Introduction to Organic Agriculture

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Introduction to the Transition

Organic Partnership Program

 

The U.S. The Department of Agricultureʻs (USDA), administered by Agriculture Marketing Service embarked on a new Organic Transition Initiative designed to help build current and to establish new markets for farmers and producers.

 

According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, since 2008, the number of non-certified organic farms actively transitioning to organic production dropped by nearly 71 percent. In Hawai’i the decline in certified organic farmers echoed the mainland. The Transition Organic Partnership Program hopes to reverse the trend. 

 

The TOPP (Transition to Organic Partnership Program) is a 5-year collaborative partnership network covering six regions. The University of Hawai’i at Mānao Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Program, in partnership with CCOF as the Western Region lead, Hawai’i Farmers Union United and Ma’o Farms to provide mentoring services, technical assistance, community building, and organic workforce development for transitioning and exciting organic farmers. 

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What is organic?

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• Agricultural production and handling that considers site-specific conditions which integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.

 

• Organic is a labeling term for food or other agricultural products that have been produced according to the USDA organic standards.

 

• Producers and handlers must meet the USDA organic standards to use the word “organic” or the USDA organic seal on food, feed, or fiber.

 

• The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) maintains and enforces the organic standards and accredits organic certifying agents. These certifiers inspect and certify individual farms and businesses.

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What are some organic practices?

 

As a farmer, you must approach organic agriculture as a production system. This systems approach strives to understand how all parts of the system work together. In a systems approach, the farmer will consider how soil, water, plants, animals, insects, bacteria, fungi, and all other parts of the system can interact to cause problems or prevent them.

Organic farmers combine cultural, biological, and mechanical practices into a productive management system that minimizes the impact to the off-farm environment. All organic farmers share this approach, though their specific objectives determine how they implement it.