The National Organic Program (NOP) and Future of Sustainable Agriculture

Statement of Purpose:

The purpose of this policy brief is to introduce the major stakeholders involved with the research, development, and implementation of the National Organic Program (NOP). Beginning with a budgetary overview of the NOP, listed are the primary objectives and goals of the Organic Research and Education Initiative (OREI), Organic Transitions (ORG), and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) programs. This paper concludes with a discussion of the main challenges and potential outcomes for organic farmers across the United States. 

An Overview of the National Organic Program (NOP):

            In 1990, the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) established the National Organic Program (NOP) in response to an underground organic movement pioneered as early by American horticulturalists in Vermont, which subsequently led to the implementation of the first national organic label and certification program in the United States as we know it. The purpose of the NOP was originally to regulate the production, handling, labeling, and enforcement of all available edible food products that entered the organic marketplace from domestic or abroad. While the 2018 Farm Bill introduced a number of new provisions to the NOP that expanded USDA organic standards and certification methods, appropriations to the NOP increased from $16.5 million in FY 2019 to $24 million in FY 2023 under the 2018 Farm Act (~33% increase), (USDA, n.d.). 

Today, the NOP addresses the primary challenges facing the organic farming industry through three distinct and unique sub-programs: the Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), Organic Transitions (ORG), and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE). Where these three programs are designed to be complementary in nature – grants from the ORG and SARE are geared toward colleges and universities, and OREI grants may be applied for by almost any U.S. agricultural entity (USDA, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, n.d.).

The NOP also created the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program (NOCCSP) and the Agricultural Management Assistance Organic Certification Cost Share Program (AMA). Both the NOCCSP and the AMA help compensate farmers for up to 75% of the yearly premium costs associated with the standard organic certification process, which amounts to about $750 (per certification scope) (USDA, n.d.). Applications for these cost assistance programs can be submitted to the Farm Service Agency (FSA) or through other participating State Agencies.

Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI):

            The OREI is a competitive research grant program that was established in 1990 also under the OFPA. The primary responsibility of this program is still to fund research, education, and extension projects that are designed to strengthen the ability for both new and established farmers to participate in organic agricultural practices, producing healthy and safe food products for general consumption (USDA). Moreover, the USDA scored mandatory funding to the OREI through the 2018 Farm Bill in a success for the growing organic movement sweeping the Nation. With an average budget of $20 million during FY 2019 and FY 2020, the OREI will now accumulate approximately $50 million in permanent baseline funding by the end of FY 2023 [See Figure 1, Page 3]. This initiative will help allocate various financial grants, including multi-regional grants, regional grants, targeted grants, curriculum development grants, conference grants, and planning grants… For example, Oregon State University and the Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) partnered on the Cultivar Development Project and were awarded $1.99 million through the OREI to improve agricultural producers’ accessibility to organic vegetable operations with the Northern Vegetable Improvement Collaborative, according to The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, (2019). 

Moreso, the OREI outlines eight major goals: 

1. facilitating and improving the development of production, breeding, and processing methods in organic agriculture. 
2. assessing the potential economic benefits that are associated with organic agricultural production and communicating these findings to producers, processors, and rural communities. 
3. searching for international trade opportunities in both organically grown and processed agricultural commodities.
4. discussing desirable traits and characteristics for organic commodities.
5. identifying the limits of marketing and policy on the growth of organic agriculture.  
6. performing advanced on-farm research that highlights the observation, experimentation, and innovation of functional organic programs. Research should be linked to organic production, marketing, food safety, socioeconomic status, and farm business management.    
7. investigating the most efficient environmental and conservation practices and methods for organically-produced goods.   
8. promoting the establishment and growth of better quality seed varieties used for organic agriculture. (USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, n.d.)

Fig. 1: Courtesy of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC, 2019).

Organic Transitions Program (ORG):

The ORG was established by the 1998 Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act (AREERA) to address the present needs of farmers who are already in the process of adopting or transitioning into organic agricultural practices. Moreover, the ORG aims to help farmers “fill their knowledge gaps, overcome barriers in transitioning to certified-organic, and become successful organic farmers.” (The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, 2019). The ORG primarily funds grants to colleges and universities that evaluate the economic and environmental impacts of organic farming. Federal grants for these projects may be proximal to $200,000 in any one year, so grants are typically funded for up to a maximum of 3 years. The ORG has recently awarded over $44 million in grant funding to 93 projects that contain at least two of the following three elements: research, education, and/or extension (National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, 2019). Notably, all grant projects must be associated with organic crops, organic animal and dairy production, and/or organic plant and animal production. Specifically, the ORG prioritizes research themes and projects that emphasize: 

“crop rotation, livestock-crop system integration, soil health, and cover crops; optimizing ecosystem services and the ability of organic crops to adapt to, and mitigate climate variability; development of cultivars or breeds suited to organic production; region specific production challenges, infrastructure constraints, marketplace solutions, and other policy or administrative barriers to organic production.” (National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, 2019) 

Furthermore, the ORG supports the development of “biologically-based management practices that mitigate the ecological, agronomic, and economic risks associated with the conversion from ‘conventional’ to organic agricultural production systems.” (USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, n.d). Between FY 2015 – FY 2019, the ORG received an average of $3.6 million per year [See Figure 2, Page 4]. North Carolina State University researchers are currently working on an ORG project that is focused on organic methods that farmers may use to promote “microbial communities with high nitrogen efficiency in acidic soils” throughout the southeast region of the United States (National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, 2019). The main purpose of this particular research project is to distinguish the leading variables affecting nitrogen-cycling microbes and organic farming practices.

Fig. 2: Courtesy of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC, 2019).

Conclusion:

As the major funding agency of research, education, and extension for farm programs, the USDA created the National Organic Program (NOP), along with numerous complementary subprograms, including the Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), Organic Transitions (ORG), and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) in order to address the major challenges associated with transitioning to organic agriculture. Moreover, the annual budgets for all three of these sub-programs increased significantly in the 2018 Farm Bill, which also included the establishment of permanent funding for the OREI. Each of these programs offers competitive grants for research projects that are designed to evaluate the economic and environmental impacts of organic agriculture, which in turn can provide a more accurate understanding of sustainable agriculture in the U.S.

Still, there are many notable challenges that farmers face today when seeking to transition from ‘conventional’ agriculture to organic agriculture. Some of these may include: licensing and application fees, access to certified-organic material inputs, and the establishment of competitive organic markets. While these barriers may deter some producers from adopting the certified-organic label, the USDA has created assistance programs including the NOCCSP and the AMA that provide financial aid to transitioning organic farmers for this purpose. Moreover, some organic producers are advocating for new legislative policies that incentivize organic agricultural production systems with advanced conservation mechanisms in order to help mitigate the risks and concerns of climate change.

            As more consumers are demanding access to healthy, safe, and nutritious foods, the organic industry has become the fastest-growing sector of the agricultural economy in the United States. A smooth transition from ‘conventional’ farming to organic agriculture is essential in order to secure the health and future of the U.S. agricultural economy and its citizens. This can be made possible by adopting organic or regenerative agricultural methods that develop a more productive and resilient food system, such as composting, pasture-rotation, intercropping, and minimal-tillage. It is imperative that the needs and actions of organic farmers continue to be supported by local, state, and federal agencies. However, more research is still needed to further understand the relationship between organic agricultural methods, environmental impacts, and economic outcomes.

References:

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. (n.d.). Organic Agriculture. Retrieved December 16, 2019, from: https://sustainableagriculture.net/our-work/issues/organic-agriculture/. 

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. (2019, April). Organic Agriculture Research & Extension Initiative. Retrieved December 17, 2019, from: https://sustainableagriculture.net/publications/grassrootsguide/sustainable-organic-research/organic-research-extension-initiative/.   

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. (2019, May). Organic Transitions Research, Education, and Extension Program. Retrieved December 17, 2019, from: https://sustainableagriculture.net/publications/grassrootsguide/sustainable-organic-research/organic-transitions-research-education-and-extension-program/. 

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. (2019, July). Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. Retrieved December 17, 2019, from: https://sustainableagriculture.net/publications/grassrootsguide/sustainable-organic-research/sustainable-agriculture-research-and-education-program/.   

NIFA. (2017, June 29). National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Retrieved December 17, 2019, from: https://nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/sare-regional-host-institution. 

USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. (n.d.). National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Retrieved October 21, 2019, from: https://nifa.usda.gov/program/organic-agriculture-program. 

USDA. (n.d.). Organic Regulations. Retrieved December 16, 2019, from: https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/organic. 

USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. (2019, March 14). National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Retrieved October 21, 2019, from: https://nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/organic-agriculture-research-and-extension-initiative. 

USDA (n.d). Conservation Programs. ERS. Retrieved December 18, 2019, from: https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/natural-resources-environment/conservation-programs/

USDA (n.d.). Organic Agriculture. ERS. Retrieved December 16, 2019, from: https://www.ers.usda.gov/agriculture-improvement-act-of-2018-highlights-and-implications/organic-agriculture/. 

USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. (2019, March 14). National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Retrieved October 21, 2019, from: 

https://nifa.usda.gov/program/sustainable-agriculture-program