Organic farming involves producing crops and livestock without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. Farmers must optimize soil health and meet strict criteria to maintain certification. Marketing strategies are crucial for financial success.
An organic farmer produces vegetables, fruits, cereals or livestock without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. In the case of animals, certified organic feed must be used, and synthetic hormones or food additives are generally prohibited. In addition to planting, tending and harvesting crops, an organic farmer must optimize the biological productivity of the land and carefully monitor site selection, soil conditions and livestock health. To be financially successful, organic farmers need to maintain certification and strategically market their produce.
Organic farming starts and ends with the soil. An organic farmer sees the soil as a living partner in agriculture and works to protect and maintain the land’s viability. This can take the form of composting, complementary planting, mulching and careful monitoring of earthworm populations. The organic farmer feeds the soil with manure, compost and other organic matter and maintains soil cover and moisture levels to prevent water and wind erosion.
All aspects of an organic farm are required to meet strict criteria. For example, when choosing seeds for harvesting, an organic farmer should verify that the seeds come from certified organic stock. This could mean saving seeds from the previous year or buying from a reputable source. Furthermore, when choosing the variety of crops to plant or the animals to farm, an organic farmer must consider not only profit margins and productivity, but also disease and pest resistance, as well as reproductive health.
To legally label products as organic, an organic farmer must maintain certification with the local government agency. Organic standards are not universally applicable as each country has its own particular soil and climate considerations. For this reason, organic farmers growing produce for export purposes need to meet the standards of the destination country in addition to their source regulations. Some countries, such as the United States and Canada, have equivalence agreements to simplify trade.
In addition to producing quality crops and livestock, organic farmers must devise careful marketing strategies. Organic operations are estimated to be 25-30% more labor intensive than standard farming practices, and to achieve a financial return on investment in time, organic farmers need to properly market their produce to reach consumers. Co-op markets, health food stores, and specialty supermarkets are more likely suppliers than large discount stores. As demand increases, organic farming becomes more economically viable, so organic farmers must also be effective vocal advocates for the organic movement.
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