Annex 4: Case study “Organic Farming” - ITAS

- The use of pesticides and fertilizers by the farmers is often not regulated in
conventional farming systems
- Quality and origin of seeds cause problems.
In China, addressed problems are to develop the organic food standards. Currently, it is
showing in three aspects: low standards, low degree of standard and poor identical with
international standards. Lu Zhenhui [2002, p.123f.] reported the following persisting
problems in Organic Farming in China:
- “… The overall quantity of organic production and trading is rather small at present.
Organic operations are scattered throughout China and their production scales are
limited.
- The domestic market for organic food is underdeveloped. Thus, most producers and
trading companies depend on overseas importers and markets; they are producing
organic food on request which carries high economic risks.
- Organic products from China are mostly raw materials; processing and packaging are
of low quality. Therefore, producers earn comparative low prices and the margins for
international traders and processors are high. This creates no incentives for
establishment of local production systems.
- There is no legal framework for Organic Farming and a decision has not yet been
taken by the government which authority should have the mandate for the elaboration of
regulations and laws or setting up a certification authority. Without a regulatory
framework, foreign traders and certifiers are operating according to the importing
countries’ requirements only; this leads to contradicting and arbitrary decisions on what
should be “organic”.
- Producers and processors lack the special knowledge on organic production
technologies. Qualified advisors are virtually non-existent, and the lack of professional
know-how in China probably forms the biggest constraint for the extension of the area
under organic cultivation.”
Pahnwar [2004, p.404] reports follow constraints for Organic Farming in Pakistan:
- “... Restrictive trade policies perverse subsidies and bureaucratic regulations ...
- Farmer´s rights and protection of traditional plant varieties.”...”Small farmer have
little access to information on World market prices, lack of transparency and politically
inspired distortion, small farmer usually receive low prices for their produce. Farmer
has insufficient information on improved technologies and scientific understanding of
the process involved in their farming system, in efficient extension service ...
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