History of Organic Agricultural Movement and Perspective for Development of Organic Agriculture in Tasmania

호주 태즈메이니아 유기농운동의 전개과정과 발전과제

Tasmania with its clean air, isolated from mainland Australia, has been producing high-quality agricultural products and has been continually developing organic farming since 1946 when the Living Soil Association of Tasmania(LSAT) was established. The organic farming movement in Tasmania has been actively advocated through three steps: the philosophical embryonic period, the movement diffusion period and the industrialised development period. The campaigns for informing about the connection between healthy soil and life unfolded during the embryonic period. This was followed by the birth of publicity of organic farming and the certification system through the dissemination of organic farming techniques and various events related to agriculture in the diffusion period when the Organic Gardening and Farming Society(OGFS) was established in 1972. In the industrialised development period, The Organic Coalition of Tasmania (OCT) which is representative of Tasmania was organised in 2000 and has been leading the organic farming industry. The organic farming movement in Tasmania not only limits the use of artificial agricultural chemical but pursues the quality of food, environment, the health of life including all animals and plants, the issue of development in rural society, social justice, and equity in understanding. It is far more holistic in its philosophy. The output of organic food accounts for 1 % of the total amount of agricultural production and 150 certified organic farms have managed with 5,000ha of land in 2010. The supply channels for organic foods vary from farmer's market, specialty stores, supermarket chains, local store to the cooperative community. Also the consumers' behaviour for organic foods has been establishing as an alternative life style. The education of the value and role of organic farming on the environment should be enlarged for the consumption of the organic food. In addition, organising for small farmers who act individually and the link with differentiated local food have still remained issues.