Why have basic principles for organic agriculture? … and what kind of principles should they be?

Summary

Recently, discussions of basic principles for organic agriculture (and similar ideas) have emerged in several different settings (Benbrook & Kirschenmann 1997, DARCOF 2001, Lund & Röcklinsberg 2001, Verhoog & al. 2003, this issue of Ecology & Farming). In this article we discuss the purposes and functions of such principles and what the principles should look like in order to meet these purposes. We state that there is a need for identifying a few basic principles for organic agriculture, and that the principles must be normative, or ethical, principles on how to act in an organic way, if organic farming is to continue as a distinct alternative to mainstream agriculture. We argue that basic normative principles can help resist unwanted developments; support the development and extension of organic agriculture into new areas, the planning of proactive research, and the development of organic rules; and serve as a guide for practice and development that, to some degree, will lessen the need for ever more rules. Finally, we present examples of how such principles can be formulated.