think Bob and Sal hit closer to the mark; Alan's original post has
definitions that
are based on presuppositions (whether derived from immersion in Albrecht or
Steiner) and not on clarifying the issue. "Free of damage from pests" implies
a "perfect" food, no matter what the input--and what percentage of a crop is
completely free of damage?
The final phrase ("without any intervention to eradicate or control these
symptoms
of adulterated farming practices") once again presupposes the front end, or
input,
without giving a clear and plain definition of what those inputs are.
Without valid
description of the input--even a simple synopsis--you have not really defined
the _system_ of organic farming.
><< I like : The Codex Proposed Draft Guidelines for the Production,
> Processing, Labeling and Marketing of Organically Produced
> Foods, Alinorm 97/22A, define organic agriculture as: "A holistic production
> management system which promotes and
> enhances agroecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles, and
> soil biological activity. It emphasizes the
> use of management practices in preference to the use of off-farm inputs. This
> is accomplished by using, where possible,
> cultural, biological and mechanical methods, as opposed to using synthetic
> materials, to fulfil any specific function
> within the system. >>
>
>My question is: is this definition actionable? The proposed definition that I
>posted is based on a standard for crop/livestock quality.There is no way that
>you can meet this standard unless you are using the methods defined above.
>Rather than debate the acceptable inputs and methods that may or may not meet
>organic farming standards, I am proposing that we let the outputs from the
>farm determine whether the inputs and methods are compatible with the
>definition that you have quoted.
Once again, Alan, if your are defining a system, then you must (to avoid having
to re-state your case ad infinitum) provide adequate coverage of input _and_
output. If you are not clear on both ends, then you are relying upon your own
presuppositions, which someone else may not be aware of, and your are creating
confusion or speculation and not clarity.
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