Principles of Organic Farming
Learn about sustainable practices for soil, water, and pest management
Sustainable Farming for a Healthier Planet
Organic farming is a holistic approach to agriculture that focuses on building healthy soils, promoting biodiversity, and avoiding synthetic chemicals. By working with nature rather than against it, organic farmers create sustainable systems that produce nutritious food while protecting the environment for future generations.
Introduction to Organic Farming
Organic farming is an agricultural system that uses environmentally and animal-friendly farming methods on organic farms. These methods integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.
The core principles of organic farming include:
Health
Organic agriculture should sustain and enhance the health of soil, plants, animals, humans, and the planet as one and indivisible.
Ecology
Organic agriculture should be based on living ecological systems and cycles, work with them, emulate them, and help sustain them.
Fairness
Organic agriculture should build on relationships that ensure fairness with regard to the common environment and life opportunities.
Care
Organic agriculture should be managed in a precautionary and responsible manner to protect the health and well-being of current and future generations and the environment.
By following these principles, organic farmers create sustainable agricultural systems that produce high-quality food while preserving the environment and rural communities.
Test Your Knowledge
1. What is the primary focus of organic farming?
2. Which of the following is NOT one of the core principles of organic farming?
Your Score: 0/2
Try again to improve your score!
Soil Management in Organic Farming
Healthy soil is the foundation of organic farming. Unlike conventional agriculture that often treats soil merely as a medium to hold plants and synthetic nutrients, organic farmers view soil as a living ecosystem teeming with microorganisms, fungi, and other beneficial life forms.
Crop Rotation
Rotating crops helps prevent pest and disease buildup, improves soil structure, and balances nutrient requirements across growing seasons.
Composting
Compost adds organic matter to soil, improves soil structure, provides slow-release nutrients, and enhances microbial activity.
Cover Crops
Cover crops prevent soil erosion, suppress weeds, fix nitrogen, and add organic matter when incorporated into the soil.
Organic soil management focuses on building soil organic matter, which improves soil structure, water retention, and nutrient cycling. This creates a resilient system that can better withstand drought, flooding, and other environmental stresses.
- Improves soil structure and tilth
- Increases water infiltration and retention
- Reduces soil erosion
- Provides habitat for beneficial soil organisms
- Supplies nutrients through decomposition
- Buffers soil pH
- Sequesters carbon, helping mitigate climate change
Green manures are crops grown specifically to be incorporated into the soil while still green or shortly after flowering. They offer numerous benefits:
- Add organic matter to soil
- Improve soil structure
- Prevent soil erosion
- Suppress weeds
- Leguminous green manures fix atmospheric nitrogen
- Break pest and disease cycles
Common green manure crops include clover, vetch, rye, buckwheat, and mustard.
Regular soil testing helps organic farmers monitor soil health and nutrient levels. Based on test results, they can apply appropriate organic amendments:
- Compost: adds organic matter and a wide range of nutrients
- Rock phosphate: slow-release source of phosphorus
- Greensand: provides potassium, iron, magnesium, and other minerals
- Lime: raises soil pH in acidic soils
- Sulfur: lowers soil pH in alkaline soils
- Bone meal: provides phosphorus and calcium
- Kelp meal: supplies trace minerals and growth hormones
Compost Calculator
Determine how much compost you need for your garden area:
You will need 0 of compost for your garden.
Water Management in Organic Farming
Effective water management is crucial for sustainable organic farming. The goal is to maximize water use efficiency while minimizing runoff, erosion, and water pollution. Organic farmers implement various strategies to conserve water and protect water quality.
Water Conservation
Techniques like mulching, drip irrigation, and rainwater harvesting help conserve water and reduce the need for irrigation.
Water Quality Protection
Buffer zones, cover crops, and avoiding synthetic chemicals help protect water sources from contamination and runoff.
Rainwater Management
Swales, terraces, and other landscape features help capture rainwater and reduce erosion by slowing water movement across the land.
Building soil organic matter is also a key water management strategy, as each 1% increase in soil organic matter can help soil hold approximately 20,000 gallons more water per acre.
Organic farmers use various irrigation methods, choosing the most appropriate based on crop needs, soil type, climate, and water availability:
- Drip Irrigation: Delivers water directly to plant roots, minimizing evaporation and runoff. Ideal for row crops, orchards, and vineyards.
- Micro-sprinklers: Provide gentle water application over a larger area than drip systems. Good for tree crops and some field crops.
- Flood Irrigation: Can be appropriate in certain situations with proper management to minimize runoff and erosion.
- Center Pivot: Can be efficient when properly managed and equipped with low-pressure nozzles.
Regardless of the method, timing irrigation based on actual crop needs rather than fixed schedules helps conserve water.
Mulching is a valuable practice for water conservation in organic farming:
- Reduces evaporation from soil surface
- Suppresses weeds that compete for water
- Moderates soil temperature
- Reduces water runoff and soil erosion
- Adds organic matter to soil as it decomposes (organic mulches)
Common organic mulch materials include straw, leaves, grass clippings, wood chips, and compost. Living mulches (cover crops) can also be used between rows of main crops.
Rainwater harvesting allows farmers to capture and store rainwater for later use:
- Rain Barrels and Cisterns: Collect rainwater from roofs for small-scale use
- Farm Ponds: Store larger quantities of water for irrigation
- Swales and Berms: Landscape features that slow water flow and increase infiltration
- Keyline Design: A system for optimizing water use by directing water from wet areas to dry areas
These systems help farmers reduce dependence on groundwater and municipal water sources while making the most of natural rainfall.
Irrigation Water Calculator
Estimate how much water you need to irrigate your garden:
You will need 0 of water for irrigation.
Pest Management in Organic Farming
Organic pest management focuses on prevention first, using a systems approach to minimize pest problems. Rather than relying on synthetic pesticides, organic farmers create balanced ecosystems that naturally limit pest populations while promoting beneficial organisms.
Biological Control
Encouraging beneficial insects, birds, and other organisms that naturally control pest populations.
Cultural Practices
Crop rotation, timing of planting, trap crops, and other techniques that disrupt pest life cycles.
Physical Barriers
Row covers, netting, sticky traps, and other physical methods to exclude or trap pests.
Organic Inputs
When necessary, using approved organic substances derived from natural sources to manage pests.
This integrated approach creates resilient farming systems that can withstand pest pressure without relying on synthetic chemicals that may harm beneficial organisms, pollinators, and the environment.
Beneficial insects are a farmer's allies in pest management. Here are some important beneficial insects and how to attract them:
- Ladybugs: Consume aphids, mites, and small insects. Attract with dill, fennel, and yarrow.
- Lacewings: Larvae feed on aphids, mealybugs, and small caterpillars. Attract with daisies, sunflowers, and cosmos.
- Parasitic Wasps: Lay eggs in or on pest insects. Attract with small-flowered plants like sweet alyssum and herbs.
- Ground Beetles: Feed on slugs, snails, and soil-dwelling pests. Provide ground cover and avoid tilling.
- Hoverflies: Larvae feed on aphids. Adults are pollinators. Attract with phacelia, alyssum, and buckwheat.
Creating insectary strips or borders with diverse flowering plants provides habitat and food for beneficial insects throughout the growing season.
Crop rotation is a fundamental practice for breaking pest cycles:
- Prevents buildup of crop-specific pests and diseases in soil
- Disrupts pest life cycles by removing host plants
- Reduces weed pressure through varying cultural practices
- Improves soil health, creating more resilient plants
Effective crop rotation plans group crops by family and rotate between families. For example, following a heavy feeding crop like tomatoes (Solanaceae) with nitrogen-fixing beans (Fabaceae), then leafy greens (Amaranthaceae), and finally root crops (Apiaceae).
When preventive measures aren't enough, organic farmers can use approved substances, including:
- Botanical Insecticides: Pyrethrum, neem oil, and rotenone (with restrictions)
- Microbial Products: Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), Beauveria bassiana, and other beneficial microorganisms
- Mineral-Based Products: Diatomaceous earth, kaolin clay, and sulfur
- Soaps and Oils: Insecticidal soaps and horticultural oils that smother soft-bodied insects
These substances must be used according to organic standards, with attention to timing, application methods, and potential impacts on non-target organisms.
Pest Management Quiz
1. Which of the following is NOT a principle of organic pest management?
2. Ladybugs are beneficial in organic farming because they:
3. Which practice helps break pest cycles by removing host plants?
Your Score: 0/3
Try again to improve your score!
Resources for Organic Farming
Continuous learning is essential for successful organic farming. Here are resources to help you deepen your knowledge and connect with the organic farming community.