A question we hear often is, "Is hydroponic CEA production organic?"
The simple answer is "no" but it is an answer that must be qualified.
CEA can never be considered organic because of a few things.
1. Some of the salts that are used to create the nutrient solution come from inorganic sources (mined from the earth).
2. On April 29, 2010, the National Organic Standards Board, in a recommendation to the National Organic Program said, "Observing the framework of organic farming based on its foundation of sound management of soil biology and ecology, it becomes clear that systems of crop production that eliminate soil from the system, such as hydroponics or aeroponics, can not be considered as examples of acceptable organic farming practices. Hydroponics, the production of plants in nutrient rich solutions or moist inert material, or aeroponics, a variation in which plant roots are suspended in air and continually misted with nutrient
solution, have their place in production agriculture, but certainly cannot be classified as certified organic growing methods due to their exclusion of the soil-plant ecology intrinsic to organic farming systems and USDA/NOP regulations governing them." See the entire document here.
How hydroponic Cornell CEA-style production is in-line with organic goals:
Insect Control - We advocate the use of beneficial insects instead of pesticide. (For health reasons, environmental reasons, and also because often chemicals are not labeled for use in greenhouse vegetable production)
Fungus Control - Similarly, we have had success using sulfur burners instead of chemical sprays. Before we used sulfur for pathogen control, we used a product that was basically baking soda (Armicarb).
No Exposure to Animal Waste (Food Safety)- Recent food contamination events can be traced to the exposure of produce to both human and animal waste. In CEA-style production that threat is eliminated as the plants are not exposed to surface water.
Environmentally Responsible Use of Water - Water that is used to create nutrient solution is not discarded. This is similar to trickle irrigation in field agriculture - but even more efficient.
For a longer article on the difference between hydroponic and organic produciton, see Charlotte Bradley's article entitled, "Organic vs. Hydroponic: The Great Debate".
