If you have any questions about organics in Alberta, please e-mail becky.lipton@goingorganic.ca.

What is Sustainable Agriculture?

What is meant by 'Organic'?
Organic refers to food that is certified organic under the Canadian Organic Standard and that meets the Canada Organic Regulation, which officially came into effect on June 30th, 2009. Alberta Agriculture defines organic as: "Organic farming is an ecologically based production system that avoids the use of synthetic chemicals, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides or growth regulators". To find out more information about the Canadian Organic Standard and the Canadian Organic Regulation go to www.organicfederation.ca/html-en/organic_canada_overview.html

The Canadian Organic Growers website says that "Organic agriculture is a holistic production system designed to optimize productivity and fitness of diverse communities within the agro ecosystem, including soil organisms, plants, livestock and people. The principal goal of organic production is to develop enterprises that are sustainable and harmonious with the environment".

Organics prohibits the use of: synthetic pesticides, including fungicides, insecticides, rodenticides, defoliants, desiccants and wood preservatives; synthetic fertilizers; materials and products produced from genetic engineering; sewage sludge; synthetic growth regulators (hormones); synthetic veterinary drugs, including antibiotics and parasiticides; irradiation; synthetic processing substances, aids and ingredients, and additions to food including sulphates, nitrates and nitrites; equipment, packaging materials and storage containers or bins that contain a synthetic fungicide, preservative or fumigant and genetically modified organisms.

What is ecological?
This is broadly defined as the relationship of living organisms (humans included) to their environment and to each other.

What is 'Natural'?
Generally thought of as "things in nature", i.e. products grown or raised, as close as possible, to their original state.

What is 'Certified Organic'?
Certification means that the producer has been inspected by a certifying body according to the standards of that body. There are several different certifying bodies in Alberta and in Canada. On September 2, 2006, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency pre-published a draft organic regulation for Canadian certification. This regulation will enshrine the new organic standard in law and allow for the creation of a new federally managed organic office.

What is Sustainable agriculture?
This is a broad spectrum holistic approach to natural farming.

People talk about farming in their father's or grandfather's day and say that they grew 'organically' without evening knowing it. It is important to recognize, however, that although pre-1940's farmers did not generally add chemicals to their soil, neither did they have the knowledge or modern facilities to test soil, to check nutrient levels and to enhance the soil using the best of old and new methods. Modern sustainable agriculture can do that. Today, ecological farmers combine traditional agriculture with modern knowledge and technology as it pertains to organic principles.

Sustainable agriculture is a building of the soil, year after year, to make it better, using not only time-honoured practices, but modern methods of analysis and application.

Thank you Gwen Simpson for the above Q&A