Organic farming
Organic farming is characterised by a production cycle that is as closed as possible. Farmers adapt land use and livestock farming to the specific conditions in their location and integrate the two in a balanced way.
In organic farming – also known as ecological farming – crop production and livestock farming are closely linked. The goal is a closed-loop system, meaning that raw materials (such as cereals and oilseeds) are used as efficiently as possible and waste is reused. The waste from one living organism can become a resource for other organisms or plants. Farmers grow fodder crops for their animals on part of their land. The manure produced by the animals is spread on the fields as organic fertiliser. In organic farming, farmers keep only as many animals as they can feed with the yield from their own fields. As little feed, fertiliser and crop protection products (known as inputs) as possible are purchased from outside the farm.
In organic farming, the farm is seen as a living organism in which people, animals, plants and soil are all interconnected. Providing livestock with species-appropriate housing and feed is a key priority. This includes ample outdoor roaming, contact with other animals of the same species, means of stimulation, places to retreat and suitable feeding facilities.
The core idea of organic farming is to work in harmony with nature, which means avoiding the use of synthetic chemical pesticides and artificial fertilisers. Instead, farmers fertilise their fields with animal manure and compost. They also improve soil fertility by practising crop rotation and planting cover crops. They are not allowed to grow genetically modified plants.
Crop rotation also helps protect plants from weeds, diseases and pests.
What’s more, organic farmers make use of plants’ natural defence mechanisms. For example, some plants produce toxic substances to ward off pests, or they release signalling compounds that attract beneficial insects, which in turn combat the pests. One example is the use of an extract from the fruit of the neem tree as a natural pesticide against Colorado potato beetles and other insects in vegetable farming. An example of a natural enemy of pests is the lacewing, whose larvae feed on aphids and other insects.
Organic farming also makes use of plant protection products of animal, microbial or mineral origin, such as beeswax, spores of naturally occurring soil fungi, copper and sulphur. Weeds can also be removed mechanically (using machines that pull them out) or thermally (using heat).
The goal of organic farming is to produce food while preserving ecosystems and biodiversity. Natural resources are used, but at the same time protected and maintained.