The Daily IIJ

A vicious battle for supremacy is emerging within the farming community across all corners of the globe. The fight  has been brewed by differences occasioned by two distinct methods of farming..

The two  methods  are  organic and industrial farming.  Conservationists are keenly watching this struggle hoping that its aftermath will guarantee a sustainable environment and a healthier diets for millions of people.

Okodof farm in Brodowin 56 kilometers North-East of the German capital, Berlin, is a case example of how nature friendly organic farming is eating into farm produce market that for decades has been the domain of industrial farms.

The 1,200 hectare farm was formerly collective farm before the reunification of Germany. When it was   returned to farmers who had originally owned the land in 1990, they decided to transform it into an eco- farm.

Their priority was to keep cows for milk and cultivate rye and wheat, both for making silage and cereals.
The idea has turned noble and the farm is an enviably a thriving enterprise.

According to Susan Poinke, the farm’s spokesperson the   reason why the framers opted for organic form of cattle rearing was because of the poor sandy soils of the area.

There are an estimated 500 heads of cattle on the farm. Around 250 of the cattle are cows, which are being milked, and 250 are calves. A total of 70 people work on the farm. Employees earn a minimum salary of 900 Euros and receive training on organic farming husbandry practices.

According to Poinke the venture has reduced the rate of unemployment Brodowin has lowered in the area to the rate of two percent. “After reunification many young people left the area and the farmers felt that this venture could stem the exodus,” she says.
No artificial fertilizers are used on the farm and treatment of sick animals done by a resident veterinarian is   natural as possible.

In a deviation from conventional farming where cows give as much as 12,000 litres of a milk a year, cows at Okodof farm only produces 7,000 to 7,400 litres a year.

Poinke explains that lower milk production due to the cows being fed on natural fibre and not concentrates. She says that the milk produced is however of high quality. “Our concern is the cows’ health. We do not treat them as milk producing machines,” she states.

Cows are reared for an average of 13 years upon which they are sold to make to meat processor for making sausages  ‘salamis’ since their meat is unsuitable for consumption as beef.
On conventional farms cows are sold before there fifth year.

Another unique aspect of the farm is that milk is processed and bottled right on the farm and some made into other products. An estimated three and half million litres are processed on the farm with Okodof farm providing half and the rest coming from other organic farms in the region. With 1,500 customers in Berlin city the farm has spawned opportunities and provided linkages with other companies such as packaging farms and transporters.

Although milk produced on Okodof farm is comparatively expensive compared to milk from industrial farms, Okodof’s milk customers have continued to increase.

In an African country like Kenya, many farmers own small holdings on which they grow crops and rear livestock.  Majority of them use traditional knowledge, which is itself nature friendly. They also fuse it with modern science to increase production.

The Kenya Institute of Organic Farming, (KIOF) says modern conventional agriculture is costly to farmers. Many small-scale farmers cannot afford inputs.

Moreover due to lack on information and literacy many
of the inputs end up harming them and polluting the environment.

KIOF strives to educate farmers to practice alternatives, which are more environmentally friendly.  It argues that traditional practices enabled communities to farm for generations before the introduction of modern technologies.

A report prepared by the a joint United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Conference on

Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Capacity Building Task Force on
Trade, Environment and Development, organic farming is though yet fully established is a growing phenomenon in Kenya.

The report says for many years  organic farming has been  fully embraced a number of horticultural companies. It has however been  taken to farmers by development oriented non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and community-based organizations  (CBOs).

The report adds that most initiatives of NGOs and CBOs aim to diversify food produced at the household level in a sustainable way and, and ensure ecological sustainability of the farming systems and so as to increase household incomes through market access.
Although the government is yet to recognize the role of organic agriculture through policies that could promote it there is a conducive atmosphere for the organic farming to thrive.
Basic infrastructure such as micro-credit organizations, training institutions and markets both local and export are ingredients that could stimulate  the growth of the sector.

Thus, if well mobilized Kenyan small scale farmer can pool their and establish viable organic farm business through value addition and take advantage of the growing local and international market.

With a high demand for meat and milk products, vegetables and fruits, essential oils, dried herbs and spices, as well as products for the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries increasing Kenyan farmers have an incentive to go the organic way and smile all the way to the banks. Industrial farmers are thus facing a duel from their opponents who are  not armed with tones of chemicals but mere respect for nature and to whom the challenge of a lower price tag is confronted with high quality.

The words of Dr. Claudia Sattler of  the Germany Centre for Landscape research, best sums the future of agriculture,  “farmers all over the world are capable of integrating biodiversity into effective and competitive agriculture.” Indeed  in Kenya they can.