The Food and Agriculture Organization released a report on May 3, 2007 encouraging states to integrate organic agriculture objectives within national priorities. According to the FAO NewsRoom (click here to view it) “organic agriculture is no longer a phenomenon in developed countries only, as it is commercially practiced in 120 countries, representing 31 million hectares and a market of US$40 billion in 2006.‚Äù These findings and recommendations are elucidated in a paper Organic Agriculture and Food Security, presented at an International Conference on Organic Agriculture and Food Security (3-5 May 2007). The FAO paper relies on the Codex Alimentarius Commission and all existing national regulations, to define organic agriculture as ‚Äúa holistic production management system that avoids use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and genetically modified organisms, minimizes pollution of air, soil and water, and optimizes the health and productivity of interdependent communities of plants, animals and people.‚Äù
Of particular interest to readers of this site is that the paper illuminates “[t]he strongest feature of organic agriculture is its reliance on fossil-fuel independent and locally-available production assets; working with natural processes increases cost-effectiveness and resilience of agro-ecosystems to climatic stress.”
It also contends that “[b]y managing biodiversity in time (rotations) and space (mixed cropping), organic farmers use their labour and environmental services to intensify production in a sustainable way. Organic agriculture also breaks the vicious circle of indebtedness for agricultural inputs which causes an alarming rate of farmers’ suicides.” The FAO paper draws attention to the high labour input required on organic farms. They highlight the benefits of increased labour opportunities citing an opportunity for increased and/or safeguarded rural livelihoods. I am glad to see this in the analysis but when applied to the Global North, labour exists as a major impediment to the capacity of organic farmers to get their lands planted, harvested and processed. Agricultural zoning makes it difficult for farmers to build on-farm accommodations. As a result, these workers are often trucked on-farm daily. I am glad to see the FAO encouraging states to forward organic principles within their agriculture policy. I think most farmers (big and small) are cognisant that with global warming, peak oil (limited access to petroleum will have an HUGE impact on industrial farming that relies heavily on the substance for fertilisers and transport, etc.), organic farming is the way of the future, whether we like it or not. Funny how things come full circle!
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With so much written on the shortage of engineers and scientists, it is interesting to read of a potential shortage of farmers trained in organic methods (especially in countries affected by AIDS). At least this will provide more opportunities for employment throughout the developing world.
It’s interesting to hear that FAO is taking such a stand, considering their position on the current frenzy for biofuel.
thanks for sharing this - promoting organic farming is certainly a challenge for everyone, particulary if you add ‘local’ to the mix.