The Success of the Small Tea Growers of Sittong Evolving Rural Darjeeling into a Model Small-Scale Organic Tea Cultivation Center

The present study was focused on organic small tea plantations of Sittong (a village in Darjeeling) mainly due to their sudden rise in the Indian tea industry with a striking tactic i.e., organic tea cultivation. This cumulative survey and laboratorial experiments-based research focuses on the agricultural conversion in Sittong where farmers started to shift from vegetable and grain cultivation to small tea gardens. Soil physicochemical (pH and electric conductivity; organic carbon; organic matter; and available nitrogen content) and microbiological (determination of microbial cell mass and isolation of consortia; antibiotic and antifungal susceptibility test) characteristics were considered to assess the viability of this shifting agriculture practice and cross-verify the reflections of organic farming practices. The survey revealed that farmers have cultivated and rehabilitated the land in an acceptable manner before planting; they carried out the soil nutrient management practices organically. Survey also revealed economic perspectives including prices of their harvested tea leaves. Further, the moisture content analysis revealed its adequacy in the tea garden soils. Organic matter, organic carbon and available nitrogen were measured that reflected very high results compared to the optimum values suggested by the Tea Board of India. Microbial analysis results, as a cross-verifying tool, affirmed their organic farming practice by revealing microbes’ susceptible nature towards antibiotics and antifungals. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that the small tea growers in Sittong-3 are well-positioned to produce a high-quality of organic tea. Sittong was found to have potential to promote the rural areas of Darjeeling into an ideal place for small-scale organic tea cultivation, while also serving as an inspiration for small tea growers across the country.