General Principles of Organic Production...Intercropping (Polyculture) Growing of two or more crops to maximize beneficial interactions: oAllelopathy oHigher plant density oPest control

Leonard J.M. Githinji, PhDDep. of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences &

Cooperative Extension ProgramTuskegee University, AL

Email: [email protected]: 334-724-4955

General Principles of Organic Production

General Description of Organic Production:

It is a form of sustainable agriculture that relies on techniques of:

natural soil fertility management

biological pest management


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General Description of Organic Production:

Organic production excludes the following:

chemical fertilizers

synthetic pesticides

growth regulators

antibiotics

genetically modified organisms (GMOs).


Definition of Organic Production (NOSB, 1995):

It is an ecological production system that promotes and enhances:

biodiversity

biological cycles and

biological activity of the soil.

“The primary goal of organic production is to optimize the health and productivity of soil life, plants, animals and people.”


Principles that characterize certified organic farming:

Biodiversity

Integration

Sustainability

Natural Soil Fertility

Natural Pest Management

Integrity


Biodiversity:

Organic farmers are both custodians and users of biodiversity at all levels:

GENE level: locally adapted seeds and breeds are preferred for their greater resistance to diseases and resilience to climatic stress;

SPECIES level: diverse combinations of plants and animals optimize nutrient and energy cycling for agricultural production;

ECOSYSTEM level: the maintenance of natural areas within and around organic fields and the absence of chemical inputs create habitats suitable for wildlife.


Biodiversity:

Diverse ecosystems have a better chance of supporting beneficial organisms.

Pollinators

Natural enemies of garden pest

Microbes that help in:

o nutrients cycling

o nitrogen fixation

o disease suppression


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Biodiversity practices include:

Intercropping (Polyculture)

Growing of two or more crops to maximize beneficial interactions:

o Allelopathy

o Higher plant density

o Pest control

o Disease control


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Allelopathy

biological phenomenon by which a plant produces one or more biochemicals that influence the growth, survival, and reproduction of another.

biochemicals are known as allelochemicals and can have:

obeneficial (positive allelopathy) or

odetrimental (negative allelopathy)


Intercropping (Polyculture) systems:

Row intercropping—growing two or

more crops at the same time with at

least one crop planted in rows.

Strip intercropping—growing two or more crops together

in strips wide enough to permit separate crop production

using machines but close enough for

the crops to interact.


American Vegetable Grower (2009)

http://www.davewann.com/blog/

Intercropping (Polyculture) systems:

Mixed intercropping—growing

two or more crops together in no

distinct row arrangement.

Relay intercropping—planting a

second crop into a standing crop

at a time when the standing crop

is at its reproductive stage but

before harvesting.


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http://www.exactrix.com/wc.htm

Integration:

Good organic practices integrate their various enterprises.

Benefits of integration:

economic

environmental benefits.

Examples of integration are:

Forage legumes + Non-legume crops in rotation.

Crop + livestock: Manure from livestock enterprises is conserved as a nutrient resource and recycled back.


Sustainability:

management of ag. resources to satisfy human needs while maintaining or enhancing the quality of the environment and conserving natural res. (IFOAM, 2003).

Three dimensions must be fulfilled before an agricultural system can be called sustainable:

Social sustainability

Environment sustainability

Economic sustainability


http://www.sustainability.ku.edu/sustainability.shtml

Social sustainability aspects:

o Safe, nutritious, and healthy food

o Good working conditions for humans

o Use of local knowledge


Economic sustainability aspects:

o Satisfactory and reliable yields

o Low costs on external inputs

o Integration for income safety

o Market premiums with certified production


Environmental sustainability aspects:

o Recycling the nutrients instead of supplying external inputs

o No chemical pollution

o Promote biodiversity

o Animal friendly husbandry

o Use of renewable energies

o Prevent soil erosion

o Improves soil fertility and build humus


Natural Soil Fertility

Natural soil fertility is based on biodegradable material, i.e. plant or animal residues that can be decomposed.

Nutrient cycling are closed with the help of the following processes:

Composting

Mulching

Green manure

Crop rotation


Natural Pest and Disease Management

Also known as biological pest and disease management

Based on the following practices:

Use of beneficial insects / natural enemies

Use of crop resistance to pests and diseases

Crop rotation

Sanitation

Use of organic or natural pesticides


Integrity

Refers to a system in place and actions undertaken to assure that consumers of organic produce get what they have paid for.

Producers have to play by the rules:

Regulatory body: under USDA governing organic production.

Standards and Regulations: Strict regulation of the term "organic" in relation to the sale of food products in the U.S.

Labeling: Organic products have labels

on the packing stating that the product

is organic.


Regulatory Body concerned with Organic Production:

The Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA), enacted under the 1990 Farm Bill, served to establish uniform national standards for the organic production.

The Act authorized a new USDA National Organic Program (NOP) to set national standards for organic products.

OFPA established the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), a that sets the organic standards upon which the NOP is based on.


Labeling


Examples of non-regulatory organizations / associations:

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)

Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF)

Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA)

National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (ATTRA)

International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM)

Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG)

Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network (ASAN)



Organic Farming Practices (adopted from Kuepper and Gegner, 2004)

Thank you for listening

Leonard GithinjiTuskegee University

Cooperative Extension Program103 Mary Starke Harper Hall

[email protected]


Documents

General Principles of Organic Production...Intercropping (Polyculture) Growing of two or more crops to maximize beneficial interactions: oAllelopathy oHigher plant density oPest control