A Rose By Any Other Name?

The term "organic" is used to indicate a wide variety of things. General opinion seems to equate organic to a range of terms from "healthy", "environmentally friendly", "pesticide free" through "expensive", and "niche market". It is time to set out some definitions, and clarify some misunderstandings.

If a product is "certified organic", it was grown and processed using established organic production and processing systems. The word "certified" tells you that an independent third party has inspected the operation and can verify that organic practices were employed. The certification agency has a set of standards and a mechanism to see that they are met. This includes extensive paper trail as well as rigorous management requirements. Copies of the Standards are available through the certification agencies and are often posted on their websites.

Accreditation organizations use a similar process of requirement setting and on-site inspections to oversee the certification bodies. A certification body may be accredited with a number of organizations, depending on the markets its members/clients wish to enter. Some accreditors, such as the United States Department of Agriculture (National Organic Program), are government agencies. Others, such as the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), are private agencies.

If the product is labeled organic, but is not certified, the definition of organic is up to the producer. Usually that means that herbicides and insecticides were not used on crops, and livestock received no hormones or antibiotics. For people who know and trust the producer, this may be enough.

The organic production system is often characterized as one without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Increasingly it is known as farming without genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Although most pesticides and synthetic fertilizers are not permitted under organic production, and GMOs are banned, organic is much more than a simple list of "thou shalt not". Organic management is knowledge intensive, and depends on long-term planning and management in partnership with nature. It includes pro-active techniques that foster fertility, diversity and biological activity, as well as reducing the occurrence of problematic levels of "pests".

Organic products are not certified "pesticide or herbicide free". Organic farmers do not use synthetic substances and they reduce accidental contact with them by maintaining buffer strips, registering and posting their land, managing run-off and soil and water movement and maintaining vigilance. Logically this should reduce the pesticide load, even if some exposure occurs. A comparison of the urine of children who ate organic produce with that of children who ate conventional produce found that eating organic reduced the level of organophosphates from above to below the United States Environmental Protection Agency's guidelines.¹

People who are concerned about transgenic organisms or pesticide levels often turn to organic products for their own health and for the health of the environment. Recent studies have suggested that organic systems have significant benefits to the environment, because of increased carbon fixation and sequestering.² Organic systems also do not rely on energy intensive, and thus carbon dioxide producing, methods of synthesizing fertilizers. Critics suggest that organic farming is too dependent on tillage and contributes to soil erosion. Although organic farmers adopt many soil saving techniques - direct seeding, seeded waterways, cover crops - additional ongoing research is required to improve organic systems.

Are organic products expensive? Many organic producers argue that organic products are not over priced; conventional agricultural products are tragically under-priced. Conventional products, particularly commodities, are traded in a manner that does not consider the costs of production in the price equation - as average farm income strongly indicates. This is certainly also a risk for organic farmers, though they have largely avoided it thus far.

Are organic consumers a niche market? If this is so, it is a niche that is increasing rapidly. A recent study indicates that organic buyers are a diverse group, with only 10% of buyers in what has been considered the "core" or "tree hugger" group.³

Organic is often compared to "conventional". This too is a bit of a misrepresentation. Agriculture has been organic for most of its 10,000-year history. It has included something other than organic for only about 50 years. As more consumers show an interest in organic products, organic is becoming mainstream once again. The challenge will be in maintaining the integrity of organic principles through this process.


Brenda Frick, Ph.D., P.Ag., is the Prairie Coordinator for the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada at the College of Agriculture, University of Saskatchewan. She welcomes your comments at 306-966-4975 or via email.

Many thanks to Debbie Miller for helpful and perceptive comments on an earlier draft of this article.

References:
1. Curl, C.L. R.A. Fenske, K. Elgethun, 2002. Organophosphorus pesticide exposure of urban and suburban pre-school children with organic and conventional diets. Environmental Health Perspecitives. Click here for online report.

2. Sayre, L. 2004. Organic farming combats global warming…big time. The New Farm.

3. Howie, M. 2004 Industry Study on Why Millions of Americans Are Buying Organic Foods. Feedstuffs. Organic Consumers Association.

This article first appeared in The Western Producer, and is published here on the OACC website with permission.