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Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on crop rotation, green manure, compost, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity and control pests, excluding or strictly limiting the use of synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides, plant growth regulators, livestock feed additives, and genetically modified organisms.

Since 1990 the market for organic products has grown at a rapid pace, averaging 20-25 percent per year to reach $33 billion in 2005. This demand has driven a similar increase in organically managed farmland. Approximately 30.6 million hectares worldwide are now farmed organically, representing approximately 2% of total world farmland. In addition, as of 2005 organic wild products are farmed on approximately 62 million hectares.

Some Benefits of Organic Farming

• Organic farms can support substantially higher levels of wildlife especially in lowlands and where animals can roam pastures or graze on grassland. Not only does wildlife benefit, but entire ecosystems and ground water are improved by simply following organic farming methods.

• Researchers in the United States have found that by following organic farming methods, conventional farmer’s can actually reduce production cost by over 25%. This is accomplished by eliminating the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, minimizing soil erosion by up to 50% and increasing crop yields up to five-fold within five years.

• Organic farming promotes soils that are teaming with life and rich in micro nutrients which can be used for decades to grow crops virtually year round in many parts of the world.

• Organically grown products are free from harmful chemicals, artificial flavors and preservatives that ultimately cost consumers money when they purchase non-organically grown products. You can always taste the difference between organically grown and conventionally grown products.

• Consumers purchasing organically grown foods can taste the difference and see the quality of virtually any organic product they buy. Regardless of minimal price differences, consumers can smell, taste and see the difference in the quality of organically grown food products.

• Eating organic foods may in fact, reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and cancer for individuals who abstain from consuming products produced by conventional farming methods. Biochemist are continually researching the inherent benefits of organically grown foods and discovering the consequences consuming products loaded with toxins and chemicals which, until recently, have only begun to be introduced to humans. The fact is, you ultimately are what you eat.

Organic Certification Center of the Philippines (OCCP) Standards for Organic Agriculture and Processing

The Aims

Organic agriculture and processing is based on a number of principles and ideas, which are all equally important. These are:

• To produce food of high nutritional quality in sufficient quantity;
• To interact in a constructive and life-enhancing way with natural systems and cycles;
• To encourage and enhance biological cycles within the farming system, involving micro organisms, soil flora and fauna, plants and animals;
• To promote the healthy use and proper care of water, water resources and all life therein;
• To enhance the conservation of soil and water, improve soil quality and increase soil fertility;
• To use organic matter and nutrient elements, as far as possible, within a closed system;
• To work, as far as possible, with materials and substances which can be reused or recycled, either on the farm or elsewhere;
• To give all livestock (including poultry, fishes, bees and other farm animals) conditions of life which allow them to perform the basic aspects of their innate behavior;
• 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 an entire production chain that is ecologically sound, economically rewarding and socially just;
• To allow everyone involved in organic production and processing a quality of life conforming to the UN Human Rights Charter, to cover their basic needs and obtain an adequate return and satisfaction from their work, including a safe working environment; and,
• To foster indigenous and ecological production systems that can produce adequate, safe and nutritious food for local communities.

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