Sikkim World’s First 100 Percent Organic State
Why in News?
- North-eastern state Sikkim on October 12, 2018 won the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Future Policy Award 2018 for being the world’s first 100 percent organic state.
- Sikkim defeated 51 nominated policies from 25 countries, winning the Gold Prize of the Future Policy Award 2018, also known as “Oscar for Best Policies”.
- This year’s award is co-organised by the FAO, the World Future Council (WFC) and IFOAM – Organics International. Brazil, Denmark and Quito shared the silver award.
Sikkim’s policy and achievement:
- Sikkim’s transition to organic farming “has benefited over 66,000 family farmers, reaching beyond just organic production to include socioeconomic aspects such as consumption and market expansion, rural development and sustainable tourism with its comprehensive and inclusive approach. Sikkim implemented a phase out policy of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and achieved a total ban on sale and use of chemical pesticides in the state. Sikkim tourism sector got benefitted greatly from the state’s transition to 100 percent organic as the number of tourists increased by over 50 percent between 2014 and 2017.