The crisis in Sri Lanka rekindles debate over organic farming (TIME Magazine) 

TIME Magazine published an article about how Sri Lanka and its economic turmoil have brought the South Asian nation to a point of instability precipitated by its disastrous shift to organic farming—posing new questions about the viability of sustainable agriculture.  With 22 million people, Sri Lanka would have been the first to transition to organic farming nationwide. Instead, it sank into its worst social unrest. Shahidur Rashid, director for South Asia, says: “Politicians will now think, ‘Why take the risk?’” Reducing chemical pollutants in soil, water, and the air is undeniably good for the environment, he says. “But the question is, how do we do that? It should be a gradual process.” Devesh Roy, a senior research fellow at IFPRI, says that while a common argument for organic farming is food safety—it’s healthier because of less exposure to chemicals—it may not be sustainable from the economic perspective because of lower yield. Sri Lanka’s attempt to transition backfired since its thin portfolio of exports—tourism, tea, coconut, and rubber—increased its exposure to risks. “That’s such a short list; if your yield falls 50 percent, will you not have a foreign exchange crisis?” he says. Any move toward sustainability should also be coupled with the right technology, adds Rashid. Methods like vertical farming, which helps reduce the amount of land needed to grow food, and precision agriculture—which uses information technology and big data to regulate cultivation—can be useful if a country wants to pursue an all-organic or less resource-intensive agriculture. But some of the technology needed to support this green revolution is “not there yet,” Rashid says.