Standards and certification procedures in organic agriculture: An overview focusing on organic crop production

Abstract:The organic agriculture is a holistic production management system which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people. According to organic crop production standards, land will have no prohibited substances applied to it for at least 3 years before the harvest of an organic crop. The use of genetic engineering (included in excluded methods), ionizing radiation and sewage sludge is prohibited. Soil fertility and crop nutrient will be managed through tillage and cultivation practices, crop rotations, and cover crops, supplemented with animal and crop waste materials and allowed synthetic materials. Preference will be given to the use of organic seeds and other planting stock, but a farmer may use non-organic seeds and planting stock under specified conditions. Crop pests, weeds, and disease will be controlled primarily through management practices including physical, mechanical, and biological controls. When these practices are not sufficient, a biological, botanical, or synthetic substance approved for use on the National List is used. A numbers of booming development taking place in organic farming and marketing offers many opportunities. But there are many challenges of standards and certification of organic farming. Without these standards and certification, the national programmers of organic production system cannot succeed. We have to adopt a holistic principle, for establishment of organic production systems and this could lead to changes in life style and consumption patterns that will reach far beyond food and nutrition.