Policy-relevant research and integrative indicators in the conversion to organic farming

Summary

This report was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference. Council Regulation 2092/91 specifies the general standards for the production methods of organic products in Europe. The criteria for the conversion process assessment, though, are largely defined by the national Certification Bodies. Assessment indicators mostly used are (a) type of agricultural practices (whether within organic standards or not) and (b) pollution in soil or produce. However, the conversion process is complex and its aims go beyond the achievement of soil fertility as indicated by these indicators. Soil health and socio-economic indicators need to be essential elements in the organic farming regulation policy. The research reported here (partial result of a four-years Ph.D. research) applies policy-relevant research to identifying conversion process aims within a systems perspective, as well as integrative indicators to assess and monitor soil health. In this paper, only the research on soil health indicators is shown.