The Real Green Revolution - Greenpeace UK

discussion of the similarities and differences
between organic farming and agroecology.
Legal definitions of organic produce are
codified in a number of formal standards that
define the regimes that producers (or
p rocessors) need to work within in order to
claim organic status. Globally there are more
than 100 diff e rent organic cert i f i c a t i o n
systems in place (Van Elzakker, cited in
Scialabba and Aubert, 1998). Of gre a t e s t
i m p o rtance are the international standard s :
the EU Organic Directive Regulation (CEC,
1991), the IFOAM (International Federation
of Organic Agricultural Movements) Basic
S t a n d a rds (IFOAM, 1999) and the guidelines
p roduced by the FAO/WHO Codex
Alimentarius Commission (1999). 1 By nature
these are prescriptive, defining the applications
(e.g. pesticides and fertilisers) and pro c e s s e s
(e.g. irradiation and genetic modification)
which are and are not permitted in food
described as ‘organic’. These standards are
c o n c e rned primarily with consumer pro t e c t i o n
and intended to provide unambiguous
guarantees to consumers who are in general
p re p a red to pay premium prices for org a n i c
p roduce. Detailed analysis of these standard s ,
and of the diff e rences between them, serv e s
little purpose here. Of more interest are the
characteristics, principles and working
practices involved in organic pro d u c t i o n , 2
which we explore below.
One widely used definition of organic
production is that provided by the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA):
‘A production system which avoids or largely
excludes the use of synthetic compounded
fertilisers, pesticides, growth regulators and
livestock feed additives. To the maximum
extent feasible, organic farming systems rely
upon crop rotations, animal manures,
legumes, green manures, off-farm organic
wastes and aspects of biological pest control
to maintain soil productivity and tilth, to
supply plant nutrients and to control insects,
weeds and other pests.’
(USDA, 1980 cited in Scialabba and
Aubert1998)
Table 1 (below) expands on this definition by
exploring some of the key aims, principles
and management strategies employed in
organic agriculture.
Table 1: Key aims, principles and
management practices of organic farming
Aims and principles
To develop, as far as possible, closed flows of
nutrients and organic matter within the farm and
t h e re f o re promote the ecological resilience of the
f a rm unit.
Maintenance and improvement of soil fert i l i t y
• Mixed livestock and arable farming
• Use of farm compost, mulches and green manure
• Recycling and composting of vegetative matter
(including ‘off - f a rm’ materials)
• Use of crop rotation, fallows and strip cro p p i n g
• Use of nitrogen-fixing plants
• Mixed cropping to maintain soil cover and
maximise nutrient availability
• Use of deep-rooting plants to recycle nutrients
• Agro f o re s t ry
• Use of contour bunds, terracing and other
mechanical methods to prevent soil loss
Pest and disease control
• Crop rotations and interc ropping (both of diff e rent
species and geni)
• Companion planting
• Use of resistant varieties
• Use of alleopathic / antagonistic plants
• Use of physical barriers
(e.g. tree breaks or insect traps)
• Use of natural pesticides
• Use of biological controls, such as pre d a t o r s
• C o n t rol of carr i e r s
• Hand picking
Adopted from Harris et al.., (1998)
and Scialabba, (1999)
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