According to Padel et al. (2009), the organic agriculture movement is by
tradition value based and core values influence both theory and practice. The authors
show, through an extensive literature review, that there isn’t substantial dissonance
between definitions among authors and organizations involved in organic farming. The
core values, such as they are described in the IFOAM Principles (2005), specifically the
Principles of Health, Ecology, Justice and Precaution, are, in whole or in part, present in
most definitions of organic farming. As an example, FAO/WHO (1999) defines organic
agriculture as a holistic production management system which promotes and enhances
agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological
activity. The new European regulation1
also incorporates these principles in their
definition of organic farming by stating that it is an overall system that combines best
environmental practices, a high level of biodiversity, the preservation of natural
resources, the application of high animal welfare standards and a production method,
simultaneously providing response to the needs of a specific market and delivering
public goods, contributing at the same time to the protection of the environment and
animal welfare, as well as to rural development.