Knowra Organic farming Organic farming Organic farming is an agricultural system that relies on ecological processes, crop rotations, and biological nutrient management while restricting most synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.
Crop rotation : The practice of growing different crops in sequence on the same land. Rotations interrupt pest cycles and help maintain soil fertility without relying on synthetic inputs.
Organic livestock farming : Livestock production governed by organic standards for feed, housing, health care, and access to the outdoors. It applies organic principles to animal diets, welfare, and manure management.
Conventional agriculture : Agriculture that commonly uses synthetic fertilizers and pesticides alongside other production methods. Its routine input choices differ from the restrictions central to organic farming.
Organic yield gap : The average difference in crop yields between organic and conventional farming systems. Yield comparisons show how input restrictions and management choices can affect output.
Sir Albert Howard : A British agronomist whose work promoted composting and soil-based agricultural methods. His observations and writing helped shape early organic farming thought.
Cover crop : A crop grown mainly to protect and improve soil rather than to be harvested. Cover crops add organic matter, limit erosion, and can supply nutrients between cash crops.
Organic certification : A formal process verifying that production and handling meet a defined organic standard. Certification turns farming rules into auditable requirements for products sold as organic.
Regenerative agriculture : An approach to farming focused on rebuilding soil and ecosystem functions, without one universally fixed standard. It can share organic practices, but its label does not necessarily prohibit synthetic inputs.
Biodiversity : The variety of life across genes, species, and ecosystems. Organic farms often support greater on-farm biodiversity, though outcomes depend on crop and landscape.
J. I. Rodale : An American publisher and farming advocate who popularized organic agriculture in the United States. Rodale built institutions and publications that spread organic methods and terminology.
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