Organic Agriculture Flashcards

1
Q

Organic Agriculture is based on principles of

A

health
ecology
fairness
care

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2
Q

Organic Agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of

A

soils
ecosystems
people

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3
Q

Organic Agriculture relies on

A

ecological processes
biodiversity
local conditions

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4
Q

Organic Agriculture is agriculture that fits into and benefits from

A

nature’s system

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5
Q

Theme of Organic Culture

A

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

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6
Q

History of Organic Movement

A

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

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7
Q

Organic Production Today

A

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

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8
Q

Top 10 Organic Producing Countries

A
Australia 
Argentina 
China
USA 
Spain
Italy
Uruguay
France 
India
Germany
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9
Q

Organic Farming Trends

A

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

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10
Q

What drives the appeal of organic farming

A
environmental concerns 
health concerns
economic concerns 
ethics 
sustainability of food systems
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11
Q

Why might organic foods be better

A
pesticide residues in foods 
antibiotic drug residues
food safety 
genetically engineered foods
the environment 
loss of rural societies
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12
Q

Principles of Sustainable Agriculture are Basis of Organic Farming

A

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)

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13
Q

Soil characters are Basis of Organic Farming

A

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

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14
Q

Five Principles and Practices in Organic Production

A
Biodiversity 
Diversification and integration
Natural plant nutrition 
Natural pest management 
Integrity
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15
Q

Biodiversity in Organic Agriculture

A

“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

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16
Q

Diversification and Integration of Enterprises

A

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
17
Q

Natural Plant Nutrition in Organic Agriculture

A

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
18
Q

Natural Pest Management for Organic Agriculture

A

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

19
Q

Integrity of Organic Agriculture

A

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
20
Q

Major differences between organic and conventional

A
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
21
Q

National Organic Program

A

organic food protection act of 1990

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

22
Q

Production Standards of USDA

A

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

23
Q

Labeling Standards of USDA

A

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

24
Q

Summary of Organic

A
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