Report And Recommendations On Organic Farming

Abstract: A comprehensive USDA study of organic farming inthe U.S., Japan, and Europe is focused on the rationales for choosing this method, the sociopolitical influences,technology and management systems, economic factors andsuccess, research and educational needs, and implementationmethods. Interest in organic farming is increasing as theadverse effects of intensive chemical farming become betterknown, such as costs and availability of energy and chemical fertilizer, decline of soil productivity, environmentalpollution, health hazards, and the decline of the familyfarm and local marketing. A few of the findings of the study are that the organic farming movement covers a widespectrum of practice and is not limited by size; ismotivated by concerns for conservation, health, and costcontrol; uses modern techniques, equipment, and managementpractices; is suited to crop-livestock interdependence; andis more labor intensive, less energy consuming, and lessprofitable than conventional farming.

Abstract: A comprehensive USDA study of organic farming inthe U.S., Japan, and Europe is focused on the rationales for choosing this method, the sociopolitical influences,technology and management systems, economic factors andsuccess, research and educational needs, and implementationmethods. Interest in organic farming is increasing as theadverse effects of intensive chemical farming become betterknown, such as costs and availability of energy and chemical fertilizer, decline of soil productivity, environmentalpollution, health hazards, and the decline of the familyfarm and local marketing. A few of the findings of the study are that the organic farming movement covers a widespectrum of practice and is not limited by size; ismotivated by concerns for conservation, health, and costcontrol; uses modern techniques, equipment, and managementpractices; is suited to crop-livestock interdependence; andis more labor intensive, less energy consuming, and lessprofitable than conventional farming.

This Agriculture Committee report is concerned with finding answers to the technical problem of how to increase UK production of organic food to meet the existing, rising demand and with the question of appropriate Government support for organic farming. It is not concerned with the promotion of organic farming as a public good. The report examines and makes recommendations on: the expansion of organic farming and the demand for organically produced foods in the UK; the supply chain and the role of supermarkets and producer-owned co-operatives; the system for certifying organic products and for setting standards; the role of Government in supporting organic farming through direct financial assistance and through indirect means such as research and development or training. The Committee has reservations about the claims made for organics and recommends that that claims can be tested and verified in order that consumers really know what they are buying. Clear standards are necessary. The Committee regards it as critical that supermarkets, which will be the main distribution channel for organic produce, are involved in the design of and are encouraged to co-fund future initiatives to further organic conversion. The report stresses the need for organic and conventional agriculture to be interdependent, it being unlikely that organic farming can ever provide the amount of food needed for the whole country. The best of both techniques should be used to ensure the greatest benefits for farmers, consumers and the wider community. The Committee views it as essential that, before determining how best to offer financial assistance, the Government should be clear as to the rationale for doing so and the objectives it wishes to achieve through this expenditure. These objectives must be tightly defined and made public. Finally, the report states that the Committee is not in favour of a dirigiste approach to agriculture in the UK. Agriculture must respond to the market place and farmers need to adopt clear plans that will allow it to do so, particularly the organic sector. "The past perhaps belonged to messianics: the future belongs to marketing".

The production of this manual is a joint activity between the Climate, Energy and Tenure Division (NRC) and the Technologies and practices for smallholder farmers (TECA) Team from the Research and Extension Division (DDNR) of FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy. The realization of this manual has been possible thanks to the hard review, compilation and edition work of Nadia Scialabba, Natural Resources officer (NRC) and Ilka Gomez and Lisa Thivant, members of the TECA Team. Special thanks are due to the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) for their valuable documents and publications on organic farming for smallholder farmers.

The new edition of this annual publication (previously published solely by IFOAM and FiBL) documents recent developments in global organic agriculture. It includes contributions from representatives of the organic sector from throughout the world and provides comprehensive organic farming statistics that cover surface area under organic management, numbers of farms and specific information about commodities and land use in organic systems. The book also contains information on the global market of the burgeoning organic sector, the latest developments in organic certification, standards and regulations, and insights into current status and emerging trends for organic agriculture by continent from the worlds foremost experts. For this edition, all statistical data and regional review chapters have been thoroughly updated. Completely new chapters on organic agriculture in the Pacific, on the International Task Force on Harmonization and Equivalence in Organic Agriculture and on organic aquaculture have been added. Published with IFOAM and FiBL