Shariah enlightens Ying on agronomic practices.
ZOO Bee Organic Farm in Empawah, Sungai Bidut, will receive the Malaysian Organic Scheme (SOM) certification in May.
After almost a year of hard work, including recording, learning and complying with set standards, it will be the sole farm in the central region, and the fourth in the state, to be certified. The other three certified organic farms are in Kuching.
As exciting as this is, the farm now has to work to sustain its organic certification. The task is not easy, requiring hard work and commitment.
Farmer Ying Tieng Chai must ensure all the specific and precise standards of organic production systems are complied with.
Agriculture Department (Indigenous Vegetable and Organic Farming) research officer Shariah Umar said the farm would be audited every year to ensure compliance with SOM standards. This means SOM certification is renewable every year.
“When the certification has been given, the farm will be constantly monitored, and normally six months later, we will come back to check if it adheres to our standards,” she told thesundaypost during the final auditing for organic certification at the farm.
She said the organic farmers would continue with what they have been doing since they first applied for SOM certification, adding that they would also be audited in the same way.
However, Shariah said unlike auditing for corporations, auditing for organic farms was more towards advising the farmers on areas of improvement.
The job scope includes the inspection of the storage areas, methods of handling the produce, the process of recording, sampling, cleaning toilets, workers’ accommodation and provision of tips to farmers on organic farming.
She explained that initially both the advisor and auditor would visit the farm together to ascertain whether organic farming is possible.
“Then we leave the advisor to do his or her part — inspecting and giving advice. The advisor will notify the auditor on the final auditing if he or she thinks the farm is ready.”
Shariah said besides certification, research officers would also teach farmers agronomic practice and crop management.
Workers at the farm.
The farm will be given certification by the Agriculture Department once it passes all the tests.
Ying could not agree more that it has been tough since he decided to turn his 17 acres into an organic farm almost a year ago. The 56-year-old admitted it took a lot in terms of financing and energy to set up everything.
Last April, he cleared the land. In May, he hired nine workers to plant various vegetables and in July, the vegetables started to grow.
However, after six months, he thought of giving up twice.
“I have big problems with pesticides. In organic farming, we must be environmentally-friendly, which means we do not kill pests but just chase them away.
“The Agriculture Department has been very helpful, encouraging me to do research, giving me advice and convincing me that this is possible,” he said, adding that he learned to make his own organic fertiliser, pesticide and insect traps.
The farm workers have had to pick worms by hand and fruits have to be wrapped in a biodegradable plastic.
He said given all the hard work, it is only natural that the price of organic vegetables would be higher than that of ordinary vegetables.
Ying is now selling his produce at a loss — the same price as other vegetables. He will still use the green vegetable label until he receives SOM certification.
“The organic label is important because it assures people that the produce is really organic — and organic is always healthy,” he explained.
In fact, that is why Ying started his organic farm in the first place — for health reasons.
Meanwhile, Shariah pointed out that the ministry would not allow people to use the organic label without SOM certification.
SOM was introduced in 2003 by the Department of Agriculture — a mandatory certification for farms in the country claiming to practise organic agriculture.
SOM-certified farms have the right to use the Malaysian Organic label and market their produce at a premium.
Photo shows some of the vegetables at Zoo Bee Organic Farm.
Apart from food, SOM standards also cover the conditions and criteria derived from the enactment of the law on hazards control, which has an impact on the environment, food safety and workers’ health and safety.
Thus, organic agriculture should not only focus on health but also sustainable agricultural system through eco-friendly farming.
Shariah pointed out that chemicals could make the soil infertile while organic materials would sustain the health of the soil.
According to the 2009 Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC), agriculture accounts for 10 to 12 per cent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and it is expected to rise.
The report further explained that the most significant indirect emissions were changes in natural vegetation and traditional land use, including deforestation and soil degradation.
However, experts believe 32 per cent of the current man-made GHG emissions can be reduced through global adoption of organic agriculture.
In addition, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) regards organic farming as an effective strategy to reduce climate change and create soil better adapted to extreme weather conditions associated with climate change.
Department of Agriculture workers take samples for testing.
Looking at the need to create a healthier environment and in encouraging organic farming, Shariah said the Agriculture Department has been promoting organic farming in Ba Kelalan, especially organic rice.
She hoped to see the production of organic rice in Sarawak — just like in Kelantan and Kedah.
Apart from the four organic farms in the state, she said there were no further applications for SOM certification.
She figured many still think organic farms are not possible considering the hard work needed to maintain the farms, not forgetting the problems that could arise.
“The major problems are controlling pests and diseases.”
However, it is not all bad news because according to world-renowned soil biologist Dr Elaine Ingham, a teaspoon of compost-rich organic soil may host as many as 600 million to one billion helpful bacteria from 15,000 species.
Contrary to that, one teaspoon of soil treated with chemicals may carry as few as 100 helpful bacteria.
Shariah said organic farming is labour-intensive and could be a challenge for farmers.
She explained these two factors had led to more costly organic vegetables.
Nevertheless, the demand for organic food is growing and in 2012, there were over 160 countries with more than 37 million ha (91.4 million acres) of organically managed farmland.
In the same year, there were some 1.9 million organic producers, compared to 1.8 million in 2011 and 1.6 million in 2010.
According to Transparency Market Research, the global organic food market is expected to grow to US$104.7 billion (RM343.6 billion) this year.
As for Malaysia, the development of organic agriculture is still in its infancy but is developing very fast.
However, the market is dominated by imported products as the high demand cannot be met by local suppliers.
It is estimated that between 60 and 90 per cent of organic products in Malaysia are imported. Thus, it is without doubt that organic products have great market potential for domestic consumers and export markets.
That is why Shariah is encouraging farmers to venture into organic farming with the assurance that the Agriculture Department will help to ensure their success.
“We are giving out this certification for free. All you have to do is approach us and apply and we will very happy to advise you,” she added.
An overview of Zoo Bee Organic Farm.