Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The challenges for organic agriculture will depend in part on the location and commodi-
ties being produced, but some concerns will affect organic farmers worldwide. Agronomic
constraints including weeds, animal health and soil fertility continue to concern farmers.
Inadequacies in regulatory and marketing structures frustrate farmers, processors and con-
sumers alike. With limited government support, the lack of large commercial supporters and
the inability of smaller commercial operations to fund research and development, extension-
ists and researchers are less able to attract funding.
Maintaining a commitment to the principles of organic agriculture will also be a challenge.
After almost a century of development, organic agriculture has been embraced by the main-
stream and shows great promise commercially, socially and environmentally. Behind the
billion-dollar markets and the million-hectare farms, there are many organic growers and
consumers who are deliberately opting for cleaner and safer goods that are produced with
regard for the welfare of people and animals involved in production and with minimal impact
on the environment.
References
Anobah, R. 2000. Development of organic market in West Africa. In: Alföldi, T., Lockeretz, W.
and Niggli, U. (eds)
IFOAM 2000 - The World Grows Organic.
Proceedings of the 13th
International IFOAM Scientific Conference. Convention Centre Basel, Switzerland 28-31
August 2000. vdf Hochschulverlag an der ETH Zurich, Basel. p. 433.
Balfour, E. 1943.
The Living Soil
. Faber and Faber, London.
Benbrook, C. and Kirschenmann, F. 1997.
Proposed Principles for Evaluating the Organic 'Rule'
.
Pest Management at the Crossroads, Sandpoint, Idaho. <http://www.pmac.net/ppeor2.
htm>. Accessed 12/3/04.
Brentrup, F., Küsters, J., Lammel, J., Barraclough, P. and Kuhlmann, H. 2004. Environmental
impact assessment of agricultural production systems using the life cycle assessment
methodology. II. The application to N fertilizer use in winter wheat production systems.
European Journal of Agronomy
20(3): 265-279.
Browne, A.W., Harris, P.J.C., Hofny-Collins, A.H., Pasiecznik, N. and Wallace, R.R. 2000.
Organic production and ethical trade: definition, practice and links.
Food Policy
25(1):
69-89.
Carruthers, G. and Tinning, G. 2003. Where, and how, do monitoring and sustainability indi-
cators fit into environmental management systems?
Australian Journal of Experimental
Agriculture
43(3): 307-323.
Carson, R. 1962.
Silent Spring
. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
Chang, H.-S. and Kristiansen, P. 2006. Selling Australia as 'clean and green'.
Australian Journal
of Agricultural and Resource Economics
50(1): 103-113.
Clay, L. 2003. Facing up to GMO and realities.
Acres Australia
11(1): 13.
Coffman, B. 2001.
Portrait of Global GMO Usage Update
. Monsanto, Cambridge. <http://www.
monsanto.co.uk/news/ukshowlib.phtml?uid=6043>. Accessed 3/10/02.
Conford, P. 2001.
The Origins of the Organic Movement
. Floris Books, Edinburgh.
Cornish, P.S. and Stewart, T.E.B. 2002. Certification - case studies with Australian market
gardeners. In: Thompson, R. (ed.)
Cultivating Communities. Proceedings of the 14th IFOAM
Organic World Congress
. Victoria, Canada, 21 to 28 August 2002. Canadian Organic
Growers, Ottawa. p. 222.
