What do we mean by organic ecology?

Ecology is concerned with the interrelationships of living organisms (plants, animals, humans) within ecosystems and the associated flows of energy and materials.

Organic ecology pays close attention to the relationships between nutrient cycles (fertility), the hydrologic cycle (runoff, infiltration, erosion, water quality), biological diversity and habitats (possible controls of diseases, insects and weeds), and biomass, waste and residues.

What is agroecology?

Agroecology is the study of relationships between organisms (including humans) and their environment, involving landscapes that are defined by a significant presence of agricultural activity.

The main distinctions of agroecosystems, compared to natural ecosystems, are deliberate human intervention to modify the spatial and temporal species composition, altered energy and resource dynamics and greater levels of disturbance. Agricultural ecosystems are defined by environmental, biological, and sociological factors and can be described using properties such as productivity, stability, sustainability, and equity.

What is organic agriculture?

Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It emphasizes the use of management practices in preference to the use of off-farm inputs, taking into account that regional conditions require locally adapted systems. These goals are met, where possible, through the use of cultural, biological, and mechanical methods, as opposed to using synthetic materials to fulfill specific functions within the system

What constitutes an organic farm?

In relationship to agroecology, the ecology of an organic farm operates within the confines of the principles of organic agriculture and the requirements of the USDA’s National Organic Program.

The USDA has defined “organic production” as a system that is “managed in accordance with the Organic Foods Production Act and regulations in this part to respond to site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.”