Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Module V: Organic Agriculture
Name ______________________________________
1. True or False? Organic agriculture:
_F_ guarantees that foods are pesticide-free
Organic agriculture prohibits application of most pesticides to the crop and prescribes
practices to minimize contamination, but it does not guarantee that the crop will be
pesticide-free. Pesticides are transported throughout the world in wind and water vapor,
and rain in agricultural areas commonly contains detectable levels of pesticides.
However, testing shows that organic foods have both a lower frequency of pesticide
residues and lower concentrations when pesticides are detected.
_T_ regulates how crops and animals are raised
_T_ regulates how foods are processed
_F_ limits the amount of sugar added to foods
_T_ prohibits use of manure on crops within 90 days of harvest
_T_ prohibits use of urea and anhydrous ammonia
_T_ requires farmers to rotate crops
_F_ tests all crops for pesticide residues
_F_ requires farmers to use ladybugs to control pests
_T_ is regulated by the US Department of Agriculture
_F_ is the same as agriculture before 1940
2. List three ways organic farmers can manage soil fertility:
Green manure crops to add nitrogen (alfalfa, hairy vetch, clover, field peas)
Compost (depending on the feedstock, compost will add different balance of nutrients
Compost teas
Manure (must be added at least 90 days before harvest of crop; 120 days if crop is in
contact with the soil)
Organically approved fertilizers (derived from materials such as blood meal, bone meal,
seaweed, etc.)
Lime
Cover crops such as rye or buckwheat to keep nutrients from leaching and/or bring them
up to the surface
Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Module V: Organic Agriculture
3. What is a certifier?
A person or organization approved by the US Department of Agriculture National
Organic Program to verify that a farmer or processor is fully following organic practices.
The certifier will review the farm’s organic plan, visit the farm, and examine the farm
records to check that organic requirements are being met. Examples of certifiers active in
Wisconsin and Iowa include Midwest Organic Services Association (MOSA), Organic
Crop Improvement Association (OCIA), Farm Verified Organic, and the Iowa
Department of Agriculture
4. Give one example of each of the following:
Cultural pest management practice crop rotation, planting date, disease resistant variety,
fertility management, use of compost, field sanitation
Biological pest management practice use of pest predators (eg. Ladybird beetles), trap
crops, allelopathic cover crops, compost
Mechanical pest management practice cultivation, physical barriers such as floating row
covers, flaming, hand-weeding
5. Give two specific reasons why some farmers choose to convert to organic (one
economic reason and one non-economic reason)
Economic: premium prices, lower input costs (in some cases), livestock health
Other: farm family health, environmental concerns, spiritual or religious reasons, animal
welfare
Give two specific reasons why most farmers do not farm organically
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lack of knowledge of how to farm organically & difficulty of learning a new farming
system
fear of social criticism (and being different),
dislike of paperwork involved in certification,
dislike of regulation,
concern about risk during transition period,
belief that maximizing yield / feeding the world is important (and that organic yields
are much lower),
concern about the increased labor required in many organic systems
belief that food should be as cheap as possible
belief that conventional farming is just fine and organic agriculture is irrational
Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
Module V: Organic Agriculture
Give two reasons why some consumers buy organic foods
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Concern for personal health
concern for the environment
perception of better quality
support of family farms and/or farmworker health
fashion/status
animal welfare concerns
Choose one of the following short essay questions and explain your answer.
There are not really right and wrong answers to these questions, especially the ones on
social and economic sustainability. The important thing to look for is whether the student
shows an understanding of organic agriculture in his or her answer.
Does organic agriculture help the environment?
Yes, because it
 Requires farmers to make and follow a detailed plan to protect soil and water
quality
 Vastly reduces the number and amount of potential pollutants used
 Requires farmers to manage for ecological diversity (though this requirement is
less well developed than the pollution reduction aspects of organic agriculture)
However, it does not address
 Water consumption and the impacts thereof
 Fossil energy use and carbon impacts
 Also, for those crops, like cranberries, where organic agriculture has significantly
lower yields, the environmental impact of the need to put more land into
production for the same yields may outweigh the reduced risk of pollution
 In some cases the reliance on cultivation and tillage to manage weeds may increase
the potential for soil erosion compared to a carefully managed no-till farm
Overall, organic agriculture almost certainly helps the environment compared to
conventional agriculture but does not fully assure environmental sustainability.
Does organic agriculture improve economic sustainability?
Yes and no, because it
 Supports farms economically by usually providing higher prices than conventional
agriculture
 Does not significantly reduce yields for major food crops
 May provide opportunities for increased yields and income for poor farmers in
developing countries
 Internalizes some environmental and health costs that conventional agriculture
ignores
However,
Toward a Sustainable Agriculture
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Module V: Organic Agriculture
Organic agriculture does not necessarily provide premium prices. If organic
supply outstrips demand, prices could fall, and even today organic crops do not
always command a premium
Higher prices can make this food inaccessible to poor people
Organic agriculture does not address fair wages or working conditions for
farmworkers or workers in food processing or retail
Because the organic sector is still relatively small, there are some economic
inefficiencies in processing and distribution
Does organic agriculture improve social sustainability?
Yes and no because
 Organic agriculture helps communities by making small to medium-sized farms
more viable
 Organic agriculture creates a system of accountability between producers and
consumers
 Organic agriculture has some requirements to improve animal welfare
 Organic agriculture internalizes some environmental and health costs that
conventional agriculture ignores
 Many organic farmers, processors, and consumers are concerned about social
sustainability and work to benefit communities and create a fair food system
 Organic agriculture provides consumers with a product they want that they would
have great difficulty getting otherwise
However,
 The organic standards do not address social issues (aside from some relatively
weak animal welfare provisions)
 Many of the farmers, food processors, and retailers who have recently entered the
organic sector are primarily interested in the potential economic benefits and have
no ideological commitment to social sustainability. These players benefit unfairly
from the widely held perception that organic standards support family farms and
social justice
 Higher prices can make organic food inaccessible to poor people
 Organic agriculture does not address fair wages or working conditions for
farmworkers or workers in food processing or retail