Agric 213

History of Organic Agriculture

 The British botanist Sir Albert Howard is often referred

to as the father of modern organic agriculture.
 From 1905 to 1924, he worked as an agricultural adviser in
Pusa, Bengal, where he documented traditional Indian
farming practices and came to regard them as superior to
his conventional agriculture science.
 The term organic farming was coined by Lord Northbourne
in his book Look to the Land (written in 1939, published
1940).
 From his conception of "the farm as organism," he described
a holistic, ecologically balanced approach to farming.
 In 1939, influenced by Sir Albert Howard's work, Lady Eve
Balfour launched the Haughley Experiment on farmland in
England.
 It was the first scientific, side-by-side comparison of
organic and conventional farming.
 Four years later, she published The Living Soil, based on the
initial findings of the Haughley Experiment.
 Widely read, it led to the formation of a key international
organic advocacy group, the Soil Association.
The Haughley Experiment
• the first comparison of organic farming and conventional chemical-based
farming,
• started in 1939 by Lady Eve Balfour and Alice Debenham, on two adjoining
farms in Haughley Green, Suffolk, England.
• was based on an idea that farmers were over-reliant on fertilizers, that
livestock, crops and the soil should be treated as a whole system, and that
"natural" farming produced food which was in some way more wholesome than
food produced with more intensive methods.
• Lady Balfour believed that mankind's future and human health were dependent
on how the soil was treated, and ran the experiment to generate scientific data
that would support these beliefs.

source: https://www.revolvy.com/page/Haughley-Experiment
 During the 1950s, sustainable agriculture was a topic of scientific
interest, but research tended to concentrate on developing the new
chemical approaches.
 In the US, J.I. Rodale began to popularize the term and methods of
organic growing, particularly to consumers through promotion of organic
gardening.
 In 1962, Rachel Carson, a prominent scientist and naturalist, published
Silent Spring, chronicling the effects of DDT and other pesticides on
the environment.
 A bestseller in many countries, including the US, and widely read around
the world, Silent Spring is widely considered as being a key factor in the
US government's 1972 banning of DDT.
 The book and its author are often credited with launching the worldwide
environmental movement.
 In the 1970s, global movements concerned with pollution and
the environment increased their focus on organic farming.
 As the distinction between organic and conventional food
became clearer, one goal of the organic movement was to
encourage consumption of locally grown food, which was
promoted through slogans like "Know Your Farmer, Know Your
Food".

DDT -Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, is a colorless, tasteless, and almost odorless

crystalline chemical compound, an organochlorine, originally developed as an insecticide,
and ultimately becoming infamous for its environmental impacts.
 In 1972, the International Federation of Organic
Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) was founded in Versailles,
France and dedicated to the diffusion and exchange of
information on the principles and practicesof organic
agriculture of all schools and across national and linguistic
boundaries.
 In the 1980s, around the world, farming and consumer
groups began seriously pressuring for government
regulation of organic production.
 This led to legislation and certification standards being
enacted through the 1990s and to date.
 Organic Agriculture - definitions

 The word ‘organic’ means “of plant or animal origin”,but it also

refers to the organizational aspect of an organism.
 For some, OA is the kind of agriculture which is based on
organic manures or other natural inputs, i.e. minerals or
pesticides of plant origin.
 OA refers to agricultural systems, which follow the principles
and logics of a living organism in which all elements (soil,
plants, farm animals, insects, the farmers etc) are closely
linked with each other.
 In 1980, the USDA released a landmark report of organic
farming. The report defined organic farming as a production
system, which avoids or largely excludes the use of
synthetic organic fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators
and livestock feed additives.
 Organic farming systems largely depends on crop rotations,
crop residues, animal manures, green manures, off-farm
organic wastes, mechanical cultivation, mineral bearing rocks
and aspects of biological control to maintain soil
productivity, supply plant nutrients and to control insects,
pathogens and weeds .
According to Codex definition (FAO),
 organic agriculture is production management system, which
promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including
biodiversity, biological cycles and biological activity.
 It emphasizes the use of management practices in
preferences to the use of off-farm inputs, taking into
account that regional conditions require locally adopted
systems.
 This is accomplished by using, where possible, on-farm
agronomic, biological and mechanical methods, as opposed
to using synthetic materials to fulfill any specific function
within the system.
Based on International Federation of Organic Agriculture
Movements (IFOAM)

"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.."
.
ORGANIC AGRICULTURE is a system of farm design and
management to create an eco system, which can achieve
sustainable productivity without the use of artificial
external inputs such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides –
NPOP INDIA
Organic farming evolves on three issues:
 One is the non-usage of chemical inputs in terms of
fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, etc.
 Second, it has to be non-GMO—meaning, no use of
genetically modified organisms.
 The third one, which is the most important, is the
issue of sustainability.
Sustainable development – Sustainable agriculture

 Sustainable implies long - term support or permanence

 SA – Farming system that are capable of maintaining
productivity and usefulness to society indefinitely.
 It must be resource conserving, socially supportive,
commercially competitive and environmentally sound.
“Sustainable agriculture is the successful management of
resources for agriculture to satisfy changing human
needs while maintaining or enhancing the quality of
environment and conserving natural resources" - FAO

“A sustainable agriculture is ecologically sound,

economically viable, socially just and humane” –
International Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture
SA presents a positive response to the limits and problems
of both traditional and modern agriculture.
 This result in integrated, nature-based agroecosystems
designed to be self-reliant, resource-conserving and
productive in both the short and long terms.
 Organic farming (OA) is one of the several approaches
found to meet the objectives of SA
 OA v/s SA
 Organic farming is often associated directly with,
Sustainable farming." However, ‘organic farming’ and
‘sustainable farming’, policy and ethics-wise are two different
terms.
 Many techniques used in organic farming are not alien to
various agriculture systems including the traditional
agriculture practiced in old countries like India.
 However, organic farming is based on various laws and
certification programmes.
 OA is thought of as the best alternative to avoid the ill
effects of chemical farming.
OA – principles (IFOAM)

 The principle of health –

Organic Agriculture should
sustain and enhances the
health of soil, plant,
animal, human and planet
as one and indivisible.
OA – principles (IFOAM)

 The principle of ecology

– Organic Agriculture
should be based on living
ecological systems and
cycles, work with them,
emulate them and help
sustain them.
OA – principles (IFOAM)

 The principle of fairness

– Organic Agriculture
should build on
relationships that ensure
fairness with regard to
the common environment
and life opportunities
OA – principles (IFOAM)

 The principle of care -

Organic Agriculture
should be managed in a
precautionary and
responsible manner to
protect the health and
well being of current and
future generations and
the environment.
 Organic Agriculture in the Philippines

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10068

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND

PROMOTION OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURE IN THE
PHILIPPINES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

- known as the "Organic Agriculture Act of 2010"

 Organic Agriculture in the Philippines

Repiblic Act No. 10068

Coverage. - The provisions of this Act shall apply to the

development and promotion of organic agriculture and shall
include, but not limited to, the following:

(a) Policy formulation on regulation, registration, accreditation,

certification and labeling on organic agriculture;

(b) Research, development and extension of appropriate,

sustainable environment and gender-friendly organic
agriculture;
 Organic Agriculture in the Philippines

Repiblic Act No. 10068

(c) Promotion and encouragement of the establishment of

facilities, equipment and processing plants that would
accelerate the production and commercialization of organic
fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and other commercialization
of organic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and other
appropriate farm inputs; and

(d) Implementation of organic agricultural programs, projects

and activities, including the provision and delivery of support
services with focus on the farmers and other stakeholders.
 Organic Agriculture in the Philippines
Repiblic Act No. 10068

National Organic Agricultural Board (NOAB).

 the policy-making body
 shall provide direction and general guidelines for the
implementation of the National Organic Agricultural Program
 shall be attached to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
 shall ensure the full participation of POs, NGOs and the
general public through coordination and consultative
mechanisms such as, but not limited to, public hearings,
meetings and joint projects.
 Organic Agriculture in the Philippines
Repiblic Act No. 10068

Accreditation of Organic Certifying Body.

 The Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards
(BAFPS) is hereby designated and authorized to grant
official accreditation to organic certifying body or entity.
 tasked to formulate the necessary rules and procedures in
the accreditation of organic certifying body
Repiblic Act No. 10068

Registration of Organic Food and Organic Input Producers.

- All organic food and input establishments must register with
the director, BAFPS. Registration under this section shall begin
within ninety (90) days of the enactment of this Act. Such
registration shall contain the following information:
(a) The name, address and emergency contact information of
each organic food or input establishment that the registrant
owns or operates;
 Repiblic Act No. 10068

(b) The primary purpose and business activity of each organic

food or input establishment, including the dates of
operation if the organic food establishment is seasonal;
(c) A list of the organic food or input produced and
corresponding brand names;
(d) For organic food establishment, the name, address and
contact information of the organic food certifying body that
certified the organic products sold by the company;
 Repiblic Act No. 10068

(e) An assurance that the registrant will notify the director of

any change in the products, function or legal status of the
domestic food establishment (including cessation of business
activities) not later than 30 days after such change; and
(f) For organic input producers, a list of materials used in the
production of each particular input
 Repiblic Act No. 10068

Labeling of Organic Produce. -

The label of organic
produce shall contain the
name, logo or seal of the
organic certifying body
and the accreditation
number issued by the
BAFPS. Only third party
certification is allowed to
be labeled as organically
produced.
Organic products
Organic products
National Organic Agriculture Program (NOAP)

a collaborative document spearheaded by the National

Organic Agriculture Board (NOAB) through the cooperation of
various stakeholders of the organic industry, relevant national
government agencies, non-government organisations, civil
society and people's organisations.
The program serves as the guide for the implementation of
Organic Agriculture activities under the Department of
Agriculture and its implementing units.
The NOAP 2012-2016 envisions the organic agriculture sector
contributing to the country's over-all agricultural growth and
development, in terms of sustainability, competitiveness and
food security.
 the program aims to promote, propagate, further develop and
implement the practice of organic agriculture in the Philippines
towards a competitive and sustainable organic agriculture
industry that contributes to:
a. Better farm incomes and sustainable livelihood. Increased
farm productivity, reduced expenses on external farm
inputs, better incomes for farmers and reduction of poverty
in the rural sector;
b. Improved health. Protected health of farmers, consumers
and the public in general;
c. Environmental protection. Enhanced soil fertility and farm
biodiversity, reduced pollution and destruction of the
environment as well as prevention of further depletion of
natural resources;
d. Disaster risk reduction and resilience to Climate Change.
Improved resiliency to disaster risks and climate change
vulnerabilities caused by human interventions and naturally
induced hazards; and
e. Social justice. Meeting the basic material needs and
improving standard of living for all, upholding human rights,
gender equality, labor standards, and the right to self-
determination.
 What is Certification?

 Organic certification system is a quality assurance

initiative, intended to assure quality, prevent fraud and
promote commerce, based on set of standards and
ethics.
 It is a process certification for producers of organic
food and other organic plant products.
Organic Certification Center of the Philippines (OCCP)

 Organic Certification Center of the Philippines (OCCP) is a

non-stock and non-profit organization.
 It is a standard setting and certification body.
 It is a membership based organization with 19 member
NGOs and Individuals nation wide
Commonly Applied Crops for Certification

Rice Coconut
Wild collection of herbal Vegetables (salad and
crops pakbet)
Fresh fruits Banana
Malunggay Garlic
Lemongrass
Commonly Applied Products for Certification

Virgin Coconut Oil

Cooking oil
Banana Chips
Vinegar
Muscovado
Coconut Sugar
Commonly Applied Agricultural Input
Organic Fertilizer
Organic Vermicompost

Recently Approved

 Organic poultry
 Organic swine/pig
 Organic goat
Challenges of organic agriculture
Organic Certification
 One of the major challenges in organic agriculture in the
Philippines is the absence of a well-equipped agency to
conduct inspection and certification of organically grown
products.
 the basic standards was renamed “Certification
Standards of the Philippines” and the certification
body was called “Organic Certification Center of the
Philippines” (OCCP) (OCCP, 2012) (PCARRD, 2015).
 aside from limited certifying body in the country,
getting certified costs a significant amount of money,
which small farmers, who the program initially
targeted to be given support could not afford.
 This set a little drawback and discouraged some
farmers to go organic.
 in 2007, the Negros Island Organic Certification
Services (NICERT) was formed to provide cost
efficient, globally competitive inspection and
certification program to ensure organic standards
and integrity in the whole supply chain (NICERT, 2014).
 NICERT, after monitoring, evaluating and inspecting
the field, awards Certificates of Compliance to
farmers that will strictly follow the standards at a
more affordable fee.
 OPPORTUNITIES

Organic Agriculture Act of 2010

 The act provided avenue for the nationwide development
and promotion of organic agriculture in the Philippines
and for other purposes that would benefit the Filipino
people.
 This law promotes ecologically sound, socially acceptable,
economically viable and technically feasible production of
food and fishes by using organic fertilizers from farm
biomasses and supplemental applications of fermented
plant extracts.
 OPPORTUNITIES
Organic Agriculture Act of 2010
 With this law, more budgets were allocated for the
development of science-based organic practices and
more studies, demonstrations and other activities on
organic agriculture were encouraged.
 Farmers’ practices were reviewed by scientists.
 Even traditional varieties and/or heirloom cultivars
regained their importance
Agro-Eco Tourism
One of the promising opportunities of organic farming is the
development of organic farms into agro-eco tourism site.
As organic farming encourages integrated farming
system or incorporating crops-livestock-processed
products, in a large-scale or small-scale farm, creates and
opportunity to make it a place where farmers can visit and
get inspiration to also go into organic.
Not only large-scale farms have this potential. Small-scale
farm maintained by the farmer who practices biodiversity in
a small-scale offers the same opportunity.
Benefits of organic

Organic farming, she pointed out, has the potential to contribute to sustainable food security
by improving nutrition intake and sustaining livelihoods in rural areas, while simultaneously
reducing vulnerability to climate change and enhancing biodiversity.

Another benefit of organic agriculture is that it uses up to 50% less fossil fuel energy than
conventional farming, and common organic practices— including rotating crops, applying
mulch to empty fields, and maintaining perennial shrubs and trees on farms—also stabilize
soils and improve water retention, thus reducing vulnerability to harsh weather patterns.

“On average, organic farms have 30% higher biodiversity, including birds, insects, and
plants, than conventional farms do,” said Catherine Ward, co-author of the Worldwatch
report.
The researcher found four reasons:

For one, organic agriculture is “knowledge-intensive.” There are so many options available and it’s up to the
farmers to select which suit best to their farms. After training, “constant monitoring and assistance are still
needed to ensure farmers’ continuous practice and compliance to organic agriculture standards,” Parreno-
de Guzman wrote.

Another reason: too much labor in the production of organic fertilizers and concoctions. Most farmers are
used to having quick fixes by simply buying chemical inputs. “Gathering raw materials and preparing these
into organic fertilizers and other concoctions is considered laborious and time-consuming,” wrote Parreno-de
Guzman.

Vermicomposting

Vermicomposting—the process of using earthworms to turn organic waste into vermicompost—is the main
fertilizer production technology promoted in organic agriculture.

But doing so entails high capital as it requires construction of vermi beds and the use of a shredder to cut
the materials for composting. “These expenses are beyond the reach of small farmers,” Parreno-de
Guzman wrote.

But the real reason why most farmers won’t adopt the technology is the low production during the
conversion period. The low harvest is due to the use of organic fertilizer. “The NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus
and potassium) in chemical fertilizers is easily available for plant uptake unlike organic fertilizers which are
slow in releasing nutrients,” wrote Parreno-de Guzman.
COMPONENTS OF ORGANIC FARMING
Organic manures
Non-chemical weed control
Prevention
Cultural Practices
Mechanical Practices
Competitive plant species
Stale seed bed technique
Biological weed management
Bio-herbicides.
Biological pest and disease management
Conservation of natural enemies of pests
Resistant varieties
Crop rotations
ORGANIC MANURES
AND ORGANIC
FARMING
• Manure is organic
matter used as organic
fertilizer in agriculture.
• Manures contribute to
the fertility of the soil
by
adding organic matter
and nutrients, such as
nitrogen that is trapped
by bacteria in the soil.
ORGANIC MANURES
COMMONLY
USE IN ORGANIC
FARMING
Farm Yard Manure
Green manure
Vermi-compost
Crop residues
Bio-fer tilizer s
Green manures
Green manure is a type of cover crop grown primarily to add
nutrients and organic matter to the soil.
The practice of ploughing or turning into soil under-composed
green plant tissue for the purpose of improving physical
condition as well as fertility of the soil is referred to as Green
Manuring.
The green manure crops should have:
profuse leaves and rapid growth early in its life cycle.
have abundance and succulent tops
be capable of making a good stand on poor and exhausted soils.
have a deep root system.
be legume with good nodular growth habit.
 Biofertilizers

Bio-fertilizers refer to various inoculants or cultures containing a specific

micro-organisms in concentrated form, which are derived either from nodules
of plant roots or from the soil of root zone (rhizosphere). And posses unique
ability to fix atmospheric N either by living symbiotically with the roots of
leguminous plants or non-symbiotically (free living) or to transfer native soil
nutrients such as P, Zn, Cu, Fe, S etc. from the non-usable (fixed) form to
usable form through biological processes.
Organic Farming
and
Crop Production