Organic Agriculture

Question 1

Organic Agriculture is based on principles of

Answer 1

health
ecology
fairness
care

Question 2

Organic Agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of

Answer 2

soils
ecosystems
people

Question 3

Organic Agriculture relies on

Answer 3

ecological processes
biodiversity
local conditions

Question 4

Organic Agriculture is agriculture that fits into and benefits from

Answer 4

nature’s system

Question 5

Theme of Organic Culture

Answer 5

Produce high quality, safe food in a manner that tends to preserve the integrity and stability of the biotic community and builds, or at least sustains the inherent productive capacity of the soil and biological resources used in the production process

Question 6

History of Organic Movement

Answer 6

1915-20s Rudolf Steiner - anthroposophy - spiritual science, later biodynamic farming
1940, Sir Albert Howard published An Agricultural Testament, advocating that Britain preserve the ‘cycle of life’
50s, J.J. Rodale (US) health and nutrition
1960s, the Soil Association opened selling organic produce (England)
60s saw an interest in organic techniques grow throughout Europe and the United States
1990, Federal government set standards for the production, processing, and certification of organic food in the organic food production act of 1990
National Organic Standards Board established by this act
Recent years have seen impressive economic growth

Question 7

Organic Production Today

Answer 7

106 million acres in production worldwide, sales $72 billion
2 million producers in 170 countries
rise in demand 10% per year

Question 8

Top 10 Organic Producing Countries

Answer 8

Australia 
Argentina 
China
USA 
Spain
Italy
Uruguay
France 
India
Germany

Question 9

Organic Farming Trends

Answer 9

one of the fastest growing sectors of American agriculture
provides ~2% of food supply, occupies <0.5% of cropland
fruits and vegetables = 43% of market
meat, fish and poultry = 1% but is fastest growing (+30%/year)
44% of sales at grocery stores, 47% at independent stores, 9% at farmer markets, restaurants
organic dairy sales are growing segments

Question 10

What drives the appeal of organic farming

Answer 10

environmental concerns 
health concerns
economic concerns 
ethics 
sustainability of food systems

Question 11

Why might organic foods be better

Answer 11

pesticide residues in foods 
antibiotic drug residues
food safety 
genetically engineered foods
the environment 
loss of rural societies

Question 12

Principles of Sustainable Agriculture are Basis of Organic Farming

Answer 12

Preserve the capacity of the land to meet the needs of humans and other species (ecology)
preserve farming as an economically viable occupation and a rewarding lifestyle (economy)
preserve the integrity of rural communities (society)

Question 13

Soil characters are Basis of Organic Farming

Answer 13

soil quality = plant health, yield and quality
-strong relation to soil biology and crop
soil is a “organism”, living soil
-eats
-breathes
-circulates fluids and nutrients
-reproduces itself

Question 14

Five Principles and Practices in Organic Production

Answer 14

Biodiversity 
Diversification and integration
Natural plant nutrition 
Natural pest management 
Integrity

Question 15

Biodiversity in Organic Agriculture

Answer 15

“hedges your bet” on pests, climate, etc.
with diverse crop mixes and animal diversity
intercropping, companion planting, rotation, beneficial habitats
balanced ecosystem
pollination, pest management, nutrient cycling, disease suppression, tilth, nitrogen fixation

Question 16

Diversification and Integration of Enterprises

Answer 16

Biodiversity encourages diversity among enterprises

• ties needs of crops and livestock together
• forage/grain needs of livestock = diverse crop mix
• legume forages for feed … legumes in rotation leads to nitrogen fixation for subsequent crops
• animal manure is recycled back to crop fields

Question 17

Natural Plant Nutrition in Organic Agriculture

Answer 17

Begins with proper care and nourishment of organisms responsible for soil digestive processes in the rhizosphere = quality soil

• minimize tillage and soil degradation
• add organic matter and natural rock materials
• result in healthy plants that absorb appropriate amounts of vitamins, minerals and other useful compounds from the living soil
• reduced need to apply external inputs for growth

Question 18

Natural Pest Management for Organic Agriculture

Answer 18

Pests as indicators of problems
-poor soils, unhealthy plants, unbalanced ecosystem
Could be because of
-low species diversity, natural predators, parasites & disease agents leads to routine pest outbreaks which worsen with time
-leads to reliance on costly control measures (pesticides)
-organic growers believe that pesticides are the cause of ecosystem imbalances

Question 19

Integrity of Organic Agriculture

Answer 19

systems in place and actions taken to assure that organic products are organic

• organic methods used
• no commingling
• record keeping
• buffers and barriers
• seeds, seedlings and no GMOs

Question 20

Major differences between organic and conventional

Answer 20

pesticides - no synthetics allowed 
fertilizers - no synthetics allowed
chemical residues in food - some vs. none 
food - tastier and healthier 
GMOs - none permitted 
environmental - sustainable questions

Question 21

National Organic Program

Answer 21

organic food protection act of 1990

managed by USDA - National Organic Program and they establish standards for producers and processors

Question 22

Production Standards of USDA

Answer 22

land requirements - must be certified
soil fertility and crop nutrient management
seeds and planting stock standards
crop rotation required
crop pest, weed, and disease management, no synthetic chemicals
wild-crop harvesting is regulated

Question 23

Labeling Standards of USDA

Answer 23

USDA makes no claims that organic food is better than other food

When buying food, you can tell organic from conventionally produced by package labeling and signs in supermarket

USDA Organic sell products at least 95% organic

Question 24

Summary of Organic

Answer 24

produced using renewal resources
conservation of soil
no antibiotics or hormones used
no use of synthetic chemicals
no use of petroleum based fertilizers 
no use of sewage sludge based fertilizers 
no bioengineering of crops of livestock
no use of ionizing radiation
organic label only from certified farms 
handlers and processors must be certified