Professional Documents
Culture Documents
FOR OR GAN IC
AG RI CUL TUR E
AND P ROC ESS IN G
By: Po nci ano B .
Almo nt e
The Need for Organic Agriculture:
To promote the healthy use and proper care of water, water
resources, and all life therein;
To enhance the conservation of soil, water, improve soil quality
and increase soil fertility;
To maintain the genetic diversity of the agricultural system and its
surroundings, including the protection of plant and wildlife habitats;
To minimize all forms of pollution that may result from farming
practices and progress towards the entire production chain that is
ecologically sound, economically rewarding, and socially just;
they grazed in forage crops that improves the crop rotations, the
diversification, and balance of the farming system
WHY
ORGANIC ENERGY SAVING DUE
INCREASE YIELDS
FARMING TO MANUFACTURE OF
? CHEMICAL FERTILIZER
BETTER/IMPROVED PREVENT
FOOD TASTES ENVIRONMENTAL
POLLUTION
The responsible farmer shall have a clear Field and farm history and present
plan of how to proceed with the conversion. situation (crops, pest management,
This plan should be updated as necessary. fertilizing, animal husbandry)
The entire operation should be seen as That no parallel production takes place
a whole. It is not recommend to
separate the conversion of individual Those converted areas do not get
fields or individual livestock switched back and forth between organic
productions, unless this is on the and conventional management.
basis of imposed public restriction or
can be justified according to local
conditions
Farmland which:
When the organic farmland and remote areas are requires disproportionately long
operated under the same management, the transportation of farmyard manure
remote areas in general should be included in the
conversion plan as well. If a farmer or farming has very different agro-ecosystems
community operates two or more farms within a
local area, all the farms should be converted in any way has difficult access in
according to the OCCP Standards. relation to other operations may, with
approval of the certification body, be
operated conventionally, provided that the
associated prohibited production aids are
not kept within the operation area for
which certification is applied
Where de facto full standard requirements The certification program can reduce the
have been met for several years (e.g. in conversion period in case of:
traditional management or when claiming
idle land) and where this can be reliably uncultivated land is claimed for organic
proved, no full conversion period is required. agriculture;
The establishment of an organic management Plant products can be certified organic when
System and building of soil fertility requires an the full requirements of these standard have
interim period, the conversion period. been met:
The length of the conversion period should be *for annual crops: at least twelve (12) months
based on: before the start of the production cycle,
the past use of the-land
the ecological situation *for perennials: at least eighteen (18) months
of management according to the full
standards requirements before the first
harvest
All seeds and plant materials used should When certified organic seed and plant
be from certified organic produce or from materials are not available, chemically
the same farm untreated conventional materials may be
used in regions where organic agriculture is
in the early stages of its development or
where a new crop gets introduced.
Local seed and crop production and The use of genetically engineered seeds,
development programs should be transgenic plants or plant material is not
encouraged. allowed.
Sufficient quantities of organic material If biodegradable from organic farms are not
should be returned to the soil to increase available in sufficient amounts, materials
or at least maintain its humus content on a from conventional farms may be used, but
long-term should not exceed 50% of the applied
basis. materials. The proportions of these materials
should be reduced with time and such
stopgap measures time and such stopgap
Biodegradable materials from conventional measures
farms should undergo a process of
composting, fermentation or other
treatment prior to application. When supplementary application of fertilizer
is needed, the materials must be certified as
organic fertilizer or correspond with the
requirements of Appendix 2.1 to 2.4.
General Principles Minimum Requirements:
Accumulation of heavy metals and other Minerals inputs, which may have a
pollutants by brought in materials should be considerable content of heavy metals and/or
avoided. other toxic substances, shall not be used.
The processing method should not have Care must be exercised to prevent
hazardous effects both human health and contamination of ground and surface
the environment. water due to leaching of nutrients from
composted materials.
The natural enemies of pests and diseases Products used for pest, disease and weed
should be protected through proper habitat management prepared at the farm from local
management while encouraging hedges, plants, animals and microorganisms are
nesting sites, etc. allowed.
General Principles Minimum Requirements:
Weeds are controlled by a number of Products that may be used in the control of
preventive cultural techniques limiting pests, disease and indicated in Appendix 2.5.
their development, e.g. suitable rotations, Recommended plants for the control of some
green manure, a balanced fertilization pests/diseases are described In Appendix 2.6.
program, early seedbed preparations and
pre-drilling, mulching, and by mechanical Themic weed control and physical methods
control. for pests, disease and weed management are
permitted. Themic sterilization of soils to
combat pests and diseases can be allowed by
the certification body b in circumstances
where a proper rotation or renewal of soil
cannot take place. Permission shall be given
on a case-to-case basis but is not
recommended.
All equipment used for pesticides and
fertilizers application on uncoverted areas of
the farm shall be properly cleaned and free
from residues when used for applying
permitted substances on organically managed
areas. However, the spraying equipment in
particular should be exclusively used in
organic farms.
The use of genetically engineered organisms
or products thereof is not permitted.
General Principles Minimum Requirements:
Growth Regulations:
Growth and development should take All synthetic products like growth regulators
place in a natural way. and dyes (e.g. for cosmetic alterations of
organic products) are prohibited.
Off-farm products that may be used for Products used for regulating growth and
growth regulation are seaweeds development of plants prepared on the farm
itself from local plants, animals and
microorganisms are allowed
Pollution Control:
All relevant measures should be taken to The buffer zone could be a dike which is
minimize synthetic pesticide and fertilizer planted with multi-purpose tree species of
contamination, from outside and within the sufficient density. Products of the buffer
farm by wind drift, drainage and irrigation zone shall not be sold as organic but can
where drift of agrochemicals or other be used as fodder for livestock
pollutants is likely, a buffer zone between
conventionally and originally farmed fields
must be kept. Accumulation of heavy metals
and other pollutants should be avoided.
General Principles Minimum Requirements:
Organic farming systems should be Clearing of land through the means of burning
designed and managed to include control organic matter shall be restricted to the absolute
measures against soil erosion and Minimum. The use of burning for pH correction
against depletion of water resources. needs approval of the certification body.
The act of collection should positively Collected products shall only be certified
contribute to the maintenance of natural organic if derived from a stable growing
areas. Interests of tribal and forest environment. Harvesting or gathering the
communities should be protected. product shall not exceed the sustainable yield
of the ecosystem, or threaten the existence of
plant or animal species.
The consumer must always be able to rely Organic produce shall neither be mixed nor
on the organic integrity of a product when switched with non-organic produce
this product is labeled as organic.
Processing and handling shall be done
separately in time or place from processing
of non-organic products.
1. Snap Beans
The organic vs. commercial snap beans, like the other plant food, were tested
for calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, manganese, iron and copper. Result of
such tests, are shown below for various commodity crops.
( %) (%)
Calcium 71.0 16.0
Magnesium 49.3 13.1
Potassium 176.5 53.7
Sodium 12.2 0.0
Manganese 169.0 1.0
Iron 516.0 9
Copper 60.0 30.0
3. Tomatoes