Organic farming

About: Organic farming is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 7254 publications have been published within this topic receiving 138030 citations. The topic is also known as: pertanian organik & organic farming.

Organic farming as a system to provide better vegetable quality

Abstract: Organic farming is commonly regarded as a system improving vegetable quality. The aim of work was to analyse the effects of the organic methods on the vegetable quality during its production and storage on the way to the consumer. Therefore the nutritive, sensory and storage quality of carrots and potatoes from organic farms has been compared to the crops quality from conventional farms. It was found that organic vegetables had lower yields, but most of their nutritive, sensory and storage quality attributes were better than in the conventional crops. It should be emphasised that lower level of nitrates and simultaneously higher content of vitamin C in organic potatoes can have an important anti-carcinogenic impact on human organism. Organic vegetables more readily comply with food requirements for infants and small babies and should be recommended for baby foods. Organic farming can be considered as a system providing good conditions to improve the vegetable quality. Nevertheless there are many possibilities to ameliorate the methods of cultivation and storage of organic crops to obtain better production and qualitative results. INTRODUCTION Organic farming is more and more popular in Europe and other parts of the world. One of the reasons is growing consumer demand for safe and controlled foodstuffs. Organic food is produced under controlled conditions according to the guidelines of EEC Council Regulation no 2092/91. Organic plant products are produced without synthetic pesticides and mineral fertilisers, but with application of the natural animal manure, composts, green manure and diversified rotation. Certification in the organic farming means that a control unit testifies the product as produced according to the accepted rules and production system (EEC Council Regulation no 2092/91). Organic farming can be regarded as a system to improve vegetable quality. The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of the organic methods on the vegetable quality during its production and storage on the way to the consumer. Therefore the nutritive, sensory and storage quality of carrots and potatoes from the organic farms has been compared to the crops quality from conventional farms. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cultivation ‘Monanta’ and ‘Regulska’ carrots were cultivated in ten organic farms certified by EKOLAND (Society of the Organic Producers in Poland), located in Torun and Plock provinces and in ten conventional farms, using large volume of agri-chemicals located in Warszawa province and producing for big metropolitan market. Organic carrots were fertilised mostly with compost 30 t/ ha. Conventional carrots were fertilised mostly with mineral fertilisers in a range 200-780 kg NPK/ ha. ‘Bryza’, ‘Sokol’, ‘Ania’ and ‘Anielka’ potatoes cultivars were produced under the same fertilizer regime as described above, on ten organic farms located in Torun and Plock provinces. They were fertilised with compost or cow manure at a rate ranging from Proc. Int. Conf. Quality in Chains Eds. Tijskens & Vollebregt Acta Hort. 604, ISHS 2003 474 ten tons per hectare to forty tons per hectare depending on the farm. Identical potato cultivars were cultivated in conventional farms located in the close neighbourhood of the organic farms in Torun and Plock provinces. Potato fields were fertilised with 350 kg NPK/ha in proportion 1:1:1,5. METHODS OF CHEMICAL ANALYSES All chemical analyses were carried out for the tuber flash, i.e. with peeled carrots and potatoes. Randomly selected 10 tubers or 10 carrot roots were peeled and homogenized. The following methods were used to determine: dry matter ISO 1026 Standard [1982]; nitrates and nitrites ISO 6635.2 Standard [1984]; cadmium and lead ISO standards [1983] and [1984]; Ca, K and Mg flame photometry method; total sugars in carrots Polish Standard PN 90/A-75101/07; s carotene Polish Standard PN 90/A – 75101/12; vitamin C ISO standard [1984]; starch Krelowska-Kulas (1993); total proteins application note nr 3112. All determinations were made in duplicate or triplicate in the case of doubts. Method of sensory evaluation. Sensory evaluation of carrots and potatoes was made using the hedonic method (Jellinek 1985). We used a graphic scale with 9 word definitions of desire’s intensity. An untrained panel of 100 students was used to obtain objective sensory results. Method of storage quality evaluation The evaluation of potato tubers’ quality after storage period was conducted according to Polish Standard PN – 82/R-74456. Statistical calculations Calculations were conducted by means of the specialist computer software SAS. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Yield and nutritive quality of carrots and potatoes under different cultivation methods The average yield of ‘Monanta’ carrots was higher by 33% on organic than conventional farms, but the difference was statistically insignificant (Table 1). Lindner (1991) found a 10 % lower yield in the organic carrot production. Organic carrots contained 4 times fewer nitrates and 46 % less nitrites than conventional ones (Table 1). Lindner (1991) found 47 % less nitrates in organic carrots. Many authors (e.g. Kolbe et al. 1995) emphasise that plants quickly assimilate easy soluble and available mineral fertilisers and accumulate nitrate ions in plant tissues. Properly applied organic fertilisation causes lower accumulation of the nitrates in plant tissues (Vogtmann 1985). The content of lead was similar in organic and conventional carrots, but the content of cadmium was almost 3 times higher in organic carrots. However, the level of heavy metals was generally low in all samples. The contents of mineral compounds (Ca, K, and Mg) were similar in organic and conventional carrot. Leclerc et al. (1991) found more K (and P) but less Ca in organic carrot. Organic carrots contained less s-carotene and more total sugars, but the differences were statistically insignificant. Leclerc et al. (1991) and Zadoks (1989) found a higher content of s-carotene in organic carrots, but Abele (1987) did not find any clear difference in this respect. The average yield of the organic potatoes was significantly lower compared to the conventional potatoes. In better soils some authors found comparable yield of organic and conventional potatoes (Abele 1987) or even higher yield of organic potatoes (Kolbe et al. 1995). The content of dry matter was as a rule higher in organic potatoes. Kolbe et al. (1995) and Schulz (2000) found also significantly higher content of dry matter in organic potatoes.

Sustainability and Competitiveness of Romanian Farms through Organic Agriculture

Abstract: Currently, the development of any sector involves respecting the principles of sustainability, which means economic, social and environmental development. Moreover, organic farming is a very important field for ensuring sustainable development. Romania has great potential for the development of organic agriculture, especially due to the large number of available farmland and reduced use of fertilizers and other chemicals. However, the development of organic farming in Romania is in an early stage, due to the numerous problems that Romanian agriculture is still facing. Concern for the environment should be reflected at the level of production processes and consumption. As market demand influences and stimulates production, we can ask the question to what extent stimulating the consumption of organic products through green marketing can boost organic agriculture development and competitiveness of Romanian farms. Using several methods of research, such as analysis, synthesis, comparison, statistical methods and by calling on studies, reports and data series on organic farming in the EU and Romania, this paper highlights Romania's position in terms of the level of development of organic agriculture and recommends several ways to improve the outcomes obtained by Romania in the field. Moreover, based on regression equations, the trend of convergence of Romanian organic agriculture development in relation to the EU countries is analysed. The paper demonstrates that one of the measures that can be taken by Romanian farms is green marketing strategy development that can stimulate both consumption and production of organic products. Therefore, with increasing interest in the development of organic agriculture in Romania, green marketing can play an increasingly important role in promoting the benefits of consuming organic products, thus contributing to business development of organic products as well as to the development of Romanian agriculture. Promoting organic agriculture through the use of green marketing techniques is useful for improving human, environmental and economic health, in the context of sustainable development.

The Future of Smallholder Farming in India: Some Sustainability Considerations

Abstract: The biodiverse, predominantly crop-livestock mixed-farming in India is key to ensuring resilience to climate change and sustainability of smallholder farming agroecologies. Farmers traditionally grow diverse crops as polyculture, and agriculture is mainly organic/biodynamic with spirituality in food systems deeply ingrained. Job-driven out-migration of rural youths, the family labor force, and globalization of contemporary food choices under corporate industrial agriculture both adversely affect sustainability of traditional farming landscapes and compromise the nutrition and health of rural farming communities. Besides documenting information on general agri-food system policy inputs, our paper presents the results of an exploratory study of four crucial community-level initiatives conducted in four distinct agroecological landscapes of India, aimed at bringing sustainability to traditional farming and food systems. The driving force for fundamental change in agri-food system, and in society, is the question of sustainability. The organic and local food movements are but specific phases of the larger, more fundamental sustainable agri-food movement. While it is very critical to increase farmer livelihood, it is even more important to increase overall rural economy. It was found that four important interventions viz. linking organic agriculture to community-supported agriculture (CSA) initiatives; linking small-holder farming to school meal (MDM) programmes; enhanced market access and value chain development for local agricultural produce; and creation of employment opportunities at community level for rural youths and reducing over-dependence of rural population on agriculture as source of income can make traditional farming more profitable and sustainable. The transition to more sustainable methods of farming by selling the farm produce “locally” helps both consumers and farmers alike and is considered a future strength of smallholder Indian agriculture.