The Meaning of Organic Farming
When I was at the EcoFarm conference earlier this year, I got to meet Douglas Gayeton from Lexicon of Sustainability, which is a non-profit strategic communications agency focused on regenerative principles in food and agriculture. One night we viewed an art display of these really cool posters, which communicate the concepts of organic farming. I saw these posters again at my MSFS residency at Green Mountain College. In a series of photographs with creative captions, you can gain a glimpse of the true importance of organic agriculture. I was so taken with these posters, that I snapped photos of all of them, and included them in my blog post today. You can learn more about this project at Lexicon of Sustainability. Take a look below at the slide show of posters, demonstrating the general concepts of organic farming.
The Meaning of Organic Farming
Crop Residue
Covering the soil with crop residue and increasing soil organic matter is a major part of organic agriculture.
Cover Crop
By growing legumes, organic farmers can increase soil fertility without the use of synthetic fertilizers.
Urban Agriculture, Community Gardens, Food Justice
Sustainability moves beyond organics into food justice—making sure everyone has the right to culturally appropriate, healthful, safe food.
Mulch
Using organic materials, like mulch and compost, is a key source of nutrients for organic farming.
Companion Planting
This strategy can lower the need for using pesticides.
Wildlife Habitat Management
Organic agriculture has goals of improving habitats for wildlife. It’s not just about people.
Transition to Organic
In order to be certified as organic, there is a transition period to start practicing organically.
Rotational Grazing
One of the most important parts of organic agriculture is using nutrients from animals to improve the soil fertility, which means no synthetic fertilizers.
Certified Organic
This USDA program carries with it strict standards to ensure that most synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are not used, in addition to many other practices.
Biodiversity
This is one of the most important parts of sustainable agriculture. By increasing biodiversity of animals and plants on farms, you decrease the need for synthetic inputs.
Conservationist
Organic farmers believe in stewardship of the land, air, and water.
Lexicon of Sustainability
The Lexicon’s award-winning storytellers tell aspirational stories of real people sharing sustainable solutions to help drive behavior change. The knowledge products they produce are made in collaboration with government agencies, universities, foundations, television networks, publishers, non-profits, community organizers and sustainability advocates from around the world.
By illuminating the meaning behind powerful ideas, Lexicon helps people to pay closer attention to how they eat, what they buy, and where their responsibility begins for creating a healthier, safer food system. It is behavior change that works on a local and regional level to transform communities and shift the marketplace.
They use a multi-stakeholder storytelling approach, one that engages experts in food, farming, water and energy. They also blend their observations with data and insights from scientists and legal frameworks from lawyers with solid policymaking expertise to deliver stories that provide a roadmap for how to shift toward a more regenerative and responsible food production model, one that improves our health while safeguarding our land, water and air for generations to come.
For more information about organic food, check out:
4 Ways to Eat Organic on a Budget
Organics on the Upswing
Clearing Up Confusions on Organic Food
