Organic farming: truth or myth, judge for yourself

Abstract

It is mentioned that there are various explanations and definitions of organic agriculture (OA) (ecological, biological agriculture), but they all agree that it is a method for managing the ecosystem instead of using only agricultural inputs. So-called OA has been sacralised in an uncritical way, both in the political and legislative sphere and in the media. It is imperative to rigorously evaluate its postulates and practices in the light of the best available science, with an objective view. A good starting point to contribute to the debate is the European Union (EU) regulation on organic production and labelling of organic products (No. 8347/2007) of June 2007 which states, "organic production is a general system of farm management and food production that combines best environmental practices, a high level of biodiversity, the preservation of natural resources, the application of high animal welfare standards and production in accordance with the preferences of certain consumers for products obtained from natural substances and processes". In this light definition, the ambitious enumeration of good intentions, ideals that in principle can be embraced by any citizen, is contrasted with an explicit declaration that the aim is not so much the production of foodstuffs necessary for our species as a whole, but "production in accordance with the preferences of certain consumers". It is clear from its advocates that organic food "arises as an ideological movement of reaction" to what they consider to be the excesses and problems resulting from the intensification and industrialization of agricultural production, the consequences of which are a litany of negative effects on health, the environment and society. Organic food accounts for about 2 % of the world market, with prices around 50 % higher than conventional food. Although the expansion of OA in the world is relatively recent, reaching more than 30 million hectares, in 120 countries and 600000 production units, its beginnings date back to the last decades of the 19th and early 20th centuries, based on the Universidad Estatal del Sur de Manabí (UNESUM). Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. km 1.5 via Noboa, Campus los Ángeles, Jipijapa. Tel: 05-2600229/05-2601657/052600223. Manabí, Ecuador.