13168: How Organic Agriculture Contributes to Sustainable Development

Kilcher, Lukas (2007) How Organic Agriculture Contributes to Sustainable Development, in Willer, Helga and Yussefi, Minou, Eds. The World of Organic Agriculture - Statistics and Emerging Trends 2007, chapter 11, page pp. 82-91. International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements IFOAM, Bonn, Germany & Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Frick, Switzerland.

Summary

Organic agriculture can contribute to meaningful socio-economic and ecologically sustainable development, especially in poorer countries. On one hand, this is due to the application of organic principles, which means efficient management of local resources (e.g. local seed varieties, manure, etc.) and therefore cost-effectiveness. On the other hand, the market for organic products – at local and international level – has tremendous growth prospects and offers creative producers and exporters in the South excellent opportunities to improve their income and living conditions. Establishing whether organic agriculture is a viable alternative for a particular holding needs to be carried out on a case-by-case basis.

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