Take a photographic tour around the world’s first fully organic state
The kitchen of a family house in Yuksom
Matilde Gattoni
IN 2016, Sikkim in India became the world’s first fully organic state, with the aim of preserving the local environment, protecting its fragile ecosystems and rich biodiversity, and ensuring a healthier life for its people. All 760 square kilometres of farmland in this former independent kingdom, which is nestled between Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet, are certified organic, with a ban on importing or using chemical inputs.
![India - Sikkim - Farmers removing the hull from the rice in a paddy field located in the outskirts of Gangtok.](http://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/14112038/SEI_203193207.jpg?width=1200)
Farmers separating hulls from rice
Matilde Gattoni
Sikkim’s model – based on interconnection, rather than competition, between humans and nature – could lead the way towards a more sustainable future, as climate change forces the world to redefine its agricultural priorities.
![India - Sikkim - Young Buddhist monks in the courtyard of the Tshuklakhang Royal Monastery, one of the oldest monasteries in Sikkim. The Kangchenjunga can be seen in the background (top right). It is the third highest mountain in the world. It rises with an elevation of 8,586 m (28,169 ft) in a section of the Himalayas called Kangchenjunga Himal.](http://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/14112049/SEI_203192817.jpg?width=1200)
Buddhist monks in the courtyard of the Tsuklakhang Royal Monastery
Matilde Gattoni
According to local authorities, some early benefits of the organic revolution have been an increase in the population of bees and other wildlife and the rejuvenation of Sikkim’s shallow and arid soil.
![India - Sikkim - An orchid greenhouse seen at the Hidden Forest in Gangtok, a 3 acre retreat in the heart of the city hosting a wide variety of flowers and plants.](http://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/14112041/SEI_203192832.jpg?width=1200)
orchid greenhouse at the Hidden Forest Retreat in Gangtok
Matilde Gattoni
The change has also led to a spike in tourism in this inaccessible land of high peaks and pristine forests, interspersed with Hindu temples, remote Buddhist monasteries and sacred lakes.
![India - Sikkim - An organic field surrounds a traditional house in the village of Tingvong.](http://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/14112045/SEI_203192862.jpg?width=1200)
Traditional house in the village of Tingvong
Matilde Gattoni
The photos show (from top): the kitchen of a family house in Yuksom, where all vegetables grown in the garden are organic; farmers separating hulls from rice in a paddy field on the outskirts of Gangtok; Buddhist monks in the courtyard of the Tsuklakhang Royal Monastery, one of the oldest monasteries in Sikkim; an orchid greenhouse at the Hidden Forest Retreat in Gangtok; an organic field surrounding a traditional house in the village of Tingvong; and tea pickers at the government-owned Temi Tea Estate, an organic plantation (pictured below).
![India - Sikkim - Tea pluckers working at Temi Tea Estate, an organic plantation owned by the government.](http://images.newscientist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/14112030/SEI_203192842.jpg?width=1200)
Tea pickers at the Temi Tea Estate
Matilde Gattoni
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