Overview
- What is organic farming?
- The benefits of organic farming for sustainable agriculture
- How biocontrol supports organic farming
- A new collaboration for organic growers
- Benefits for organic stakeholders
What is organic farming?
Organic farming is an integrated approach to agriculture that prioritises environmental health, biodiversity, and natural ecosystem processes. It’s a method of crop production that works with nature rather than against it.
At its core, organic farming prohibits the use of synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilisers, genetically modified organisms, and most synthetic chemicals. Instead, it relies on natural processes and materials to maintain soil fertility, control pests and diseases, and promote crop health.
Importantly, organic farming is regulated. Regional standards ensure that products labelled as ‘organic’ meet rigorous environmental and health criteria.
The benefits of organic farming for sustainable agriculture
Organic farming offers numerous advantages that make it a cornerstone of sustainable agriculture. These benefits extend far beyond the farm, impacting human health, environmental well-being, and long-term food security.
- Environmental protection: Organic farms create healthier ecosystems by avoiding synthetic chemicals, protecting soil organisms, beneficial insects, and pollinators. Organic practices reduce soil erosion and prevent chemical runoff into waterways, protecting aquatic life and drinking water sources.
- Soil health and fertility: Organic farming builds soil rather than depleting it, through composting, cover cropping, and careful nutrient management. This creates soil that holds water better during droughts, drains properly during heavy rains, and provides a rich home for beneficial microorganisms.
- Reduced chemical exposure: Both farm workers and consumers benefit from reduced pesticide exposure in organic systems, with no toxic chemical residues on food. Farmers avoid the health risks associated with handling and applying synthetic pesticides.
- Climate resilience: Organic soils with high organic matter content store more carbon, helping to mitigate climate change. These soils also tend to be more resilient to extreme weather events, whether floods or droughts.
- Market opportunities: Organic certification opens doors to premium markets where consumers increasingly seek out organic products. This can improve farm profitability and support rural livelihoods.
How biocontrol supports organic farming
Biocontrol is fundamental to organic farming success. Without synthetic pesticides, organic growers must rely on nature-based solutions to protect their crops. Biocontrol products provide these solutions, offering effective pest and disease management that aligns with organic principles.
- Meeting organic standards: Biocontrol products originate from nature, including beneficial insects, microbial biopesticides, semiochemicals, and natural substances. However, not all biocontrol products automatically qualify for organic use, products must undergo rigorous review to ensure they meet organic standards.
- Providing effective pest management: Biocontrol offers organic farmers multiple tools for managing crop threats. These diverse mechanisms mean organic growers can select biocontrol strategies suited to their specific crops, pests, and growing conditions.
- Supporting ecosystem balance: Unlike broad-spectrum chemical pesticides, biocontrol products work with nature’s existing balance by targeting specific pests while leaving beneficial organisms unharmed. Over time, farms using biocontrol develop more robust, self-regulating ecosystems.
- Preventing resistance: Because biocontrol agents use multiple modes of action, pests find it much harder to develop resistance. This diversity in mechanisms keeps biocontrol effective over the long term.
- Enabling short pre-harvest intervals: Biocontrol products typically have very short or no pre-harvest intervals, allowing organic growers to apply them shortly before harvest without worrying about residues or waiting periods.
A new collaboration for organic growers
The CABI BioProtection Portal has partnered with the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) to make finding verified organic biocontrol products easier than ever. For nearly three decades, OMRI has provided independent reviews of input products to determine which are allowed for organic use in the United States (under USDA-NOP standards). Through this partnership, products on the CABI BioProtection Portal now display the OMRI logo when they have been approved by OMRI.
Benefits for organic stakeholders
This collaboration strengthens organic agriculture in several ways. Organic growers can quickly identify compliant products without spending hours researching certification status. Organic certifiers can more easily verify that their farmers are using approved inputs. Product manufacturers benefit from increased visibility among organic buyers. And ultimately, organic consumers gain confidence that the food they purchase truly meets organic standards.
Summary
Biocontrol is essential to organic farming success. It provides organic growers with effective, nature-based solutions for managing pests and diseases without synthetic chemicals. The benefits of integrating biocontrol into organic systems extend beyond individual farms. Biocontrol supports soil health, protects biodiversity, reduces chemical exposure, and contributes to climate resilience. It enables organic agriculture to be both productive and truly sustainable.
Finding verified organic biocontrol products is now easier thanks to the partnership between the Portal and OMRI. This collaboration gives organic growers, certifiers, and suppliers quick access to approved products that meet rigorous standards for organic use.