Organic agriculture is a holistic production management systems that promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. Organic production systems are based on specific and precise standards of production which aim at achieving optimal agro-ecosystems which are socially, ecologically and economically sustainable. Terms such as "biological" and "ecological" are also used in an effort to describe the organic system more clearly. Requirements for organically produced foods differ from those for other agricultural products in that production procedures are an intrinsic part of the identification and labelling of, and claim for, such products. (From the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods, 1999).

The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people. Organic Agriculture manages locally available resources to optimize competition for food and space between different plant and animal species. the manipulation of the temporal and spatial distribution of biodiversity is the main productive "input" of organic farmers. Organic practices such as crop rotations and associations, cover crops, organic fertilizers and minimum tillage increase the density and richness of indigenous soil invertebrates, which in turn provide essential ecosystem services.

Organic agriculture:

• raises the productivity of low-input agricultural systems;
• provides market opportunities;
• offers the opportunity to discover, through traditional knowledge and modern science blending, new and innovative production technologies;
• promotes the national and international public debate on sustainability by creating awareness of environmental and social concerns that merit attention.

For more information visit the Organic Agriculture website.

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