The 100-percent green state – organic farming in Sikkim, Northeast India

Sikkim converted its agriculture to fully organic over the interval 2003 to 2016, and is the first state in India, and possibly worldwide, to achieve this distinction. It is also among India's most environmentally conscious states, having banned plastic water bottles and any styrofoam products. All so called ›Organic-Mission‹ policies have been implemented by Sikkim’s long time chief minister Pawan Chamling, who therefore enjoys high reputation among the Sikkimese people.

published in brand eins magazine 2018

Ploughing the field with a small hand cultivator at Thendup Tashi’s farm, Yangsum, West Sikkim; Above: one of Thendup’s neighbours at her house

Farmer Thendup Tashi at his living room

Cardamom plantation at his farm; The plant is the main cash crop to be sold for export

Pre-Himalayan landscapes with terrace cultivation, Yangsum, West Sikkim

Two cows live at the farm for milking

Thendup with a rare species of Avocado plants

Harvesting Turmeric in the fields

Turmeric

Peeling pea green in the kitchen

One of the farm’s buildings

Storage room with fresh vegetables

Pea green

Buckwheat

Deepa cooking at the farm’s kitchen

Staff having lunch

The farm’s Buddhist prayer room

Once a month a monk comes to visit the farm for prayers

A neighbour collecting grasshoppers for her children

Turmeric plants at a neighbour’s garden

Avocado shrubs in Thendup’s forest

Alisha harvesting spinach leaves

Yambdur Limboo, a neighbour from the village

Yambdur’s house

A plantation at the village

Women workers at Thendup’s farm

Family and staff at Thendup’s farm

Rinchenpong, a small town neighbouring with Thendup’s farm

Rinchenpong community market building, where organic farming products are traded twice a week

Customers leaving Rinchenpong’s organic market on a Saturday morning

A woman-seller at Gangtok organic market

Gangtok, capital of Sikkim, at an altitude of 1650m

Gangtok organic market, situated at the upper floor of the building

Organic market seller Sanfa Bir Rai at his stall

Gangtok morning mist with snowy Kangchenjunga summit apearing in the backgound, the world’s third highest mountain

Jharna Gurung, seller at Gangtok organic market

All market products are strictly certified organic agriculture from local cooperatives

Sikkim University, dept. of Horticulture building, Gangtok

The dept. of Horticulture’s greenhouse, where a variety of planting-research is done by the students

Dr. Laxuman Sharma, head of Sikkim University’s dept. of Horticulture, at his office

Dewan Limboo, one of Dr. Sharma’s students at his planting researches

A student at the laboratory

The department’s main laboratory

Students at the laboratory

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