India’s ‘fully organic’ Sikkim state wins top UN-backed prize for its ecological revolution
It was declared 100 per cent organic in 2016 after phasing out chemical fertilisers and pesticides and substituting them with sustainable alternatives
India’s first fully organic state won the top prize in a United Nations-backed award on Friday, with organisers saying its policies had helped more than 66,000 farmers, boosted tourism and set an example to other countries.
The small Himalayan state of Sikkim on India’s border with Tibet was declared fully organic in 2016 after phasing out chemical fertilisers and pesticides and substituting them with sustainable alternatives.
Sikkim’s experience shows that “100 per cent organic is no longer a pipe dream but a reality”, said Maria-Helena Semedo, deputy director general of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which co-organises the Future Policy Awards.
The awards have previously honoured policies combating desertification, violence against women and girls, nuclear weapons and pollution of the oceans.
Sikkim sets an excellent example of how other countries worldwide can successfully upscale agroecology
This year’s was for agroecology, which includes shunning chemicals, using crop residues as compost, planting trees on farms and rotating crops to improve the soil and protect against pests.