What is organic livestock farming?

Exhibitors showcasing their products at the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) headquarters, Karen in Nairobi where Kenya is hosting Plant health International Conference from September 12-16, 2016 attended by over 100 delegates from 40 nations. PHOTO BY NANJINIA WAMUSWA.

Today’s consumers are a well-informed lot. They know how what they consume on table has been produced and they are demanding for the very finest.

Animal welfare and organic farming activists are all over the place adding to the information base of this already well informed consumers why they need to consume what has been produced in “good” conditions.

This has made organic farming the next frontier in the agricultural market. In fact, organic farming is a form of value addition as organically produced foods have a higher price tag.

So what is organic farming? Organic livestock farming refers to a system of agricultural production that uses biological and natural principles while observing animal welfare principles.

According to FAO and WHO organic farming promotes agro-system health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activities. This makes organic farming timely considering environmental pollution through industrialisation and abuse of animal welfare through intensive production systems.

So if you are keeping your chicken on your farm and they are purely feeding on naturally available feeds they you are already practising organic farming and all you need to do is to get certification from an organic farming institution like Kenya Organic Agriculture (KOAN) and off you enter the market.

But it is not that easy, there are regulations and standards you must attain and maintain for your products to enjoy the certification; this are normally given through a training on the subject for those interested.