title: To go or not to go organic: what choice for Pacific island countries?
abstract: There are arguments for and against organic agriculture. The paper looks at the impact of changes and development, the need for sustainable development, organic farming as a viable alternative, organic certification and concluding thoughts on why organic farming makes sense. To go organic does not necessarily mean that organic products are totally free of chemical pesticides but they have a lower pesticide residue. Organic certification, a process guarantee not a product guarantee, becomes necessary if a farmer has to sell organic food products locally (to tourists) or export overseas. For Pacific organic producers, the biggest obstacle lies with certification costs and initial investments in research and extension to educate consumers and farmers about organic agriculture organic methods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Education, University of the South Pacific, Alafua Campus, Samoa, USA. fuatai_l@samoa.usp.ac.fj
authors.forename: Lafitai
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fuatai
authors.forename: Cortney
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stewart
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D002568:Certification; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D005523:Food Supply; D058870:Food, Organic / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D005638:Fruit; D010139:Pacific Islands; D010573:Pesticide Residues; D010575:Pesticides; D011050:Policy Making; D012941:Social Responsibility; D014675:Vegetables
chemical_list: D010573:Pesticide Residues; D010575:Pesticides