Volume II,Issue IV, March 2026
Volume-II, Issue-IV, March, 2026 |
Received: 25.03.2026 | Accepted: 28.03.2026 | ||
Published Online: 31.03.2026 | Page No: | ||
DOI: 10.69655/atmadeep.vol.2.issue.04W. | |||
আলুচাষে কীটনাশক-নির্ভরতা,
জৈব কৃষির সম্ভাবনা, সরকারি নীতি ও স্বাস্থ্য-সংকট: হুগলি জেলার প্রেক্ষিত
ড. মৌ সাউ, রাজ্য সাহায্য প্রাপ্ত কলেজ শিক্ষক, ভূগোল বিভাগ, রাজা রামমোহন
রায় মহাবিদ্যালয়, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ,
ভারত |
Pesticide Dependence in Potato Cultivation, Prospects of Organic Farming, Government Policy and Health Crisis: A Study of Hooghly District Dr. Mou Shaw, SACT, Department of Geography, Raja Rammohan Roy Mahavidyalaya, West Bengal, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
Potato cultivation occupies a pivotal place in the agrarian economy of Hooghly district, West Bengal. It is not only a food crop but also a major cash crop that shapes rural income, labour demand, storage, transport, and local trade. Yet the expansion of potato farming has increasingly been accompanied by intensive use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers, especially to control blight and other crop diseases. This article examines the growing dependence on pesticides in potato cultivation, its implications for farmers’ health, soil quality, water resources, and rural ecology, and the importance of connecting this debate with organic and sustainable alternatives. Drawing on findings from Hooghly district, the paper shows that frequent pesticide application, inadequate protective gear, weak access to scientific guidance, and market uncertainty have together deepened both production risk and health vulnerability. At the same time, bio-pesticides, crop rotation, healthy seed, organic composting, and farmer awareness are gradually opening a path toward safer cultivation. The article argues that sustainable potato farming requires an integrated policy framework involving farmer training, fair marketing, regulated storage, crop insurance, cooperative institutions, and support for value-added processing. The future of potato cultivation in West Bengal depends on balancing productivity, ecological resilience, farmer welfare, and public health. | ||
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