NZAvocado.co.nz: What is Organics?

What is Organics?

Organics is often thought of as not doing certain things, not applying toxic pesticides and not putting on synthetic fertilisers. Indeed it is these, but to do it well it is much more. It means having an appreciation for the role that soil microbes play in context with the trees. The bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, arthropods and not forgetting the worms, are all part of the complex food web that digests raw material and releases nutrients right where the trees can access them.

Balancing the soil chemistry is step one, the organic grower then needs to pay attention to nurturing the hidden herd of helpers who deliver nutrients to the trees, who predate on soil borne pathogens and who bind carbon into complex organic compounds that are the soil humus.

The soil could be thought of as the stomach of the plant, we feed the soil and the soil feeds the trees.

All of this can of course be done without being certified organic. Making the decision to become certified is about getting recognition for the principles behind the growing system. Particularly recognition in the market place where consumers who want a guarantee of no chemical residue on their food and who value the contribution organics makes in environmental management are able to have confidence and trust in the source of their food.

There is much diversity in organic management practices, many of these have been developed by growers from their understanding of biological principles. Some of these practices have a foundation in work done by scientists or organic practitioners in other industries and some of these practices are based on the grower's experience. As such, there are few studies of the efficacy of organic production systems for avocados in New Zealand. This does not mean they don't work, it does mean much of the research has yet to be done to establish how well they work. Yet enough progress has been made in recent years to give avocado growers the confidence to continue working and developing organic practices.

History of Organics

The longest standing Certified Organic Producer of any organic producer in New Zealand is an avocado grower with Bio Gro's registration number 'Ten'. The orchard was certified in 1983 - the year that Bio Gro was established.

In the two decades that followed a small but steady community of growers developed, many of them working independently from other organic growers and all with a strong focus on the local market.

A number of growers became self marketers, developing their own clientele. There was export fruit being shipped from as early as 1981. There was some fruit going to the supermarkets but mostly the supply was to organic shops, direct supply and small retailers.

Prior to the first meetings of the Organic Avocado Growers Group in 1998, growers tended to work out their own programmes with management practices being quite different from orchard to orchard, some had very successful seasons at times and some others had variable results.

Not much information was shared and new entrants to the sector had no real support. The growers group was set up to change all that.

Since those early days organics has always drawn interest from far and wide, but few have had sufficient pioneering spirit to go there. A Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF) Project was run by the Soil and Health Association in 2003 which saw growers get together and discuss management practices. A Resource Guide was published from that project.

With the knowledge and information from the SFF project and the occurrence of seminars by international speakers (including Dr Elaine Ingham and Dr Arden Anderson who have spoken on organics in New Zealand since 2001), alongside developments from product suppliers and advances in orchard management, confidence is growing that organic systems can deliver.

Organic fruit has been exported consistently since 2000. Export has been well established and the signals from international markets are for a strong demand for certified fruit.