Organic agriculture, livelihoods and development

Summary in the original language of the document

The present global food system is far from ideal and it is not sustainable, especially because of the lack of food security for large populations, the distribution and use patterns of food, and the externalities in terms of pollution and overuse and destruction of critical resources. But, there are many promising examples and initiatives of alternative development pathways which seek to combine improved food security and rural development with sustainable use of natural resources and enhancement of ecosystems services. This book takes a critical look at one group of such initiatives, the development and promotion of organic farming systems. In particular, it aims at investigating to what extent and under which conditions organic agriculture may contribute to environmental improvement, rural development and better livelihoods. In this, we consider organic agriculture to be a ‘laboratory’ for development of future sustainable food production.
The definition of organic agriculture and description of the principles and forms of this production form is given below, following a brief overview of the problems at stake and the interdependencies between food production, natural resource management and poor rural people’s livelihoods. Then a short outline of the chapters and case studies in this book is given.