility for generations.
While the FAO's definition of organic farming emphasises 'locally adapted systems,' the same principle does not always hold true in the Indian context. A study by the Centre for Science and Environment highlighted that tribal farmers who follow traditional methods such as agroforestry, mixed cropping, and maintaining sacred groves may not always comply with Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) certification protocols, despite their farming being organic in essence.
The study found that over 50 per cent of organic farmers in tribal regions of Madhya Pradesh and Odisha faced certification challenges due to the rigidity of national frameworks. According to the UNDP, while organic certification through PGS has increased market access for some farmers, it has also led to a shift toward cash crops like soybeans and cotton in tribal regions, pushing out traditional crops like millets and sorghum.
Such an approach often prioritises statistical targets over addressing the actual problems faced by these communities. For instance, harvesting fox nut (makhana) requires specialised skills possessed by tribal communities. If they are pressured to cultivate crops that do not align with their traditional practices, it could erode their knowledge and experience honed over generations. This may unintentionally sideline traditional farming methods and disrupt their agricultural autonomy.
Sectoral development should not follow a 'one-size-fits-all' approach, where policies and initiatives are implemented without considering the unique and diverse agricultural systems of these communities, as this could threaten their cultural integrity.
A well-designed policy for organic farming in tribal regions must acknowledge the diversity of agricultural-tribal systems rather than impose a standardised framework. Tribal communities have practiced sustainable agriculture for centuries using various techniques. Any intervention must build on their traditions rather than replace them with rigid certification requirements or market-driven approaches that do not align with their way of life.
A practical way to support organic farming in tribal regions is through cooperatives that help farmers aggregate their produce, access markets, and secure fair prices. For example, small-scale tribal farmers in Thailand have successfully organised cooperatives to sell organic jasmine rice. Similarly, Peruvian indigenous farmers have gained global recognition for organic quinoa through cooperative networks. By working collectively, they have bypassed exploitative middlemen and secured fairer prices for their produce.
India has the potential to replicate and adapt such models by promoting the concept of "Brand Tribes." This initiative could help market and sell organic products grown by tribal farmers. Rural India’s agriculture is not just about food production; it is deeply tied to identity, heritage, and economic resilience. Using digital platforms, e-commerce and direct farm-to-consumer models, such initiatives can connect tribal farmers with buyers who value sustainable and ethical products, ensuring better prices and market reach. This approach would help ensure fair compensation for tribal producers while maintaining their agricultural autonomy.
However, any policy intervention must be community-led, culturally sensitive, and uphold the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent. Too often, external policies disrupt tribal farming systems under the guise of development. Instead, decision-making must involve active consultation with tribal communities, respecting their traditional agricultural knowledge and giving them control over how organic farming initiatives are implemented.
By shaping policies that respect and empower tribal communities, India can strengthen and preserve agro-tribal diversity, promote sustainable land use, and ensure that economic benefits flow directly to the indigenous farmers who have safeguarded these practices for generations.
Sakshi Dwivedi is assistant professor, Faculty of Food Safety and Quality, Institute of Good Manufacturing Practices India.
Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth.