Organic Food Systems: Meeting the Needs of Southern Africa

Contrary to the common assumption that agriculture in Africa is ‘organic’ by default rather than ‘resource constrained’, the real organic production system is knowledge intensive and cannot be treated as a naïve practice because it uses natural materials. Successful organic farmers and practitioners constantly require capacity upgrades to be abreast of more productive systems, emerging trends, market opportunities and science-based production technologies. This is vital to ensure that organic agriculture maximizes the opportunities for promoting food sovereignty. This book is a vital resource for all stakeholders in organic agriculture. It provides a rich overview of the farming systems’ dynamics and the development of the practice of organic agriculture. It provides deep insight on the role of organic farmers in policy issues, as well as other institutional dimensions to foster national development. There is a clear description of the training and other capacity development needs.