This big bundle of benefits helps producers turn out top-quality crops to organic standards, like in Andhra Pradesh in South India where Oxfam is working to change beliefs, practices and policy in the cotton industry.
With Oxfam's help, more than 2000 farmers have adopted sustainable organic agricultural practices. Oxfam Unwrapped has funded training for farmers on the benefits of organic farming and how to meet organic certification standards, plus vital equipment, like two power sprayers for spraying bio-pesticides in Manikyapuram village.
Mudu Tukya lives in Kambala Kunta Thanda in the Warangal district. He says: "I used to cultivate only paddy and vegetables. Now I am cultivating cotton also, thanks to organic farming which has opened my eyes."
Initially local farmers were not in favour of farming cotton organically. "When people came to our village and asked us to modify farming methods, I did not take them seriously. We had been using pesticides to kill pests and nitrogenous compounds to improve soil fertility. There was no reason for any kind of changes."
"Then my land lost its fertility and my field was attacked by pests that could not be tamed. A team from MARI [Oxfam's partner organisation in this region] explained the basics of organic farming. Right in front of my eyes, the team prepared a mixture of neem seeds powder and extracts of neem leaves. The team collected some of the pests and applied the concoction. To my surprise, the pests died after 10 minutes. Since then, I have stuck to organic farming."
Tukya has now become an advocate of organic farming in his village, saying: "The farmers who have adopted organic farming are beginning to see what it does to their yield and how it helps improve overall health. Cases of farmers becoming sick while spraying pesticides in fields have come down."