Geography
Organic Farming
Organic farming is a method of agricultural production that avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and genetically modified organisms. It relies on natural processes and cycles to maintain soil fertility and control pests. Organic farming promotes biodiversity, reduces environmental impact, and often involves sustainable practices such as crop rotation and composting.
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12 Key excerpts on "Organic Farming"
- Majeti Narasimha Vara Prasad, Chitranjan Kumar(Authors)
- 2023(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
2022 ). In this context, Organic Farming is an environmentally, economically, and socially accepted way to produce food, and it has attracted substantial attention in recent years.On a per unit area basis, organic agriculture has been shown to have several environmental benefits compared to conventional agriculture. It reduces pesticide use, it can increase biodiversity (Bengtsson et al. 2005 ; Hole et al. 2005 ), reduce soil erosion (Siegrist et al. 1998 ), increase soil fertility (Leifeld and Fuhrer 2010 ), use less energy, and reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions (Gomiero 2016 ), and may reduce nitrogen losses from the system (Drinkwater et al. 1998 ).Organic Farming focuses on the natural equilibrium of the soil–plant system, producing high quality and healthy food by banning harmful residues and toxic substances for humans and animals (Mondelaers et al. 2009 ; Durrer et al. 2021 ).5.3 Organic Farming–An Environmentally Sustainable Trend Expanding Worldwide
One of the most important challenges of human society is meeting the food demands of the world's growing population, which is predicted to increase to 9.8 billion by 2050 from a current 7.7 billion (United Nations. Population Division 1999 ; Davis et al. 2016 ; Aghasafari et al. 2020 ; United Nations 2022 ).Organic agriculture is an ecologically safer production system, expanding globally as the demand for sustainability increases, being known as a viable solution for the modern farming crisis (Eyhorn et al. 2019 ; Smith et al. 2019 ). Organic Farming has had a significant worldwide development in recent years and is defined as a production system that promotes human, plant, animal, and soil health, sustains ecological systems and biodiversity, ensures equity in relation to the environment and life opportunities, and preserves the health of future generations and the environment, which refer to IFOAM's four principles of Health, Ecology, Fairness, and Care (IFOAM 2016 ; Aghasafari et al. 2020
eBook - ePub- Victor M. Shorrocks(Author)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- 5m Books(Publisher)
What is Organic Farming? (EU, 2007, 2014). Its somewhat vague definition of Organic Farming is that it is a system that seeks to provide the consumer with fresh, tasty and authentic food while respecting natural life-cycle systems. The essential features include:- Rotating crops.
- Limiting the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, antibiotics and food additives.
- Prohibiting the use of GM organisms.
- Choosing plant and animal varieties that are resistant to disease and are adapted to local conditions.
- Taking advantage of on-site production of animal feed and manure.
- Raising livestock in free-range, open-air systems and providing them with organically grown feed.
- Using appropriate animal husbandry practices.
UK
The Food Standards Agency (FSA, 2006), which is neither for nor against organic food, commented that the agency recognizes:- The availability of organic food increases choice.
- Consumers may choose to buy organic food because of concern about the environment and animal welfare.
- Eating organic food can help minimize people’s intake of pesticide residues and additives.
- Consumers may also choose to buy organic food because they believe that it is the healthier option.
USA
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), an advisory body for the US government (USDA, 2009), defines organic agriculture as an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation and GM crops cannot be used. A product labelled organic in the USA must contain at least 95% organically produced material.Non-governmental bodies
Greenpeace
Greenpeace (2010) considers that the definition of what constitutes organic agriculture should be under constant revision in order to reflect the latest science and changing market conditions. In view of its opposition to GM crops such revisions could allow for the championing of new causes against developments in agricultural science.
No longer available |Learn more- (Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Library Press(Publisher)
________________________ WORLD TECHNOLOGIES ________________________ Chapter- 3 Organic Farming Organic Farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rota-tion, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm. Organic Farming excludes or strictly limits the use of manu-factured fertilizers and pesticides, plant growth regulators such as hormones, livestock antibiotics, food additives, and genetically modified organisms. Organic Farming usually involves mechanical weed control (via cultivating or hoeing) rather than herbicidal weed control. Organic agricultural methods are internationally regulated and legally enforced by many nations, based in large part on the standards set by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), an international umbrella organization for Organic Farming organizations established in 1972. IFOAM defines the overarching goal of Organic Farming as: Organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved.. —International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements Since 1990, the market for organic products has grown from nothing, reaching $51 billion in 2008. This demand has driven a similar increase in organically managed farmland. Approximately 35,200,000 hectares (87,000,000 acres) worldwide are now farmed organically, representing approximately 0.8 percent of total world farmland (2008). In addition, as of 2008 organic wild products are harvested on approximately 31 million hectares.
eBook - PDF- Elisa Gomez Gonzalez(Author)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- Delve Publishing(Publisher)
One of the greatest challenges confronting humanity lies in understanding biodiversity, being educated in its use, caring for it, and conserving it. Obach (2015) revealed that Organic Farming can enhance plant and animal development as well as increase growth in crops more than conventional farming can. Scientifically, it has been proven that organically farmed land normally yield larger areas of semi-natural border plant life in addition to greater vegetation in cropland and woodland and greater fertility in crops. Some of the major semi-natural habitats include woodland, field margins, and hedgerows. Woodland consists of simple borders on conventional farms, and fields comprise of farmland in which crops are grown (Obach, 2015). It has been found that the conventional farmlands normally contain more wooded areas and the organic farmlands contain more forestland. It can therefore be concluded that conventional farmers could increase vegetation variety in farmland by applying ecological farming methods. Advancements in biotechnological innovation in agricultural sector have led to improvements in hybrid seed design and production, making Agricultural Sustainability 236 crops more pest resistant and able to grow larger and faster. Further, new herbicides are more effective in protecting crops than previous herbicides were. However, such advances are mainly available to big farming enterprises, which are usually better able to afford the technology (Esteve, Brebbia, & Rico, 2008) (Figure 10.2). Figure 10.2: Key components of Organic Farming ( Source: http://agritech.tnau. ac.in/org_farm/orgfarm_introduction.html). 10.5. IMPORTANCE OF VERTICAL INTEGRATION IN SUSTAINABLE Organic Farming Vertical integration is a process in which a market system synchronizes by coordinating various phases of production and distribution. It requires a relationship among the farmer, buyer, and supply chain. There different reasons why farmers choose vertical integration.
- Rattan Lal, B.A. Stewart, Rattan Lal, B.A. Stewart(Authors)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
Much of the increased cereal production during this 50-year period was due to a dou-bling of irrigated land from about 140 to 280 million ha and an increase in synthetic N fertilizer from about 9 to 100 Mt (Smil 2011). Organic agriculture, generally considered as a more sustainable system, has grown rapidly in the past few years. From 1999 to 2010, organic agriculture increased almost fourfold from 11 to 37 Mha. While this is still a tiny portion of the world’s cropland, its rapid growth is occurring in more than 100 countries (IFOAM 2012). While some believe that more sustainable systems like Organic Farming can pro-duce enough food to feed the world, others believe that the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer is absolutely essential. This paper will look at some of the facts and myths of Organic Farming methods. 4.2 Organic Farming As defined by IFOAM (2012), organic agriculture is a production system that sus-tains the health of soils, ecosystems, and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity, and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation, and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved. IFOAM (2012) further elaborates that Organic Farming is based on four principles, as follows: 1. Health: Organic agriculture should sustain and enhance the health of soil, plant, animal, human, and planet as one and indivisible. 2. Ecology: Organic agriculture should be based on living ecological systems and cycles, work with them, emulate them, and help sustain them. 3. Fairness: Organic agriculture should build on relationships that ensure fairness with regard to the common environment and life opportunities. 4. Care: Organic agriculture should be managed in a precautionary and responsible manner to protect the health and wellbeing of current and future generations and the environment.
Available until 10 Dec |Learn moreOrganic Futures
The Case for Organic Farming
- Adrian Myers(Author)
- 2005(Publication Date)
- Green Books(Publisher)
I should like to explain my use of the terms ‘agriculture’ and ‘farming’. When discussing organic agriculture, the subject is often restricted to the Western, commercial way of farming. This, in my view, is a very exclusive and limited way of thinking. I use the term to include all farming, whether small- or large-scale, horticulture, forestry, or private or community gardening for food. In the Third World, as Vandana Shiva (physicist, ecologist and activist) has so forcefully commented:“It is women and small farmers working with biodiversity who are the primary food providers in the Third World, and contrary to the dominant assumption, their biodiversity-based small farms are more productive than industrial monocultures.”6Above all, I hope the book will be of interest to the general public, who are becoming increasingly interested in the subject not only because of concerns about the quality of our food, health, the environment, GM crops and the treatment of animals, but also because they want to know more about the philosophies, science, ideas and history of organic methods over the centuries, as well as the latest scientific knowledge that has transformed our understanding of the ancient methods of farming and taken them to new levels.Defining Organic FarmingWhen we go to the shops to buy something marked ‘organic produce’, what does it mean?What are organic farmers doing that conventional farmers are not? We often think that Organic Farming is just about growing crops without chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, but in fact it is much more profound than that. The best way to start is to begin by quoting from Lynda Brown’s The Shopper’s Guide to Organic Food:
- OECD(Author)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- OECD(Publisher)
Secondly, Organic Farming especially in the developed world, has always been perceived as a competitive means of on- and off-farm (the latter through its economy-wide linkages) diversification and as a reaction to rising consumer demand for safe, high-quality food. 3. WHAT DOES Organic Farming MEAN FOR GREEN GROWTH? – 57 FARM MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO FOSTER GREEN GROWTH © OECD 2016 Many studies found that labour requirements per hectare on organic farms are higher than their conventional counterparts (e.g. Hird, 1997; Jansen, 2000; Lataccz-Lohmann and Renwick, 2002) given that they have more labour-intensive production activities (e.g. complex rotation systems, mixed farming); that there is a higher share of labour-intensive crops (e.g. fruit and vegetables), less mechanisation, more on-farm processing and trading, and higher requirements for information (Morison et al., 2005). It has been argued, however, that labour needs in Organic Farming vary according to industry and country characteristics. For example, organic horticulture farms need considerably more labour, while organic cereal-livestock and dairy farms might not require any more labour than their conventional counterparts. Offerman and Nieberg (2000) reviewed over 40 European studies between 1990 and 1997, and found that labour use per hectare is, on average, 10-20% higher on organic farms, although considerable variability exists between countries. Häring et al. (2001) suggest that, despite the fact that Organic Farming requires a higher level of labour than conventional farming, it has had no significant effects on employment in rural regions in Europe because of its relatively small size. (Greer et al., 2008) finds that higher labour requirements compared to conventional farming practices are used by organic kiwi farms in New Zealand, while Clavin and Moran (2011) found that labour needs of organic cattle farms in Ireland were 15% higher than those on conventional cattle farms.
eBook - PDF- Panda, Himadri(Authors)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- Genetech(Publisher)
Emissions of toxic substances and dependence on non-renewable resources are limited. Organic practices are inherently better-adapted to prevailing agro-ecological conditions. Export-oriented organic agriculture is attractive because of premium prices paid by North American and Western European consumers for certified organic products such as coffee, tea, vegetables, and cotton. The export income of these farms and estates is supplemented by a cash income from the sale of some products in the local market, primarily animal products introduced into the farming system to cover the need for manure. Furthermore, export-oriented organic farms produce food for home This ebook is exclusively for this university only. Cannot be resold/distributed. consumption, as well as by-products. Because of this increased product diversity, dependence on export income is lower than in comparable conventional export crop production. Subsistence-oriented organic agriculture is attractive for marginalized farmers who primarily produce food crops for home consumption because food self-sufficiency and self-reliance for soil fertility and pest management are improved. Several cases are located in marginal areas which are in various stages of degradation. Organic practices combine well with efforts to regenerate soil, control erosion, or harvest water because of the many positive ecological effects of simple methods. Compost for example, improves soil fertility, nutrient recycling, water retention, infiltration, and soil life. Contour farming with leguminous shrubs and trees replaces NPK fertilizers while at the same time improving soil structure and the microclimate and reducing weeds and erosion. In those situations organic agriculture allows sustainable productive use of marginal lands, combining improved food security and food self sufficiency with minimal capital investment.
eBook - PDF- Vytautas Pilipavicius(Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- IntechOpen(Publisher)
There are also considerable differences in biodiversity, which, within the conventional farming, markedly suffers not only due to crop range reduction leading to monocultures in fact, but also thanks to reduction of associated fauna and flora thought as harmful and thus systematically eliminated or suffering from pesticides or other biocide substances at the same time. By contrast, Organic Farming purposefully supports biodiversity, takes advantage of more adaptable animal and crop species and varieties to the habitat conditions, uses varied crop rotations, species and variety mixtures, applies technical and organizational measures friendly to the organisms and the environment. Organic Farming systems are also more environmen‐ tally friendly with regard to the greenhouse gases emissions production. Above all, this emission reduction is achieved thanks to the limited use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and lower livestock production intensity. Although the Organic Farming systems show much friendlier environmental impact when compared to the conventional ones, there has still been room for further improvements. When compared to the conventional farming systems, one of the most important weakness of contemporary Organic Farming is a low production capability. In countries with established Organic Farming yields on arable land reach only 45-100 % in comparison to conventional farming. This difference shows a specific reserve and rising potential of the production capability through appropriate intensification related to natural fertility of a habitat. Among the environmentally acceptable (rational, biological, technological…) means and methods of the ecofunctional intensification within Organic Farming systems belong e.g.: • Better management of the soil organic matter • Use of perennial leguminous plants • Support of the soil-plant interaction Organic Agriculture Towards Sustainability 268
eBook - PDFOrganic Farming
A Promising Way of Food Production
- Petr Konvalina(Author)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- IntechOpen(Publisher)
It is based on substances of natural origin, which are not technologically processed [74]. Organic Farming system is based on the use of environmentally friendly production methods that include crop rotations with a large share of legumes, organic fertilizers, and non-chemical methods of plant protection. Due to the resignation from the application of synthetic mineral fertilizers and chemical plant protection products, Organic Farming has an even greater positive The Role of Biological Diversity in Agroecosystems and Organic Farming http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/61353 11 impact on the diversity of flora and fauna than the integrated system [19, 22, 56, 59, 75–77]. The results of many studies point to the positive effects of Organic Farming on diversity of flora and fauna on arable lands and grasslands [76–81]. Dynamic development of Organic Farming is observed in the EU, including Poland [82]. Some authors believe that the dissemination of ecological system on agricultural areas may help reverse the negative trend of the decline of biodiversity in the cultivated fields, which was caused by the intensification of agriculture [19, 82]. The most direct way to capture the effects of human activities on biodiversity is to analyze time-series data from ecological communities or populations, relating changes in biodiversity to changes in human activities. Such long-term research (1996–2011) on weed flora diversity in different crop production systems, organic, integrated, and conventional, were conducted in the Experimental Station of the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation – State Research Institute (IUNG-PIB) in Puławy, Poland [N: 51º28’, E: 22º04’] (Table 1).
eBook - PDFThe Atlas of Food
With a New Introduction
- Erik Millstone(Author)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- University of California Press(Publisher)
Much of the world is already farmed organically, by people in the developing world using traditional methods of cultivation. And while agrochemical companies are encouraging farmers to use chemicals, research is showing how organic composts can also dramatically increase yields. Organically enriched soil holds more moisture, enabling vegetables to be grown even during dry periods. Many of the techniques devised by organic farmers have now been adopted by conventional farmers, including the “community ecology” approach to controlling pests, which encourages natural predators. Certain countries, such as Cuba, are leading the world in their adoption of organic methods. Since the collapse of Cuba’s major trading partner, the Soviet Union, in the 1990s, and the consequent loss of income with which to buy agrochemicals, it has, out of necessity, turned to Organic Farming to feed its people. It organically produces 65 percent of its rice and nearly 50 percent of its fresh vegetables, many of the latter produced in an urban environment. Australia has the largest area under organic management, much of it supplying organic beef, while some European countries have the highest percentage of land certified organic. Production is rising fastest in the developing world. The production of organic meat, dairy produce and eggs is increasing, especially in the industrialized countries. Even in the USA there is a significant rise in organically reared poultry. in USA in EU 1995 370 sq km 2000 900 sq km 2005 16,203 sq km 1995 1,252 sq km 2000 3,944 sq km 2005 63,000 sq km INCREASE IN ORGANIC LAND 1995–2005 square kilometres O RGANIC F ARMING 60 22 15 Pesticides; 16 Fertilizers; 19 Urban Farming
eBook - ePubOrganic Farming
Policies and Prospects
- Stephan Dabbert, Anna Maria Haring, Raffaele Zanoli(Authors)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Zed Books(Publisher)
In the example mentioned, France, the small size of the organic sector accounts for some of the observed differences. Summary Organic Farming was a rapidly growing sub-sector of European agriculture during the last decade of the twentieth century. A smooth growth curve at European level masks markedly distinct developments in single countries. The overall significance of Organic Farming in the European context is still quite small in terms of land area used. Although organic farms tend to be found in the least profitable areas for agriculture, the uneven spatial distribution of Organic Farming is not yet fully understood. A concentration of organic farms in less favourable regions may be due to economic factors. As a consequence of this uneven spatial distribution across Europe, some important countries in terms of conventional cereal production (like France and Spain) do not rank very high on the list in organic production, mainly because of their small organic sectors. Their place is taken by countries which rank much lower in conventional cereal production but are characterised by a higher share of Organic Farming. Policy and market influences are likely factors explaining why Organic Farming is much more important in some countries than in others. Markets Size, growth, per capita spending As a proportion of the total food market, the market for organic food and beverages is still quite small (Table 2.1). In absolute terms, retail sales are substantial and are estimated to stand at around US$17.5 billion for the most important countries. In the medium term, further growth in retail sales is expected at a rate of 10–30 per cent per year
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