Global Development of Organic Agriculture: Challenges and Prospects

Contents

Contributors

Preface

1 Global trends in agriculture and food systems

Introduction

World agriculture – trends and impacts

Global trends in organic agriculture

Conclusions

References

2 Globalization and sustainable development: a political ecology strategy to realize ecological justice

Introduction

Organic farming and the challenge of sustainability

Political ecology as one approach to globalization and sustainable development

Commons as the basis of ecological justice

Overcoming commodification

Putting ecological justice into practice: guidelines for policy

Conclusions

References

3 Organic agriculture and ecological justice: ethics and practice

Introduction

Sustainability, globalization and organic agriculture

The ethics and justice of ecological justice

Challenges for organic agriculture: commodification, externalities and distant trade

Putting ecological justice into organic practice

Conclusions

Acknowledgements

References

4 Ecological economics and organic farming

Introduction

Ecological economics as a trans-disciplinary approach

Political economics and the conception of time and scale

Farming, production time, nature’s time and scale

Organic farming: a response to ecological damage caused by growth in scale and shortening of production time

The ecological economic perspective and organic farming

Frameworks for decision-making

Conclusions

References

5 Organic farming in a world of free trade

Introduction

The agricultural agenda

Trade and the environment

Conclusions

References

6 Certified and non-certified organic farming in the developing world

Introduction

Certified organic farming in the developing world

Non-certified organic farming

Unlearning from the Northern experience: reconceptualizing the benefits of organic farming from a Southern perspective

Livelihoods

Questions to guide future studies in organic farming

Conclusions

References

7 Possibilities for closing the urban–rural nutrient cycles

Introduction

Recycling nutrients in society – an ecological economics perspective

Basic economic, institutional and social aspects of waste handling

Quantities of nutrients and organic resources – from households to agricultural systems

Ecological handling systems for organic waste and wastewater

The cost of the handling system

Moral and cultural aspects related to recycling urban waste

Health aspects related to recycling urban waste

Recycling nutrients from urban waste – global examples

Conclusions

References

8 Soil fertility depletion in sub-Saharan Africa: what is the role of organic agriculture?

Introduction

Causes of soil fertility depletion in SSA

Approaches to restore soil fertility and improve productivity

Conclusions

References

9 Sustainable veterinary medical practices in organic farming: a global perspective

Introduction

The potential for organic livestock farming

Disease management in organic livestock production

The use and risks of antimicrobial drugs

Vector-borne diseases and organic livestock farming

Disease control issues associated with land use and land tenure

Developing organic strategies to enhance animal health and livestock production

Moving from an ‘organic approach’ to ‘organic animal production'

Conclusions and recommendations

References

10 The impact of organic farming on food security in a regional and global perspective

Introduction

Overview of existing food supply and security projections

Significant factors determining the effect of OF on food supply and food security

Modelling consequences of large scale conversion to OF for food security

Discussion

Conclusions

References

11 Towards a global research programme for organic food and farming

Introduction

Examining the basis for a global organic programme: institutional analysis

The role of – selected – international organizations in promoting organic farming

Research as a support tool for developing organic farming and food systems

Towards a development-oriented research programme for organic agriculture

Conclusions

References

12 Synthesis: prospects for organic agriculture in a global context

Introduction

Three perspectives on the challenges and prospects of organic agriculture

How may certified organic farming meet the challenges of the increased globalization of organic food chains?

What solutions do certified and non-certified organic agriculture offer to sustainability problems in the global food system?

Conclusions

References

Index