From Ecopedia

Overview

Organic production involves making use of eco-friendly materials as well as practices in farming to improve the ecological balance of naturally occurring systems, besides integrating the farming system parts into one ecological whole.

The USDA National Organic Program (NOP), which sets production standards in the US, defines organic production as a biological production management system for promoting and enhancing biodiversity, ecological cycles as well as soil biological activity.

Organic production practices are primarily based on minimal utilization of off-farm inputs, while management practices tend to restore, sustain and improve the ecological harmony of the land.

Organic principles that characterize organic farming include:

• Biodiversity
• Integration
• Sustainability
• Biological pest management
• Natural plant nutrition
• Ecological integrity
• Recycling

Most organic production operations would reflect the principles in a lesser or a greater degree.

However, organic farming practices cannot fully ensure that all organically-produced products are totally free of any residue. Organic methods serve to ensure that very-minimal levels of soil, water and air pollution could be achieved.

The primary aim of organic agriculture is to optimize both the productivity and the health of various interdependent communities of plants, soil life, animals and humans.

USDA’s NOP sets standards for producing, handling as well as processing organically farmed agricultural products in the US. The Program also administers mandatory certification of organically grown crops. All products meeting the criteria of the NOP would certify as “USDA Certified Organic”.

Environmental Information

Organic farmers use age-tested ecologically-sustainable farming techniques such as crop rotation, composted animal manure use as well as green manure crops which aid in sustaining biodiversity and replenishing soil fertility.

In organic production, the overall health of the system is emphasized to ensure a proper balance of the ecological cycles. Many organic production practices by entailing the use of cover crops, animal manures and green manures conserve the fertility of soils, besides maximizing biological activity as maintaining long-term health of the soil.

By using biological control of pests, weeds and insects, organic farmers contribute to lowering of carbon footprint. Other organic techniques such as rotational grazing and hybrid forage pastures for various livestock operations assure the health of the environment.

By completely eliminating the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, hormones and antibiotics, organic farmers ensure protection of the ecosystem. Organic agricultural practices rely on natural agricultural models, which encourage recycling of nutrients, use of natural predators for pest control and increase of plant densities for blocking harmful weeds. Instead of simply substituting inorganic, toxic-materials with non-toxic materials, organic farmers treat the farm as a complete and integrated whole, interconnecting all parts into one integrated entity. Also, by incorporating poultry and livestock into organic systems, biodiversity of the farm is sustained. Furthermore, many studies concluded that under drought conditions, organic systems perform much better than any conventional system, relying on inorganic chemicals for production.

References

http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/ofp/ofp.shtml http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/NOP/standards/DefineReg.html http://www.sare.org/publications/organic/organic01.htm http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/organiccrop.html http://www.sare.org/publications/organic/organic01.htm