A history of organic farming: Transitions from Sir Albert Howard's War in the Soil to USDA National Organic Program

2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 143-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Heckman
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Agricultural Practice ◽  
Organic Movement ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Certified Organic ◽  
Social Environmental

The organic farming concept developed in the period prior to 1940 and was pioneered by Sir Albert Howard (1873–1947). Howard, born and educated in England, directed agricultural research centers in India (1905–1931) before permanently returning to England. His years of agricultural research experiences and observations gradually evolved into a philosophy and concept of organic farming that he espoused in several books. Howard's thinking on soil fertility and the need to effectively recycle waste materials, including sewage sludge, onto farmland was reinforced by F.H. King's book,Farmers of Forty Centuries. Howard developed a system of composting that became widely adopted. Howard's concept of soil fertility centered on building soil humus with an emphasis on how soil life was connected to the health of crops, livestock, and mankind. Howard argued that crop and animal health was a birthright and that the correct method of dealing with a pathogen was not to destroy the pathogen but to see what could be learned from it or to ‘make use of it for tuning up agricultural practice’. The system of agriculture advocated by Howard was coined ‘organic’ by Walter Northbourne to refer to a system ‘having a complex but necessary interrelationship of parts, similar to that in living things’. Lady Eve Balfour compared organic and non-organic farming and helped to popularize organic farming with the publication ofThe Living Soil. Jerome Rodale, a publisher and an early convert to organic farming, was instrumental in the diffusion and popularization of organic concepts in the US. Both Howard and Rodale saw organic and non-organic agriculture as a conflict between two different visions of what agriculture should become as they engaged in a war of words with the agricultural establishment. A productive dialogue failed to occur between the organic community and traditional agricultural scientists for several decades. Organic agriculture gained significant recognition and attention in 1980, marked by the USDA publicationReport and Recommendations on Organic Farming. The passage of the Federal Organic Foods Production Act in 1990 began the era of accommodation for organic farming in the USA, followed by another milestone with official labeling as USDA Certified Organic in 2002. Organic agriculture will likely continue to evolve in response to ongoing social, environmental, and philosophical concerns of the organic movement.

Bovine veterinarians’ perspective on organic livestock production in the USA

2019 ◽  
Vol 184 (12) ◽  
pp. 384-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrike S Sorge ◽  
Sarii Yamashita ◽  
Laura Pieper
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Alternative Therapies ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Organic Farms ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Certified Organic ◽  
Livestock Health

The objective was to determine possible challenge areas that bovine veterinarians may face when working on certified organic livestock operations. All members of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners’ electronic mailing list, who practised in the USA, were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey. Veterinarians (n=213) from 38 states participated in the survey. The focus of the survey was on the veterinarian’s interest in and perception of organic farming, their knowledge of the use of alternative therapies under federal regulations and their needs for providing veterinary services to organic farms. Most participants worked in dairy practice and served ≥1 organic client. Their attitude towards organic production was balanced. Many veterinarians struggled to offer sick animal care with alternative therapies within the regulatory framework and expressed their need to have more evidence-based alternative therapies. Two-thirds of veterinarians were concerned that the lack of proven effective therapy options would impair livestock welfare on organic farms in the USA. Almost 90 per cent of respondents did not think that organic livestock was healthier than conventionally raised livestock and most participants (74 per cent) thought livestock health was dependent on management rather than organic or conventional farming practices. In summary, participants were generally not opposed to organic farming. However, most veterinarians expressed their need to have a better access to clear information about organic regulations and most importantly more evidence-based alternative therapies to ensure animal health and welfare on organic livestock operations.

scholarly journals Test of some insecticides for Tanymecus dilaticollis Gyll. control, in organic agriculture conditions

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 2070-2078
Author(s):  
MARIA TOADER ◽  
◽  
EMIL GEORGESCU ◽  
ALINA MARIA IONESCU ◽  
COSMIN ȘONEA
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Plant Protection ◽  
Vegetation Period ◽  
Neem Oil ◽  
Maize Seeds ◽  
Agricultural Research And Development ◽  
Attack Intensity ◽  
Active Substances

The research focus to study the effectiveness of some active substances of insecticides for the control of maize leaf weevil (Tanymecus dilaticollis) in the organic agriculture conditions at the Plant Protection Laboratory of National Agricultural Research and Development Institute Fundulea (NARDI). In experiment, were used some permitted active substances in organic farming, according to Annex 2 of Regulation 889/2008 for the pests control, respectively: neem oil, spinosad and Bacillus thuringiensis for treatment of seeds and the same products applied in vegetation period of maize plant. The highest value of saved plants was 82.78% for treatment of maize seeds with neem oil and for spinosad applied in vegetation with 79.78%. The attack intensity had the highest level in the untreatment variant (5.90) and the lowest was in the variant of seed treated with neem oil (3.72). In conclusion, this experiment demonstrates the good efficacy of these products, that could be an alternative method for pest control in organic farming, in Romania.

Philosophy of organic agriculture: background, history and modern concept

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 35-44
Author(s):  
Veronika T. Turchanova ◽  
Stanislav N. Nekrasov
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
Statistical Data ◽  
Green Revolution ◽  
Organic Production ◽  
Modern Concept ◽  
Organic Movement ◽  
Intensive Farming ◽  
Literary Sources ◽  
Background History

The purpose of the work is to reveal the concept of organic agriculture in a temporary aspect. Methodology and objects of the research are a comparative analysis of literary sources: the works of foreign and domestic scientists in the field of organic farming, foreign legislative acts, statistical data of FiBL and IFOAM. The result is the discovering of that the prerequisites for the emergence of organic production is the “green revolution”. Intensive farming led to the appearance of the opposite – organic movement. The authors considered the ideas of R. Steiner, A.T. Bolotov, V.I. Vernadsky, H. Muller, O. Mokiti, 4th Baron Northbourne, E. Balfour, A. Howard, R.L. Carson and M. Fukuoka. They laid foundation for the modern concept of organic farming. It includes four principles: health, ecology, justice, care. Authors of this article give a brief description of the state of organic agriculture in Russia and worldwide.

Organic Agriculture

2019 ◽  
pp. 275-293
Author(s):  
Mirela Stoian ◽  
Diana Caprita
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
Economic Activity ◽  
Organic Food ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Food Markets ◽  
Viable Solution ◽  
Production And Consumption ◽  
Organic Products ◽  
Certified Organic

Promoting sustainability, including the production and consumption of food, is badly needed nowadays, given the fact that consumers are increasingly concerned about protecting their health, through a thorough verification of food quality. From this perspective, organic food may represent a viable solution for a healthier future. Currently, we are witnessing a substantial increase in the number of countries, organizations, and companies encouraging organic farming, an economic activity that involves environmentally friendly agricultural practices. The main objective of this chapter is to reveal the growing importance of organic farming to the food markets. This research will also focus on presenting a very detailed analysis of the defining elements of organic agriculture, such as the evolution of certified organic surfaces, both contributory and disfavoring factors of the developing organic agriculture, and last but not least, overall outlook for global consumption of certified organic products.

Meeting the ‘multi-’ requirements in organic agriculture research: Successes, challenges and recommendations for multifunctional, multidisciplinary, participatory projects

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Barbercheck ◽  
Nancy Ellen Kiernan ◽  
Andrew G. Hulting ◽  
Sjoerd Duiker ◽  
Jeffrey Hyde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Research Team ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Multidisciplinary Teams ◽  
Federal Grant ◽  
Transition Project ◽  
Organic Transition

AbstractOrganic farming is one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors worldwide, and funds to support research and extension activities that address the needs of organic producers are becoming more widely available in the USA. Solutions to problems in ecologically complex systems, such as organic farming systems often exceed the expertise of individual investigators or single disciplines. Further, the complex nature of ecological and social interactions within systems-based agricultural research requires not only more emphasis on information exchange but also synthesis between multidisciplinary teams of academic researchers and organic farmers. Accordingly, federal grant agencies that support organic agriculture research increasingly require that projects encompass multiple academic disciplines, multiple functions (research, outreach, education), and the participation of stakeholders for the ultimate purpose of the integration of knowledge. Many researchers, educators and administrators at land grant universities (LGUs) remain inexperienced in multidisciplinary, multifunctional and participatory research. Using post-completion project interviews of the project investigators on an organic transition project, we identified eight factors that affected the integration of knowledge from a farmer advisory board and the conduct of our multidisciplinary, participatory organic transition project. The first five factors include shared values, balance in technical competence, institutional capacity for research, team capacity for problem solving and institutional resistance. The research team also identified three other factors that evoked confusion and divergence during the project, and include the ambiguity of power and control of knowledge, the proposed experimental plan and terms of team engagement. We considered participatory elements of the project according to Biggs’ linear typology of participation, but found more appropriate Neef and Neubert's position that a linear scale of participatory approach is an inadequate framework for helping agricultural scientists to decide on whether and in which phases they want to, can and should incorporate participatory elements into their research projects. From these findings, we conclude with critical issues for academic research and extension teams to consider during the development and before conduct of these types of projects. We also offer recommendations for LGUs and other research institutions, and funding organizations, to facilitate multidisciplinary, multifunctional, participatory research.

scholarly journals Bio cash-cow? Context and content of Czech organic farming

2008 ◽  
Vol 53 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 45-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Zagata
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Current Problem ◽  
Value Orientation ◽  
Paper Briefly ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Organic Movement

This work presents results of a qualitative empirical study on practices of farmers participating in the Czech system of organic agriculture (ecological agriculture). Growth of this sector has been seen almost solely in positive terms, without questioning its content. However, Czech organic agriculture does not stem from the organic movement as is the case in Western Europe and therefore it is necessary to ask what it draws on and to discover, with regard to its nature, whether it can meet the expectations stated in official policies. This paper briefly describes the development of organic farming in other countries and the current problem of its conventionalization. The research study then shows evidence that organic farming is not adopted only because of state’s subsidies, but also due to the specific value orientation of farmers, despite the history and the lack of tradition of these specific practices in the Czech Republic.

scholarly journals Sustainability of organic food production: challenges and innovations

2014 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Urs Niggli
Keyword(s):  
Public Goods ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Trade Offs

The greatest challenge for agriculture is to reduce the trade-offs between productivity and long-term sustainability. Therefore, it is interesting to analyse organic agriculture which is a given set of farm practices that emphasise ecological sustainability. Organic agriculture can be characterised as being less driven by off-farm inputs and being better embedded in ecosystem functions. The literature on public goods and non-commodity outputs of organic farms is overwhelming. Most publications address the positive effects of organic farming on soil fertility, biodiversity maintenance and protection of the natural resources of soil, water and air. As a consequence of focusing on public goods, organic agriculture is less productive. Meta-analyses show that organic agriculture yields range between 0·75 and 0·8 of conventional agriculture. Best practice examples from disadvantaged sites and climate conditions show equal or, in the case of subsistence farming in Sub-Saharan Africa, higher productivity of organic agriculture. Hence, organic agriculture is likely to be a good model for productive and sustainable food production. Underfunding in R&D addressing specific bottlenecks of organic agriculture are the main cause for both crop and livestock yield gaps. Therefore, the potential for improving the performance of organic agriculture through agricultural research is huge. Although organic farming is a niche in most countries, it is at the verge of becoming mainstream in leading European countries. Consumer demand has grown over the past two decades and does not seem to be a limiting factor for the future development of organic agriculture.

Non-Certified Organic Agriculture: An Opportunity for Resource-Poor Farmers?

2005 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 135-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Cáceres
Keyword(s):  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Organic Movement ◽  
Organic Products ◽  
Resource Poor ◽  
Organic Farmers ◽  
Certified Organic

Drawing upon a case study from Argentina, this paper focuses on social actors who cannot be formally included within the organic movement: non-certified organic farmers. Even when they grow, consume and sell organic products, they are unable to become certified organic farmers, mainly for economic reasons. This paper analyses the main features of this group and the socioeconomic significance and impact of their farming strategy on the livelihoods of resource-poor farmers.

scholarly journals MECHANISM OF SOIL REPRODUCTION AND PRESERVATION IN THE SYSTEM OF ORGANIC FARMING

2020 ◽  
pp. 184-197
Author(s):  
Oleksii Alieksieiev
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
The State ◽  
Organic Fertilizers ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Soil Protection ◽  
Organic System

The problem of monitoring the condition of soils in Ukraine is not given due attention. This applies to the scientific field, where due to insufficient funding, full-fledged research is not conducted on the distribution, causes and ways to eliminate degradation. The same applies to the legislature and the executive, where no effective control measures have been developed. In general, the society does not create an atmosphere of maximum assistance for the preservation of soil cover as an indispensable national heritage. The media and educational institutions are indifferent to this problem. That is why these issues need immediate solution, namely, the development of an effective mechanism for reproduction and conservation of soils, taking into account the organic system of agriculture, which in recent years has attracted considerable interest not only scientists but also practitioners. The purpose of the article is to reveal the essence of the system of organic farming in terms of ensuring balanced land use. The materials of the article are based on the study of the positive impact of organic agriculture on the reproduction and preservation of soils. The research methodology was based on a systematic approach and a dialectical method of understanding the organic principles of land use in agricultural production, taking into account retrospective analysis, monographic method, methods of synthesis and analysis. The essence of the system of organic farming from the point of view of ensuring balanced land use is revealed. The dynamics of land distribution in Ukraine by land for 2010-2017, which is characterized by an extremely high rate of agricultural development, which is significantly exceeds the ecologically reasonable limits are shown as well as the distribution of soil areas of Ukraine by humus content. The most important resource for soil humus reproduction remains organic fertilizers, plant residues, by-products, green manures, etc., the application of which has a positive effect on the agrochemical, physical and water-air properties of soils. The structure of mineral and organic fertilizers application in 1990-2018 is given. The main problems of agricultural land use are highlighted. Under modern conditions of agricultural production and existing land use systems, it is impossible to achieve even a simple reproduction of soil fertility without significant improvement of mechanisms for controlling their use by the state, and also the introduction of more effective, mostly economic, mechanisms to support soil protection measures. International experience shows that new information technologies, in addition to traditional research methods, will provide effective control of land use and soil protection at different spatial levels, from the state to a specific field. The mechanism of preservation and reproduction of soil fertility in the system of organic agriculture is proposed for use by agricultural commodity producers, which includes a set of measures aimed at restoring stocks of organic substances and improving agrophysical properties of soil. No less important is the state support in solving problematic issues, it is recommended to supplement the developed mechanism with such components as: legal, scientific and technical, economic, financial, scientific and educational supports. Organic agriculture through balanced land use increases the reliability and sustainability of modern agricultural systems. All the proposed methods and techniques of organic farming improve the physical and chemical properties of the soil, namely: - increase nutrient reserves; - improve absorption capacity, moisture capacity and moisture permeability; - enriched with microflora; - improve the biological activity and physical state of the soil. Key words: organic cropping, soil, plowlands, structure of sown areas, reproduction and preservation of soils, organic agriculture.

Organic agriculture in the United States: A 30-year retrospective

2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 294-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garth Youngberg ◽  
Suzanne P. DeMuth
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Organic Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Future ◽  
1960S And 1970S ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The Impact

AbstractSince the early 1980s organic agriculture has undergone enormous growth and innovation in the US and throughout the world. Some observers have pointed to the US Department of Agriculture's 1980Report and Recommendations on Organic Farmingas having provided the catalyst for many of these developments. It is important, however, to understand how the evolving character of organic ideology during the 1960s and 1970s helped lay the foundation for moving organic agriculture onto the US governmental agenda in the early 1980s. We explore these and other contextual factors surrounding the USDA Report's release, including its methods, findings and recommendations, and both positive and negative reactions, as well as those factors that led to the Report's declining influence by the decade's end. The need for agricultural sustainability has played an important role in shaping, not only the path of organic agriculture in the US but also the overall politics of American agriculture. Legislative efforts to support organic agriculture have evolved along with this altered policy environment and are considered here within the broader context of the politics of sustainable agriculture. Next, we consider the organic industry's transition from a privately managed enterprise to the pivotal role now played by the federal government in the administration of the National Organic Program. Calls to move ‘beyond organic’ are also examined. Finally, we explore the impact of sustainable agriculture, agricultural research and farm structure upon the future of organic agriculture in the US. The politics within these three interrelated domains of public agricultural policy will likely bear heavily upon the future of organic farming and the organic industry as a whole.

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