the world of organic agriculture - Organic Eprints

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11 The Contribution of Organic Farming to Sustainable Development Lukas Kilcher 1 Organic agriculture can, especially in poorer countries, contribute to meaningful socio-economical and ecologically sustainable development. On the one hand, this is due to the organic practice, which means management of local resources (e.g. local seed varieties, dung, etc.) and therefore cost effectiveness. On the other hand, the market for organic products – at local and international level – has tremendous prospects for growth and offers to creative producers and exporters from the south some excellent opportunities to improve their incomes and living conditions. As to whether organic agriculture is a viable alternative for a particular holding, is somethingthat can only be clarified case by case. What are the potentials of organic agriculture for the solution of the hunger and poverty problems? What can organic agriculture contribute to socially and ecologically sustainable development in poor countries? Organic agriculture is sustainable and diverse At the core of organic agriculture are the promotion of soil fertility, biodiversity (e.g. native flora and fauna), locally adapted production methods and the renouncement of chemical inputs. Such methods and the cultivation of diverse crops stabilize the delicate eco-systems in the tropics and reduce drought sensitivity or pest infestations. Organic production lowers the risk of yield failure, stabilizes returns and therefore enhances food security of small farmer’s families. Picture 1: Agroforestry is a heartpiece of organic agriculture in the tropics. The cooperative “El Jobo” in Cuba applies this system with success: Besides the cash crops coffee, cocoa and grapefruit, the farmers of El Jobo plant a large number of shading trees (Inga, Erythrina, Leucaena etc.) and self-sufficiency crops (banana, beans, potatoes etc.). Agroforestry systems reach a higher stability of the agre-ecological system, improve the soil fertility, add nitrogen to the soil (Nfixation), protect the soils against erosion and weeds, add large amounts of organic matter by distributing leaf litter and keep the soil humid by shadowing the area and covering it with mulch. Agroforestry creates a diversity of micro-climatic effects and a diversity of plants; it is therefore a very sustainable production system. Photograph Lukas Kilcher, FiBL 1 Lukas Kilcher, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Head of the International Cooperation Department, Ackerstrasse, 5070 Frick, Switzerland, Internet http://www.fibl.org 91
Organic farmers conserve resources 92 The World of Organic Agriculture 2006 Closed nutrient cycles and an efficient use of local resources – for example compost, dung or seeds – are especially important for subsistence farmers depending on few, limited assets. To these farmers, organic agriculture means adapted technologies, more independence and a way out of the debt trap. Picture 2: Cameroonian farmer describing her observations in the field. The FiBL network of long-term system comparisons in the Tropics aims at examining the contribution of organic agriculture to food security, poverty alleviation and environmental conservation. It covers cash crop oriented systems as well as subsistence crop based systems, both under a wide range of agro-ecological and socio-economic conditions. Photograph Urs Scheidegger, SHL CH-Zollikofen
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16 Organic Farming in Latin America
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1 Foreword We herewith present the
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15 Organic Farming in Europe Turkey
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18 Organic farming in North America
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19 Achievements made and challenges
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Appendix Moldova, Portugal, Sloveni
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