Organic Farming and Permaculture

Posted 26 December 2006 - 11:47am by Shelley Moore

Organic farming is a simple eco-innovation to reduce the environmental impact of our food. Through preventing the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and choosing techniques such as companion planting, crop rotation and animal manure instead, organic farming reduces the amount of pollutants entering the surrounding environment. In addition, practices that often, but not always, accompany the purchase of organic food, such as local farmers' markets and organic food co-operatives, reduce the distance ("food miles") travelled by the food and therefore reduce environmental impacts such as air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Organic farming also excludes the use of Genetically Modified Organisms , which can have adverse environmental impacts in some situations.

According to the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) "the role of organic agriculture, whether in farming, processing, distribution, or consumption, is to sustain and enhance the health of ecosystems and organisms from the smallest in the soil to human being." Until recently, this was the only form of agriculture practiced on the planet, but with developments in synthetic fertilizers and pesticides conventional agriculture has become intensive and harmful to the environment. Organic food continues to increase in popularity worldwide as people become more aware of the impacts of their food choices. Although Eco Innovation is not directly involved in organic farming, many of the Eo Innovation projects have related goals: for instance, Greener Golf looks at reducing pesticide use on golf courses, ENDURE will research pesticide use in European agriculture and studies in the Burren region of Ireland have investigated the environmental and social impacts of various farming methods.

permaculture garden Organic Agriculture is also linked to the concept of Permaculture. According to the Permaculture Association , "Permaculture is about creating sustainable human habitats by following nature's patterns." The permaculture movement was established by Bill Mollison in Australia in the 1970's and aims to incorporate all aspects of human life and agriculture into a system of sustainable design. This includes organic farming methods, as well as sustainable building, companion planting, water reduction, local production, ecological conservation, community development and social justice. The motto of the movement is "Earth care, People care, Fair shares".