Organic Farming. Basic Principles and Good Practices

Dossier 2021 | N o . 1141 Organic farming Basic principles and good practices Content Why organic farming? Page 3 Balanced nutrient supply from organic Development of organic agriculture sources Page 19 worldwide and in Europe Page 4 Weed control: prevent and regulate Organic farming in Europe: mechanically Page 26 opportunity and challenge Page 6 Organic plant protection: prevention Principles of organic farming Page 8 and protection Page 33 Legal requirements for organic production Page 9 Animal husbandry: adapted to species Soil fertility as the basis of organic and location Page 37 production Page 11 Conversion to organic production Page 40 Crop rotations: optimising short- and Control and certification: part of the long-term goals Page 14 business model Page 44 Organic agriculture has grown intensely worldwide in recent years. The demand for naturally produced food is continuously increasing. Like- wise, the interest of governments in environmen- tally friendly agriculture and healthy food is also increasing. Therefore, it is expected that the area under organic production will continue to grow. This dossier explains the basics of organic agriculture and shows how these are applied in practice. It serves as a valuable source of in- formation for farmers considering conversion to organic farming. The dossier is also a guide for the private sector, government representatives, NGOs and other interested parties in their efforts to make food production in Europe (and else- where) more sustainable. 2 Organic farming. Basic principles and good practice | 2021 | FiBL Why organic farming? Organic farming offers many advantages, both for Reduced external dependence producers and consumers, as well as for nature and the climate. Therefore, it is not surprising that Efficient nutrient circulation within the farm reduc- this form of agriculture is gaining increasing atten- es dependence on external fertilisers. Higher natu- tion from the society and politics worldwide. ral soil fertility, increased biodiversity and lower production intensity overall contribute to healthier crops and a reduced need for pesticides. Greater Improvement of income independence increases job satisfaction and makes production economically more secure. Organic farming requires more effort, especially for weed control, and achieves on average 20 % lower yields than conventional farming. Neverthe- Protection and promotion of less, most organic farms generate a higher income than conventional farms. The reasons for this are, natural resources on the one hand, lower expenses for inputs and higher producer prices. On the other hand, organ- Organically managed soils contain more humus ic farmers in many countries benefit from govern and have a better structure than mineralfertilised ment subsidies. soils. As a result, they silt up and erode less as Because the organic market also has interesting well as absorb and store rainwater better. This im- niche markets, many organic producers strive to proved water supply of organic crops contributes diversify their production, which guarantees them to a better drought tolerance than in conventional greater financial security. Organic farms can add crops. more value by processing agricultural raw materi- The higher supply of biomass in the soil and als onfarm and through utilising direct marketing organic fertilisation promotes soil organisms‘ ac- channels. As a rule, organic farmers or their organ- tivity in organically managed soils. High biologi- isations negotiate prices with buyers in advance, cal activity is important for healthy crops, nutrient thus securing stable prices and guaranteed sales. supply, and stable yields. Direct communication between producers and Organic farming has also been shown to di- buyers helps to establish reliable and costefficient rectly and indirectly promote biodiversity, which value chains. is the basis for natural pest regulation. Figure 1: Comparison of organic and conventional agriculture Conventional Organic Yield Food quality Food quality Yield Soil quality Soil quality Energy efciency Energy efciency Pesticide absence Pesticide absence Biodiversity Biodiversity Water quality Water quality Pesticide safety Protability Pesticide safety Jobs Protability Total costs Jobs Total costs services Ecosystem Ecosystem services Organic farming performs better than conventional farming in almost all areas. Only yields are often lower in organic farming. Source: Reganold J. P., Wachter J. M. 2016. Organic agriculture in the twenty-first century. Nature plants 2(2): 15221. Organic farming. Basic principles and good practice | 2021 | FiBL 3 In addition, organic farming safeguards healthy Sustainable cultivation with groundwater and water bodies with low contribu- tions of nitrate and pesticide contamination; it is a promising future gentle on the climate, and is energy efficient. Organic agriculture is continuously adopting new research findings to improve production with gent Healthier food lier and more efficient practices. Scientific research and the development of technical innovations in Exposure to organic pesticides is minimal for farm- daily practice complement each other perfectly. ers and nature. By not using synthetic chemical Organic farming is eager to use hightech solu- pesticides, organic fruits and vegetables have an tions, such as the detecting and regulating weeds average of 180 times less pesticide residue than using modern equipment with image recognition conventional produce. software, or the use of drones to spread beneficial insects in arable crops. Development of organic agriculture worldwide and in Europe Continuous growth of organic The European Union is the second largest single market for organic products after the United States markets (40.5 billion euros). Within Europe, Germany is the most important market with nearly 11 billion euros, In the last 20 years, the organic market in Europe followed by France with 9.1 billion euros (Figure 3). and worldwide has grown annually with single to In 2018, important national markets recorded dou- doubledigit rates (Figure 2). In 2018, growth in Eu- bledigit growth; for example, the French organic rope was 7.8 percent and retail sales rose to over market grew by 15 percent. 40 billion euros. In the same period, the global organic market reached a volume of almost 97 billion euros. Figure 2: Development of organic retail in Europe and Figure 3: Shares of selected countries in the worldwide from 2000 to 2018 European organic market in 2018 100 000 Others Europe 90 000 7,1% World Netherlands 3,2% 80 000 Denmark 4,4% Germany 70 000 Austria 4,5% 26,8% 60 000 Spain 4,7% 50 000 Total Million € 40,7 Bn. € 40 000 Sweden 5,6% 30 000 20 000 United Kingdom 6,2% 10 000 Switzerland France 0 6,5% 22,5% Italy 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2 011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 8,5% Source: FiBL-AMI surveys 2000-2020 Source: FiBL-AMI survey 2020 4 Organic farming. Basic principles and good practice | 2021 | FiBL Steady expansion of Increasing demand for production areas organic food The growing demand for organic products has Across Europe, more and more organic food is been accompanied by a steady increase in the area being bought. In 2018, Europeans spent around of agricultural land farmed organically: in 2018, 50 euros per person, which is double the amount the increase in Europe was more than 1 million spent since 2008. In the same reference year, Swiss hectares (Figure 4), representing an 11 percent in- and Danish people spent the most on organic food, crease in area. In 2018, nearly 419,000 producers in with over 300 euros per person. Denmark has the Europe managed 3.1 percent of agricultural land highest organic market share in the world with organically. Globally, organic farmland reached an over 11.5 percent. Individual products and prod- alltime high of 71.5 million hectares. uct groups reach market shares of over 20 percent. Organic eggs are top sellers in many countries. In several countries they already account for around Strong increase in processing 30 per cent of the value of all egg sales (see Table 1). and international trade Figure 4: Development of the organic cultivation area In 2018, there were over 96,000 certified proces- in Europe from 1986 to 2018 sors of organic products and over 6,600 importers 17.5 in Europe. The driving force behind the strong growth of international trade in many European 15.0 countries are consumers and supermarket chains. 12.5 Both are seeking a wider range of organic products, increasingly also industrially processed foods. The 10.0 demand for food of animal origin, especially milk and eggs, is growing particularly strongly. Organ- 7.5 Million hectars ic meat consumption is also growing steadily. The 5.0 strong demand for organic animal feed leads to a strong increase in feed imports in Western Eu- 2.5 rope, which is accompanied by a strong expansion 0.0 of organic farmland, especially in Eastern Europe, 2012 2016 2018 2014 1988 1992 1996 1994 2010 1986 1990 1998 2004 2000 2008 where excellent conditions prevail for growing or- 2002 2006 ganic cereals and root crops such as sunflowers Sources: Lampkin, Nic, FiBL-AMI surveys 2006–2020, and OrganicDataNetwork and soybeans. surveys 2013–2015, based on national data sources and Eurostat Table 1: Shares of organic product groups in the total market of product groups in countries in Europe in 2018 Austria Denmark* France* Germany Sweden* Switzerland Baby food 12.7 % Beverages 5 % 5.6 % 3.7 % Bread and bakery products 3.4 % 8.6% 3.5 % Fresh vegetables 16.0 % 20.4 % 6.3 % 9.7 % 12.2 % 25.4 % Fruit 10.7 % 18.8 % 7.7 % 7.8 % 18.4 % 16.2 % Eggs 22.3 % 32.6 % 29.6 % 21.0 % 27.6 % Fish and Fish productes 2.5 % 12.9 % Meat and meat productes 4.4% 2.4 % 2.5 % 2.9 % 6.1 % Milk and Milk productes 16.5 % 4.4 % 10.4 % Source: FiBL-AMI survey 2020; *Data from 2018 Organic farming.

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