IFOAM | Policies Discriminating Against Organic, Most governments have approached organic as an interesting market niche and have not considered that it could play a role in overall agricultural development. On the contrary, many examples can be found where general government agricultural policies in different ways discriminate against organic agriculture. The successes achieved in gaining government financial support for organic are overshadowed by the size of the national budget to support genetic engineering (GE or GMO) and farm subsidies based on conventional practices. National support for GMOs in the Philippines, Southeast Brazil, Thailand, and the USA pose a threat to organic development. Subsidized chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and hybrid seeds, strongly influence farmers’ options and choices (e.g. case studies of Brazil, China, Thailand, Uganda) and are sometimes even set up so that organic farms in effect subsidize their conventional counterparts. Official as well as agro-industry rural extension services, credit, and research are still commonly biased towards conventional agriculture, exerting a strong pressure on farmers. In more indirect forms organic is influenced by issues such as land tenure and splitting of holdings. Organic Farming represents a major investment in the farmed land, and it is not likely to be of interest for farmers that are squatting or otherwise have less secure tenure. In the Philippines an obstacle to conversion is the large proportion of smallholders who lease their land from landowners who see conventional cash crop production as most profitable.(From Building Sustainable Organic Sectors) See Policies that Favor Organic IFOAM is constantly updating the information on this website. Comments or suggestions contact the Platform Coordinator

Official as well as agro-industry rural extension services, credit, and research are still commonly biased towards conventional agriculture, exerting a strong pressure on farmers. In more indirect forms organic is influenced by issues such as land tenure and splitting of holdings.

Organic Farming represents a major investment in the farmed land, and it is not likely to be of interest for farmers that are squatting or otherwise have less secure tenure. In the Philippines an obstacle to conversion is the large proportion of smallholders who lease their land from landowners who see conventional cash crop production as most profitable.(From Building Sustainable Organic Sectors)

See Policies that Favor Organic

IFOAM is constantly updating the information on this website. Comments or suggestions contact the Platform Coordinator

	Policies Discriminating Against Organic, Most governments have approached organic as an interesting market niche and have not considered that it could play a role in overall agricultural development. On the contrary, many examples can be found where general government agricultural policies in different ways discriminate against organic agriculture. The successes achieved in gaining government financial support for organic are overshadowed by the size of the national budget to support genetic engineering (GE or GMO) and farm subsidies based on conventional practices. National support for GMOs in the Philippines, Southeast Brazil, Thailand, and the USA pose a threat to organic development. Subsidized chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and hybrid seeds, strongly influence farmers’ options and choices (e.g. case studies of Brazil, China, Thailand, Uganda) and are sometimes even set up so that organic farms in effect subsidize their conventional counterparts. Official as well as agro-industry rural extension services, credit, and research are still commonly biased towards conventional agriculture, exerting a strong pressure on farmers. In more indirect forms organic is influenced by issues such as land tenure and splitting of holdings. Organic Farming represents a major investment in the farmed land, and it is not likely to be of interest for farmers that are squatting or otherwise have less secure tenure. In the Philippines an obstacle to conversion is the large proportion of smallholders who lease their land from landowners who see conventional cash crop production as most profitable.(From Building Sustainable Organic Sectors) See Policies that Favor Organic IFOAM is constantly updating the information on this website. Comments or suggestions contact the Platform Coordinator



	Most governments have approached organic as an interesting market niche and have not considered that it could play a role in overall agricultural development, many examples can be found where agricultural policies discriminate against organic agriculture. The successes achieved in gaining government financial support for organic are overshadowed by the size of the national budget to support genetic engineering (GE or GMO) and farm subsidies based on conventional practices. National support for GMOs in the Philippines, Southeast Brazil, Thailand, and the USA pose a threat to organic development. Subsidized chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and hybrid seeds, strongly influence farmers’ options and choices (e.g. case studies of Brazil, China, Thailand, Uganda) and are sometimes even set up so that organic farms in effect subsidize their conventional counterparts. Official as well as agro-industry rural extension services, credit, and research are still commonly biased towards conventional agriculture, exerting a strong pressure on farmers. In more indirect forms organic is influenced by issues such as land tenure and splitting of holdings. Organic Farming represents a major investment in the farmed land, and it is not likely to be of interest for farmers that are squatting or otherwise have less secure tenure. In the Philippines an obstacle to conversion is the large proportion of smallholders who lease their land from landowners who see conventional cash crop production as most profitable.(From Building Sustainable Organic Sectors) See Policies that Favor Organic IFOAM is constantly updating the information on this website. Comments or suggestions contact the Platform Coordinator




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