Brasília, June 26, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Growing legumes and vegetables without the use of chemical fertizilers or agrotoxic substances is no longer a merely family activity; it has become a profitable economic option. However, to enter this profitable and ecologically correct slice of the market, the food product has to comply with international certification requirements.
Brazil is getting ready to introduce its products on the international market. Today, the Senate Social Affairs Committee debates the Complementary Bill 014, which defines the organic system of agricultural production and rules on the certification of organic products in the country. According to the proposal, the Ministry of Agriculture should train inspectors to verify production processes on rural properties. A basic requirement for certification is respect for the environment and the quality of food products grown without the use of agrotoxic substances.
Around 30 types of organic products are cultivated in Brazil, on almost 300 thousand hectares of cultivated land. The leaders are soybeans, vegetables, and coffee. This kind of cultivation is carried out, chiefly, by small family farmers who belong to social movement associations and groups, responsible for over 90% of this type of production.
Artisan production
In organic farming, natural techniques for planting and preventing disease substitute the practices adopted by companies that make use of hybrid seeds, chemical fertilizers, agrotoxic substances, and soil additives to produce on a large scale. The production is artisan. Various residual materials are reincorporated into the soil, for them to decompose and be transformed into plant nutrients. Manure, vegetable left-overs, trimmed leaves, and minerals derived from rocks, among other materials, fertilize the plantations and give rise to micro-organisms that transform organic material into food for the plants.
The farmers put a priority on crop rotation and planting in consortium (side-by-side planting of two different types of crops), to preserve soil fertility and prevent the outbreak of diseases. Organic growing areas are interspersed with native vegetation, which serves as a refuge for natural predators who feed on fungus and harmful insects.
Planting in consortium values species diversity and the so-called companion plants, which help each other. In this way, species, such as tomatoes, that provide a lot of shade, are grown side-by-side with others, such as parsley, that require shade. Lettuce is planted alongside chives, the odor of which keeps away insects that feed on lettuce. (DAS)
