What is organic farming?
For most people organic farming means “growing without the use of chemicals”. For practicing organic farmers it means much more than a list of ‘chemicals which they cannot use. For them it is farming with nature as the ‘model’ and includes many positive practices that replace chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
Organic farming is also sometimes referred to as ‘natural’, ‘biological’, ‘ecological’ and various other names. Biodynamics is a special form of organic farming and Permaculture is a design concept which is used by many organic farmers to order and plan their properties.
Whatever the name we give to a particular form of alternative growing systems, they will share some common goals and objectives and be based upon similar underlying concepts.
Reduced consumption of non renewable resources.
To be sustainable we should minimise or avoid the use of nonrenewable materials, especially fossil fuels for fertiliser and chemical manufacture and for transport. These fuels are not renewable in a time frame relevant to a human lifespan and using them inevitably causes pollution and contributes to climate change.
Soil and clean water are renewable resources in a healthy world but the necessary conditions for them to be renewing are sometimes not present in our modern farming landscapes. Organic farming recognises these resources as being of prime importance and treats them with proper respect and care.
Effective use of natural techniques
Simply removing the chemical inputs is not enough. Without inputs and management of some type the natural resource base will eventually run down. Successful organic farming therefore depends on understanding and using proven methods such as crop rotation, use of animal manures and crop residues, use of legumes and cultural, biological and (natural) chemical pest control.Instead of using a chemical for pest control, organic farmers may use information about the biology or life cycle of the pest to alter conditions on the farm and make them less favourable for the pest. Use of knowledge about the environment to devise management actions, rather than physical inputs, is a key feature of natural farming.
The farmer is therefore an integral part of the farm. The farmer must understand the principles at work in nature and the specific manifestation of those principles on their particular place on earth. While the principles will be common to natural farming anywhere, the importance of intimate understanding of how these principles apply to the local situation requires careful observation, cautious experiment and appropriate experience, skill and labour.
