Previous Year Question
How is permaculture farming different from conventional chemical farming?
Permaculture farming discourages monocultural practices but in conventional chemical farming, monoculture practices are predominant.
Conventional chemical farming can cause increase in soil salinity but the occurrence of such phenomenon is not observed in permaculture farming.
Conventional chemical farming is easily possible in semi-arid regions but permaculture farming is not so easily possible in such regions.
Practice of mulching is very important in permaculture farming but not necessarily so in conventional chemical farming.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
1 and 3
1, 2 and 4
4 only
2 and 3
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
Meaning of permaculture
Permaculture is an agricultural and landscape-design approach that attempts to imitate the diversity, stability and recycling processes of natural ecosystems.
It can integrate polyculture, agroforestry, perennial plants, livestock, water harvesting, composting and local recycling of nutrients.
It is not limited to avoiding chemical fertilizers; it designs the entire farm as an interconnected system.
Statement 1—Correct
Permaculture generally favours polyculture and biodiversity over monoculture.
Different crops, trees, shrubs, animals and beneficial organisms can support one another through nutrient supply, shelter and biological pest control.
Large-scale cultivation of a single crop is more common in conventional chemical farming because it facilitates mechanisation and standardised chemical-input application.
Statement 2—Correct
Excessive irrigation, inadequate drainage and soluble salts introduced through fertilizers can lead to the accumulation of salts in soil.
The problem is particularly serious in arid and semi-arid areas, where rainfall may be insufficient to leach salts from the soil.
Soil cover, organic matter, water harvesting, diversified planting and lower dependence on synthetic inputs generally reduce salinisation risks in permaculture.
Scientifically, the statement that salinity can never occur in permaculture is too absolute: saline water or poor drainage can salinise any farm.
Statement 3—Incorrect
Permaculture can be adapted to semi-arid regions according to local ecological conditions.
Rainwater harvesting, contour bunds or swales, drought-tolerant native plants, agroforestry, organic matter and mulching can be employed.
These measures capture rainfall, improve infiltration and reduce evaporation.
Hence, it is incorrect to claim that conventional chemical farming is easily possible in semi-arid regions whereas permaculture is not. FAO-supported projects have applied permaculture-related land and water-management approaches in semi-arid landscapes.
Statement 4—Correct
Mulch is crop residue, leaves, grass, straw, wood chips or another material placed over the soil surface.
Keeping the soil covered is an important principle of permaculture.
Mulching reduces evaporation and erosion, conserves moisture, moderates soil temperature, suppresses weeds and—when organic mulch is used—adds organic matter.
Conventional chemical farms may also use mulch, but it is not an indispensable component of that farming system.