Going Organic in
Indonesia
Modern
agriculture depends on a high input of chemical
fertilizer and pesticides for crop production.
Although such technology-based practiced has
increased productivity, the resulting ecological and
economical impacts have not always been positive.
Environmental population and food safety owing to
chemical-contamination have become a great concern
worldwide.
Organic agriculture is now established worldwide in
many countries, regulated by local governments and
non-governmental certification organizations, The
international non-governmental organization, IFOAM
(International Federation of Organic Agricultural
Movements), plays an important role in pushing
organic agriculture globally.
IFOAM data (2003)
shows that Indonesia has a total of 40,000 hectares
of land under organic management, which occupies
0.12 percent of its total land area. This gives the
initial impression that Indonesia is a big,
modernized, organic farming country. However, the
real situation is that a large portion of
Indonesia’s farmers, especially outside Java, are
counted as organic farmers simply because they do
not use modern chemicals and are still practicing
traditional, old methods of farming. This is due to
the fact they cannot afford to buy chemical
fertilizers and pesticides whose prices shot up as a
result of the 1997/1998 economic crisis. This means
that arguments for organic farming methods have
started to make a lot of sense. Some farmers’ groups
and NGOs see organic farming as a way of protesting
against the destructive impacts of the ‘green
revolution’, and of liberating farmers from ‘green
revolution’ domination and dependence chemical
fertilizers, pesticides, and other such input.
Many agricultural practices are basically organic.
In fact, before chemicals became so widely used in
agriculture, organic methods were practiced. Organic
farming has picked up momentum elsewhere and seems
to be the answer to the chemicalization of
agriculture. The underlying principle is, if
agriculture used to be practiced without any
chemicals, why should we now depend so much on them?
In
Indonesia, the benefits of organic farming are
understood by only a few who are concerned about
food safety for their own health. With the efforts
of NGO’s and the government of Indonesia, people
have become concerned about environment √ friendly
organic farming.
Public awareness of what organic agriculture means
and consumer demand for organic crops are very low
in Indonesia today. While the Board of Indonesian
Organic Certification (BIOCert) has been set up
recently by a non-governmental organization (NGO),
there is no national certification or labeling
scheme for organic food, and also no regulation for
the labeling of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)
products. Generally, farmers are reluctant to adopt
new ideas of organic agriculture due to their belief
that ‘conventional’ chemical agriculture is more
productive.
Until recently, organic agriculture has remained an
insignificant practice in the middle or mainstream
capital-intensive modern agriculture. It is being
implemented as a local initiative on a small scale
and productivity is low compared to that of
‘conventional’ agriculture.
‘Organic’ usually refers to all ‘naturally produced’
foods, the product of organic farming. Organic food
differs from conventionally produced food in the way
it is grown, handled, and processed. An organic
agricultural system, as a rule, eschews the use of
chemicals. Everything is done naturally. Compost,
manure or other organic waste is used as fertilizer.
No pesticides or other chemicals are applied.
Organic agriculture has no damaging effect on the
environment, unlike conventional agricultural
practices. Organic agriculture is done in a more
responsible manner, with benefits for humans and
their environment. As said, ‘organic’ usually refers
to the raising of farm produce (fruits, vegetables,
meats, dairy products) without the use of chemical
or other synthetic herbicides, pesticides,
fertilizers, (synthetic or sewer-sludge); livestock
raised without the use of growth hormones or
antibiotics; food processed without ionizing
radiation or food additives; nor can genetically
modified seed be utilized.
Organic products are not limited to food, but also
include organically grown natural fibers used in
clothing, nutritional supplements, personal hygiene
products, garden chemicals, and furniture.
A
larger part of organic agriculture involves the
health of the soil and the ecosystem in which crops
and livestock are raised. Organic practices
recognize that a healthy and living soil and
ecosystem benefit crops. Natural, undisturbed soil
is alive with macrobiotic organisms which exist in
harmony together with the native plant life and the
inorganic minerals that provide soil’s substrate.
Use of pesticides and other chemical treatments of
plants disturb this natural balance in many ways.
There are many reasons why people are choosing
organic foods over conventionally produced fruits,
vegetables, and other food products. Why choose
organic?
1.
Organic food is not treated with any chemicals
during the planting and growth of the item.
Therefore, if you eat organic foods, you are exposed
to what could be a toxic cocktail of pesticides and
fertilizers.
2.
Fresh organic produce has more vitamins, minerals,
enzymes, and other micro-nutrients than
non-organically farmed produce. Studies show that
organic food contains between 50% and 100% more
minerals and 25% more fiber.
3.
Choosing organic foods is the only way you can avoid
eating genetically modified food.
4.
Choosing organic dairy or meat products ensures that
the antibiotics, growth-promoting drugs,
anti-parasites drugs, and many other medicines fed
to the animals will not be passed into your food.
5.
Organic produce often tastes so much better than
vegetables and fruit produced with chemical
substances. It’s full of flavor!
6.
Organic farmers often protect wildlife in their
areas by not using harmful pesticides or herbicides
and look for ways to protect their crops without
harming wildlife and the environment.
7.
Conventional farming can damage workers’ health, as
they are exposed to the toxins in the pesticides and
herbicides and fertilizers.
Although various research has shown advances in
organic agriculture in terms of energy efficiency
and its more environmentally friendly features, it
is very difficult to move from conventional
agricultural practices to organic ones. This is
especially true when the institutional setup, market
forces, policies, and research efforts are biased
against it. For example, it is difficult for a rice
farmer on Java to apply organic farming techniques
when neighboring plots using the same irrigation
system are still farmed by conventional agricultural
methods to meet the production target in the area.
A
number of development and aid projects in Indonesia
are working with local farmers to develop more
sustainable methods of growing produce, to ensure
that future generations will also be able to live
off the land. These methods include natural
replenishment of soil to avoid nutrient depletion.
All of these efforts have one goal: to care for the
earth by conserving the soil and water so that we
can sustain and ensure the environmental quality and
therefore the health and well-being of future
generations on earth.
