This paper has chosen to explore the potential of Organic Agriculture (OA) in adaptation efforts because ecological approaches to food production offer farmers in LDCs affordable, accessible opportunities to strengthen their farms’ resilience. While certified organic farmers are relatively uncommon in developing countries, though their numbers are increasing, millions of farmers in LDCs base their farming practices on ecological principles acquired through millennia of experimentation and adaptation to local conditions. OA relies as much as possible ecological processes and on a farm’s own resources, which reduces monetary costs to farmers and reduces the non-renewable resources used in farming. It is therefore assumed that OA offers adaptation options that allow farmers to use on-farm resources to build resilience, rather than rely on expensive external inputs. Many indigenous farming practices are already based on ecology, and combining the best of traditional knowledge with support from ecological science offers farmers in developing countries an opportunity for success.

This paper examines the role of organic farming techniques in increasing resilience in the following areas: (i) soil and water; (ii) biodiversity and landscapes; and (iii) community knowledge systems. Soil, water and biodiversity provide the basis for a farm’s success, and enhancing landscape management builds upon healthy natural resources to create sustainable systems. Communities develop in-depth knowledge, adaptive techniques, and even specific crop and livestock varieties for their local ecosystems; ways to preserve and share this knowledge are as important as the farming practices themselves. Each section describes how OA practices can be used to strengthen land, water, biodiversity and community systems, in anticipation of change that may be expected from uncertain climatic conditions.