ABSTRACT
Adverse effects of modern horticultural practices on the health of all living beings and on the environment have been well documented all over the world. Their negative effects on the environment are manifested through soil erosion, water shortages, soil contamination, etc. Due to the negative impacts of modern horticulture, the concept of sustainable horticulture has developed. The successful management of resources for horticulture to satisfy changing human needs while maintaining or enhancing the quality of environment and conserving natural resources is sustainable horticulture. Organic horticulture is one of the several approaches found to meet the objectives of sustainable horticulture. It is considered the most coherent and stringent system that is designed and maintained to produce horticultural products by using methods and substances that maintain the integrity of organic horticultural products until they reach the consumer. This is accomplished by using substances to fulfill any specific fluctuation within the system so as to maintain long-term wastes to return nutrients to the land and handle the horticultural products without the use of extraneous synthetic additives or processing in accordance with the act and the regulations in this part. But, till now, India is lagging far behind in the adoption of organic horticulture. So far, the implementation of organic horticulture seems to be limited to a few horticultural crops. There is an urgent need that the government should pay attention at the policy-making levels for the spread of organic horticulture in the country. Substantial financial support by governments is absolutely necessary to promote organic farming. Similarly, market development for the organic products is a crucial factor to promote domestic sales. An important role of the government in this direction is giving various supports to the producer and consumer associations to market the products. The producer organizations must be encouraged to get accredited for inspection and certification in accordance with the National Standards for Organic Production.
