Cultivation rotation. It consists of alternating families different from plants. It chases to preserve the biodiversity and to support the fertility of the soils.

Associations of cultivation. Two or more different species are cultivated so that they benefit mutually or that other one benefits one of them without turning out to be affected.

Hedges and vegetation in the margins. They are located in the margins of the areas of cultivation. They help to avoid the inclemencies of the climatic conditions and favor the attraction of insects that facilitate the pollination. In general, they contribute all the benefits derived from the biodiversity.

Vegetable covering in the soil. They allow the recycling of the nourishing substrata of the soil, prevent the erosion and favor a high microbiological activity and therefore the organic matter contribution.

Integration of the agriculture and the cattle. The animals play a very important role in the agricultural system since they give to the soil the indispensable organic substratum for the fertilizer of the cultivation.


ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES WITH REGARD TO THE CONVENTIONAL FOOD

Advantages:

Absence of remains of pesticides of synthesis.

His production needs of major labor than the conventional production, therefore in the local ambience and in the rural environment, the benefits are clear.

Increase of the biodiversity. It is a production that uses the natural biodiversity as an essential tool in the handling of the farms.

Water contamination and environment. It diminishes the contamination of groundwaters and soils by the use of organic fertilizers of low solubility, used in the suitable quantities. Also, since pesticides are not used, he helps to improve the quality of the air.

Nourishing content. The products of the organic farming, according to his defenders, contain more nourishing principles than the proceeding ones from conventional developments, although the affirmation is still to demonstrate, since conclusive studies do not exist on this matter.

The principal extra cost of the ecological products is his respect to the environment and his commitment with the sustainable development.

Disadvantages:

Physical appearance (color, sheen or size, etc.). In general, the ecological food results from low quality in this sense. Nevertheless, what in fact it imports is the nourishing content of the food that integrate our daily diet.

Conservation or useful life. It is something low, in some cases, than that of the conventional food.

I boast. The ecological food turns out to be a little more expensive because the production systems are slower and the manpower needs, major.


HOW TO ADMIT WHAT FOOD IS ECOLOGICAL?

The organic farming is regulated legally in Spain from 1989, year in which there was approved the Regulation of the Generic Denomination "Organic farming" and his Regulatory Advice, which came applying itself up to the coming into effect, on January 1, 1993, of the Regulation (CEE) 2092/91 of the Advice, on the ecological agricultural production and his indication in the agrarian and nutritive products, dates from which there prevail the prescripts of the community norm.

From 1993, the competitions of control of the ecological production stay in hands of the Autonomous regions, therefore there exist at present 17 Organisms of Control (Advices or Committees of Organic farming, IT FALLS DOWN) entrusted to verify that the ecological food that come to the market fulfills the norms gathered in the Regulation 2092/91. Also, the commercial operations of buy and sale realized with ecological food also remain registered. The control panel on the ecological production is realized in the farms of production, in the processing industries (including oil-mills, manufacture of piensos and slaughterhouses) and they can be carried out in the chain of commercialization.

When a food game overcomes all the control panel to which it is submitted, it receives a tag that allows to separate them from the rest of food of the market in the one that represents the legend “Organic farming“. In Spain 16 of 17 organisms of control have a similar tag, while Andalusia identifies his ecological food with a logotype different from the rest. From February, 2000, the ecological farmers can request the use of an European tag that tries to facilitate to the consumers the identification of the ecological food, as well as facilitate his exchange between the countries of the European Union.

It is necessary to clarify that terms like native, without preserving or additive, bio, dietetic and others used in the food labeling, small or not at all they have usually to do with the ecological production method and, therefore, they must not confuse the consumers.