Organic vegetable production for closing nutrient cycles and reducing resource dependence in intensive agriculture Steefan De Neve
Ghent University, Belgium
Abstract
Organic farming aims at agricultural production in a sustainable manner, with respect for the planets^ resources, animals, the producers/farmers and consumers. However, organic production methods, and vegetable farming in particular, are increasingly confronted with a number of important challenges, related to production scale, novel technologies, human population growth and environmental issues, some of which we will discuss in detail with examples. Organic vegetable production exists in many forms, with a massive range between farmers adhering to the minimum standards imposed, and forerunners that help to advance the sector as a whole. Typical for organic farming is the reduction of resource dependence by trying to close the carbon and nutrient cycles at the local level. Examples of this external input substitution will be provided, and demonstrate that on farm research is often system-oriented and conducted by forerunner farmers, as compared to the often very specialized and detaillistic research in conventional agricultural, but eventually often leading to similar conclusions. Examples of both aspects will be discussed, including examples from highland vegetable production in Indonesia, where conventional production is extremely intensive and has led to e.g. serious health impacts for producers and severe soil degradation. Certainly in such extreme situations, organic vegetable production has been demonstrated to preserve and improve soil quality and reduce dependence on external inputs
