Why Organic Farming?

Defining “Organic”

Organic farming is a method of crop and livestock production that involves much more than choosing not to use pesticides, fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, antibiotics and growth hormones.
Organic production is a holistic system designed to optimize the productivity and fitness of diverse communities within the agro-ecosystem, including soil organisms, plants, livestock and people. The principal goal of organic production is to develop enterprises that are sustainable and harmonious with the environment.
The general principles of organic production, from the Canadian Organic Standards (2006), include the following:

• protect the environment, minimize soil degradation and erosion, decrease pollution, optimize biological productivity and promote a sound state of health
• maintain long-term soil fertility by optimizing conditions for biological activity within the soil
• maintain biological diversity within the system
• recycle materials and resources to the greatest extent possible within the enterprise
• provide attentive care that promotes the health and meets the behavioural needs of livestock
• prepare organic products, emphasizing careful processing, and handling methods in order to maintain the organic integrity and vital qualities of the products at all stages of production
• rely on renewable resources in locally organized agricultural systems

Organic farming promotes the use of crop rotations and cover crops, and encourages balanced host/predator relationships. Organic residues and nutrients produced on the farm are recycled back to the soil. Cover crops and composted manure are used to maintain soil organic matter and fertility. Preventative insect and disease control methods are practiced, including crop rotation, improved genetics and resistant varieties. Integrated pest and weed management, and soil conservation systems are valuable tools on an organic farm. Organically approved pesticides include “natural” or other pest management products included in the Permitted Substances List (PSL) of the organic standards. The Permitted Substances List identifies substances permitted for use as a pesticides in organic agriculture. All grains, forages and protein supplements fed to livestock must be organically grown.
The organic standards generally prohibit products of genetic engineering and animal cloning, synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, synthetic drugs, synthetic food processing aids and ingredients, and ionizing radiation. Prohibited products and practices must not be used on certified organic farms for at least three years prior to harvest of the certified organic products. Livestock must be raised organically and fed 100 per cent organic feed ingredients.
Organic farming presents many challenges. Some crops are more challenging than others to grow organically; however, nearly every commodity can be produced organically.

Growth of Organic Agriculture

The world market for organic food has grown for over 15 years. Growth of retail sales in North America is predicted to be 10 per cent to 20 per cent per year during the next few years. The retail organic food market in Canada is estimated at over $1.5 billion in 2008 and $22.9 billion in the U.S.A. in 2008. It is estimated that imported products make up over 70 per cent of the organic food consumed in Canada. Canada also exports many organic products, particularly soybeans and grains.
The Canadian Organic Farmers reported 669 certified organic farms in Ontario in 2007 with over 100,000 certified organic acres of crops and pasture land. This is an annual increase of approximately 10 per cent per year in recent years. About 48 per cent of the organic cropland is seeded to grains, 40 per cent produces hay and pasture and about five per cent for certified organic fruits and vegetables. Livestock production (meat, dairy and eggs) has also been steadily increasing in recent years.

Why Farm Organically?

The main reasons farmers state for wanting to farm organically are their concerns for the environment and about working with agricultural chemicals in conventional farming systems. There is also an issue with the amount of energy used in agriculture, since many farm chemicals require energy intensive manufacturing processes that rely heavily on fossil fuels. Organic farmers find their method of farming to be profitable and personally rewarding.

Why Buy Organic?

Consumers purchase organic foods for many different reasons. Many want to buy food products that are free of chemical pesticides or grown without conventional fertilizers. Some simply like to try new and different products. Product taste, concerns for the environment and the desire to avoid foods from genetically engineered organisms are among the many other reasons some consumers prefer to buy organic food products. In 2007 it was estimated that over 60 per cent of consumers bought some organic products. Approximately five per cent of consumers are considered to be core organic consumers who buy up to 50 per cent of all organic food.

What is "Certified Organic"?

“Certified organic” is a term given to products produced according to organic standards as certified by one of the certifying bodies. There are several certification bodies operating in Ontario. A grower wishing to be certified organic must apply to a certification body requesting an independent inspection of their farm to verify that the farm meets the organic standards. Farmers, processors and traders are each required to maintain the organic integrity of the product and to maintain a document trail for audit purposes. Products from certified organic farms are labelled and promoted as “certified organic.”
In June 2009, the Canadian government introduced regulations to regulate organic products. Under these regulations the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) oversees organic certification, including accreditation of Conformity Verification Bodies (CVBs) and Certification Bodies (CBs). This regulation also references the Canadian Organic Production Systems General Principles and Management Standards (CAN/CGSB-32.310) and the Organic Production Systems – Permitted Substances List that were revised in 2009.
The Canadian organic regulations require certification to these standards for agricultural products represented as organic in import, export and inter-provincial trade, or that bear the federal organic agricultural product legend or logo. (Figure 1) Products that are both produced and sold within a province are regulated by provincial organic regulations where they exist (Quebec, British Columbia and Manitoba).

When eating mangoes becomes the cause of malaria!

Despite enormous efforts by health professionals, educators and Government, malaria remains the single most significant health threat to Ugandans. Why is this the case? 
A team of medical students from Makerere University believe they have the answer: the professionals who are leading the fight against malaria aren’t listening to the voices of the people who are affected by the disease. As a result, programmes to educate people about malaria prevention don’t take account of what people know and they therefore fail to teach people what they need to know. 
“In Uganda, the main problem is not lack of information,” said Nixon Nyonzima, from Makerere University. The problem, he said, is that “we don’t package information so that the man on the street can understand it.” 
In June and July last year, the students spent six weeks in Mifumi Village, Tororo, eastern Uganda, listening carefully to what people told them about malaria. After learning what the people of the village knew, the students then designed an educational program designed to fill gaps in the people’s knowledge. The students, who presented their preliminary findings in a video conference with the U.S National Library of Medicine (NLM) and Fogarty International Centre, are currently studying the impact of their efforts. 
Meeting villagers in their homes and in public settings, the students learned that villagers’ ideas about malaria are neither correct nor incorrect. 
While listening to the people, a response like, “Mangoes cause malaria in this village. When I eat mangoes I get sick,” was common—an indicator that people had not received correct information on how malaria is got. 
But the researchers learnt that in their perceptions, the locals were not far from the truth, because during the rainy season when mangoes are plenty, malaria cases increase. “This is when mosquitoes breed around the bushes, broken bottles, containers and swamps. And when people exposed to these places get bitten by mosquitoes , they attribute malaria sickness to mangoes,” said William Lubega, one of the researchers. 
Another response from the locals was: “Malaria is caused by witchcraft or bad spirits. When I got malaria, I found out that my neighbour was responsible for it. And when he was sent away from the village, I got cured,” one local said. 
But the researchers found out that when malaria attacks villagers, they don’t seek medical advice due to ignorance. “The pain may go away after some time even when someone hasn’t visited a health centre. But the germ remains in the body and the person will succumb to the disease again,” said Lubega. “So when they have a quarrel with a neighbour they attribute it to them. Like in this case it was a coincidence that the pain reduced for a short time when the neighbour was sent away from the village, but the disease resurfaced later. When we treated him, he became okay, showing that he had shunned medical help. But the neighbour was innocent.” 
The researchers also discovered that there was a link between malaria and diarrhoea in this village. There was no protected water source in the area. The people shared wells with animals and lacked basic knowledge about personal hygiene. As a result, many had suffered from malaria and diarrhoea and yet attributed their illness to witchcraft. 
Another problem encountered was misuse of anti-malaria drugs. According to Brian Sseruyombya, a pharmacist with the project, the people had tried various drugs and had given up visiting health centres because it had made no difference. “The majority had not completed the doses,” he said. “And some used over the counter-drugs especially Panadol that merely reduced pain and people had also resorted to sharing the tablets with their immediate family members because everyone couldn’t afford his or her own.” 
The researchers attributed all these problems to lack of basic education, and cultural beliefs. “Looking at Mifumi village, people are so poor and ill educated. They sleep near swamps, broken bottles and their personal hygiene in homes was so appaling. So I looked at the best way of how we can send the message effectively to the people,” said Julia Royal, head of International Program, NLM, who led the team. 
The researchers created tutorials on malaria with the faculty of medicine and a team of Ugandan doctors, artists and translators. The faculty members worked with an artistic team to create locally meaningful text and illustrations for the tutorials. “We moved from one homestead to another both through group and individual approach, educating people about malaria,” said Nyonzima 
In order to make the people understand the messages, the community had to be a partner in all this. “They had to be included at all levels. Education was passed to them and the team had to stay with the community in their homes to address their concerns.” Lubega said. 
“We set up a community-based education service, which enabled us educate communities and allowed the communities to pose questions. It was done on both radio and through physical contact. The group targeted individuals in various villages in conjunction with local councils where education in local languages about malaria was imparted to them,” said group member Nelson Igaba. 
Another approach the researchers used was passing on messages on malaria through school children. “Children are the best mode through which health education can be passed. Most are able to read and write due to the Universal Primary Program. Therefore we taught children in homes and schools about the causes, signs, and symptoms of malaria,” said Deborah Kisige, another student. 
“After a few days we noticed a difference. People started making toilet covers from wood, slashed bushes around their compounds and separated human water sources from those of the animals,” said Igaba. 
“They abandoned their belief of malaria caused by mangoes and demons,” said Thomas Kiggundu. “They abandoned it and sought medical care from professionals.” 
The students’ work is very timely. Statistics show that in Uganda, malaria is a serious health problem and currently poses the most significant threat to the health of the population. Malaria accounts for 25-40% of all outpatients’ visits at health centres, 20% of hospital admissions, 9-14% of in-patient deaths, and kills 3-5% of the people who get it. Each year, malaria kills about 100,000 people in Uganda, nearly a quarter of whom are children aged five and below