Organic Guayusa Tea – What Does Organic Farming Mean?
Introduction
We’re often asked whether our Guayusa is grown organically. Yes—GUYA Guayusa tea is organic Guayusa!
But what does organic cultivation actually mean? Organic doesn’t always mean the same thing. We want to explain what we look for when growing our Guayusa organically, because there are significant differences between organic farming methods.
Our organic Guayusa growing method differs fundamentally from other organic farming systems, such as those used for yerba mate, coffee and cacao. We even exceed the standards of organic farming associations such as Bioland and Demeter.
On our YouTube channel, you’ll find detailed documentaries and interviews with farmers about growing Guayusa, lemongrass, coffee and our reforestation project in Ecuador.
Contents:
- What does organic mean?
- The misleading appearance of organic monocultures
- Different farming methods
- Conventional farming
- Integrated production: not organic, but efficient
- State-regulated organic farming
- Organic farming associations: what does their certification mean?
- Organic permaculture: growing organic Guayusa tea
- Growing organic Guayusa
- Our organic Guayusa certificate
1. What does organic mean?
Organic refers to production methods that avoid artificial inputs in the value chain, meaning that production and raw materials are natural. However, there is no precise definition of what is considered ‘natural’ or ‘artificial’. In organic Guayusa cultivation, the use of copper-based fungicides would be permitted. Organic apple farming also routinely uses copper-based fungicides.
Copper is, of course, naturally occurring, but spraying plants and soil with it year after year is still far from ideal.
2. The misleading appearance of organic monocultures
Today it is widely recognised that organic farming is not necessarily sustainable or environmentally friendly. Organic coffee, like yerba mate, cacao, green tea, bananas and coconuts, for example, mostly comes from vast monoculture plantations. Although organic monocultures are fertilised according to organic standards, they still have a huge impact on the natural landscape.
This kind of organic farming does not support a diversity of animal and plant life. The soil in these areas is degraded and at risk of erosion. Only one plant species grows there, and smaller crops that could grow beneath cacao or mate trees are usually removed.
The use of crop-protection products is not prohibited in organic farming. It is tightly regulated and limited to a small number of products. In organic monocultures, however, more of these products are used than in organic permaculture because many plants are susceptible to fungal diseases.
Organic farming therefore does not necessarily create a natural environment. The organic label merely ‘guarantees’ that certain chemical (artificial) crop-protection products and fertilisers are not used. Under the applicable standards, it does not matter whether rainforest is cleared or the diversity of animal and plant species in the growing area is destroyed or reduced.
3. Different farming methods
There are different organic farming methods and certification labels. Below, you’ll find a detailed explanation of each method.
3.1 Conventional farming
Conventional agriculture remains the most widespread farming system. It uses fertilisers and crop-protection products approved by the relevant authorities. Farmers operate under agricultural law and EU regulations, and the EU sets maximum residue levels for food. As a consumer, you can choose seasonal and locally produced foods to improve their environmental footprint; these generally have a lower carbon and water footprint. It is also important to check where food comes from: during the potato season, for example, imports from Africa may be cheaper than European produce.
3.2 Integrated production: not organic, but efficient
Integrated production (IP) is a link between conventional farming and organic agriculture. It applies much stricter controls to crop-protection products and fertilisers. IP farming places greater emphasis on nature-friendly, animal-friendly cultivation while also incorporating technological advances.
Many products, such as tomatoes, peppers, courgettes, cucumbers and salad leaves, come from integrated production. It often takes place in greenhouses designed for efficiency. Recycling water, heat and plant waste is a major advantage of this method. Modern greenhouses can achieve recycling rates in the high double digits because they operate almost closed-loop systems. As a result, fertilisers—even those not necessarily from organic sources—do not come into contact with the soil and therefore cannot leach into groundwater.
3.3 State-regulated organic farming
Organic farming goes a step further. Chemically synthesised systemic crop-protection products and mineral fertilisers are prohibited. Organic fertilisers and insecticides, herbicides and fungicides specifically approved for organic farming may be used. There are also separate, stricter rules for products used to strengthen plants. These foods carry the EU organic logo.
The EU organic logo requires 95 per cent of a product’s ingredients—not 100 per cent—to come from organic sources. The standards also do not define how much natural habitat must be preserved. Monocultures are therefore common in organic farming too.
3.4 Organic farming associations: what does their certification mean?
Alongside state organic certification, a number of associations have their own, stricter rules. The best-known associations in Germany are Demeter, Bioland and Naturland.
These associations differ in which additives, fertilisers and animal feeds they permit. Animals must, under their standards, be treated considerably better and raised in a “largely natural environment”. Their rules come closer to the general understanding of organic farming. This is partly because associations such as Demeter and Bioland pioneered organic farming and existed long before the EU organic logo.
Monocultures are common here too, although rules strictly govern soil management and the size of monoculture fields. Different crops must be planted each year, and every five years fields must be left fallow or planted with legumes. These legumes enrich the soil with nitrogen.
3.5 Organic permaculture: growing organic Guayusa tea
Permaculture is a particular form of organic farming. It is based on the idea that different plant species share a habitat in nature, allowing several species to grow close together.
This combination is chosen so that the plants protect one another from pests and disease, maintain soil quality and support a naturally diverse regional animal population.
In the long term, this way of farming is less expensive and can be as productive as conventional monocultures. Depending on how intensively the permaculture system is managed, pesticides and fertilisers are barely needed, if at all. If they are needed, then—at least for our organic Guayusa tea—they are made from plants grown in the same permaculture system.
For example, fields are fertilised by cutting grasses, branches, leaves or whole plants and leaving them on the ground. Fungal or pest infestations are treated with pesticides made from the roots and leaves of specific plants. These plants grow throughout the permaculture system.
You can find a detailed interview with our founder and a colleague in Ecuador about permaculture here.
4. Growing organic Guayusa
Our organic Guayusa tea has a special place in organic farming. Our Guayusa comes from deep in the Amazon rainforest, where it is grown in permaculture systems that imitate the rainforest or are integrated directly into it.
The Kichwa communities we work with to grow organic Guayusa know every part of their forest gardens. These so-called chakras grow not only Guayusa but also bananas, cassava, maize, cacao, herbs, coffee and tobacco, as well as dozens or even hundreds of other plants that attract birds and bees, create particular soil conditions or keep specific pests away.
No pesticides and very little fertiliser are needed because the warm climate speeds up the natural cycle: short-lived plants quickly break down and become nutrients for longer-lived plants.
As well as earning income from selling Guayusa, the Kichwa communities can also earn money by selling organic cacao, organic bananas and other products, while growing food for themselves.
5. Organic Guayusa: our organic certificate
GUYA’s organic Guayusa is traditionally grown in chakras in accordance with EU organic standards. However, our farming goes well beyond those standards because we take a holistic, permaculture-based approach.
We also pay farmers 30 per cent more for their Guayusa than the official Fairtrade price. We pay three times as much for our lemongrass and four times as much for our coffee. You can find interviews with farmers and documentaries about Guayusa cultivation on our YouTube channel.
Although Guayusa is certified in Ecuador, it cannot yet be sold everywhere as an organic food. The importing company—in this case, GUYA—must also undergo an inspection. This inspection checks compliance with storage and processing rules. GUYA’s inspection body is ABCert.
If you have any questions about organic farming or the sustainable and fair production of our organic Guayusa tea, just contact us on Facebook, by email or on Instagram.
If you’d like to buy organic GUYA Guayusa, visit our online shop or find us on Amazon. If you’d like to see our products in your local supermarket, speak to the store manager and give them our contact details, which you can find here.
Sources:
- https://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/our-failing-food-system/industrial-agriculture/hidden-costs-of-industrial.html#.WuXInS_5xuU
- https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrierte_Produktion
- https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrierte_Produktion
- http://www.kob-bavendorf.de/arbeitsbereiche/Lagerung/systemvergleich-bio-ip
- http://www.daserste.de/information/wissen-kultur/w-wie-wissen/permakultur-100.html