organic

1. Organic vs conventional
agriculture
Svapnya Foundation
Healthy Human! Healthy Humanity!!

2. Topics
• Review of basic elements of traditional (and thus
organic) vs Green Revolution agriculture
• What plants need and where it comes from in the two
approaches
• Soil nutrition
• Weed control, pest control
• Organic certification
• Small scale vs large scale
• Biodynamic agriculture
• Relative yields
• Organic dairy

3. A definition
Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on
techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and
biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control
pests on a farm. Organic farming excludes or strictly limits the use
of manufactured fertilizers, pesticides (which include herbicides,
insecticides and fungicides), plant growth regulators such as
hormones, livestock antibiotics, food additives, and genetically
modified organisms
Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European
Commission What is organic farming

4. History of organic farming
• Prior to 20th century almost all farming was organic
– Synthetic pesticides and fertilizer were the new “non
organic” elements
• The term “organic farming” coined by Lord
Northbourne in his book “Look to the Land” published
in 1940
• Key US events
– 1950s JI Rodale – “organic growing”
– “Silent Spring” 1962
– California Certified Organic Farmers 1973
– USDA National Organic Program 2002

5. American pioneers the Rodale’s

6. What plants need
• Seeds
• Light
• Air
• Heat
• Water
• Soil
• Nutrients
• Pest Control

7. Nutrients and soil fertility
Organic
• Crop rotation
• Green Manure, cover
crops plowed under
• Compost, animal and
vegetable
• Also commonly allowed
are rock phosphate,
greensand, sulfur, lime
and some other natural
compounds
Conventional
• Artificial fertilizers
primarily produced from
ammonia via natural gas
• All methods of organic
farming are practiced to
some extent in
conventional farms

8. Weed control
Organic
• Crop rotation
• Tillage and cultivation
including hand weeding
• Mowing
• Row covers
• Flame and thermal
weeding
• Mulching
Conventional
• Tillage and cultivation
• Synthetic herbicides

9. Pest control
Organic
• Integrated Pest
Management
• Crop rotation
• Tillage and cultivation
• Interplanting
• Row covers
• Naturally occurring
pesticides, bacillus
thuringiensis, rotenone,
pyrethrum
Conventional
• Synthetic pesticides
• GM crops
• All methods used in
organic farming

10. Row Covers

11. More than a technical approach
Organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the
health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological
processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions,
rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic
agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit
the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a
good quality of life for all involved.
International Federation of Organic Agriculture
Movements

12. Three mixed elements in the “organic”
movement
• The technical – how you grow the food
• Eat Local – buy food from someone you know
• A philosophy: natural, anti-industrial and
small scale

14. Rudolph Steiner
Regarded by some as the first modern
ecological farming system and one of the most
sustainable, biodynamic farming has much in
common with other organic approaches, such
as emphasizing the use of manures and
composts and excluding of the use of artificial
chemicals on soil and plants. Methods unique
to the biodynamic approach include the use of
fermented herbal and mineral preparations as
compost additives and field sprays and the use
of an astronomical sowing and planting
calendar. Biodynamics originated out of the
work of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of
anthroposophy.
From Wikipedia

15. Biodynamics

16. Organic vegetable field

17. Plastic mulch used as a major element in
weed control – is it better than sprays?

18. University District Farmers Market

19. Growth of organic products
0.0%
0.5%
1.0%
1.5%
2.0%
2.5%
3.0%
3.5%
4.0%
4.5%
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
% of US commercial sales that are organic

20. Poll and discussion
• Is organic farming better for the environment?

21. The debates regarding organic farming
• Organic farming is
sustainable
– Need far fewer outside inputs
– Soil fertility is maintained
• It is healthier
– Lack of pesticides and
chemicals
– Higher nutritional value
• It is better for the
environment
• It is local
• World population demand
cannot be met without
external fertilizer
• Health risks have been
exaggerated
– Many more people die from
poor nutrition than from
chemicals
• It is worse
– lower yields mean more land
is needed
• It isn’t local at all, organic
food comes from all over

22. Save the rainforest: boycott organic?
Perhaps the most eminent critic of organic farming is Norman
Borlaug, the father of the "green revolution," winner of the Nobel
peace prize and an outspoken advocate of the use of synthetic
fertilizers to increase crop yields. He claims the idea that organic
farming is better for the environment is "ridiculous" because organic
farming produces lower yields and therefore requires more land
under cultivation to produce the same amount of food. Thanks to
synthetic fertilizers, Mr. Borlaug points out, global cereal production
tripled between 1950 and 2000, but the amount of land used
increased by only 10 percent. Using traditional techniques such as
crop rotation, compost and manure to supply the soil with nitrogen
and other minerals would have required a tripling of the area under
cultivation. The more intensively you farm, Mr. Borlaug contends,
the more room you have left for rainforest.

23. Science Magazine 2002

24. a wide range of taxa, including birds and
mammals, invertebrates and arable flora, that
benefit from organic management
through increases in abundance and/or species
richness
It remains unclear whether a holistic whole-
farm approach (i.e.
organic) provides greater benefits to
biodiversity than carefully targeted
prescriptions applied to relatively small areas
of cropped
and/or non-cropped habitats within
conventional agriculture

29. US Department of Agriculture rules
What is organic?
Organic is a labeling term that indicates that the food or other
agricultural product has been produced through approved
methods that integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical
practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological
balance, and conserve biodiversity. Synthetic fertilizers,
sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering may not
be used.

30. USDA National Organic Rule and
Industrial Organic
Fears that NOR will bring us closer to a future in which neon-orange snack
foods become the new face of organic appear to be justified. The
government's official organic label will now be affixed to a large and
growing list of processed foods -- everything from H.J. Heinz Company's
organic ketchup to organic Cheetos, Tostitos, and Sun Chips, produced by
PepsiCo's Frito-Lay unit.

31. “must develop an organic production or handling
system plan that is agreed to by the producer or
handler and an accredited certifying agent”
• A description of practices and procedures to be
performed and maintained, including the frequency
with which they will be performed
• A list of each substance to be used as a production or
handling input, indicating its composition, source,
location(s) where it will be used, and documentation of
commercial availability, as applicable
• A description of the monitoring practices and
procedures to be performed and maintained, including
the frequency with which they will be performed, to
verify that the plan is effectively implemented;

32. This is hard when each row is a different crop with its own “management plan”
Easier for a large “industrial organic farm” with 20 acres of the same crop

33. Biointensive agriculture

34. Summary
• In its technical definitions organic farming simply
prohibit the use of a range of technologies,
primarily synthetic pesticides and herbicides.
• But the distinction is muddied because of the
recent “industrialization” of organic food
production.
• There are major trade-offs and uncertainties in
the human health and environmental
consequences of organic vs conventional
agriculture

35. Study guide
• What are the differences between traditional farming (pre 20th century) and organic farming.
• No major differences, traditional farming meets all the modern definitions of organic farming.
• What was the relationship between the Rodale’s and the US organic movement.
• Their magazine “organic growing” and associated books have been the major source of shared information in the US organic movement.
• Is there a national government role in the organic farming business.
• Yes, there is official certification of “organic farms” by the US Department of Agriculture.
• What methods are used in conventional farming for maintaining soil nutrition can also be used in organic farming?
• All methods of soil nutrition in organic farming are used to some extent in conventional farming
• List 4 methods used for organic pest control
• Integrated Pest Management
• Crop rotation
• Tillage and cultivation
• Interplanting
• Row covers
• Naturally occurring pesticides, bacillus thuringiensis, rotenone, pyrethrum
• List 4 methods used for maintaining soil nutrition in organic farming
• Crop rotation
• Green Manure, cover crops plowed under
• Compost, animal and vegetable
• Also commonly allowed are rock phosphate, greensand, sulfur, lime and some other natural compounds
• What are the benefits of row covers?
• They trap heat and make the soil warmer, especially in winter and spring to allow earlier germination and plant growth. They also keep airborne seeds out of the rows, and exclude many
insects and birds.
• What are the elements of the organic food movement that are not directly related to the methods the crops are grown?
• Much of the organic food movement is also concerned with local production of food, small scale farming, and maintenance of local communities.
• What is the name of the largest retailer of organic foods in the world?
• Whole Foods
• Who founded the biodynamic agriculture movement?
• Rudolph Steiner.
• How does biodynamic growing differ from organic farming?
• Biodynamic farming includes philosophical elements associated with the time of planting based on the alignment of the planets, moon and stars, and the use of herbal and mineral
sprays.
• What are the legal elements of organic animal production in the USDA regulations?
• Feed must be organic and no antibiotics can be used.
• What are the arguments for and against the argument that organic food is healthier?
• Pro: organic food has fewer artificial chemicals. Con: the lower yields in organic farming mean that there is less food in the world and more people go hungry and suffer poor health or
death.
• Are crop yields per hectare higher or lower in organic agriculture?
• Generally lower.
• Why are crop yields lower?
• Because many of the methods used to in organic agriculture rely on green manure, crop rotation and letting land lie unused. Also pest control may be less effective in organic agriculture
thus lowering yields.
• What is the major point of contention as to whether organic farming is better for biodiversity?