Although some concepts of organic farming predated his work, today Sir Albert Howard (1873-1947) is regarded by most as the founder and pioneer of the organic movement. Born into an agricultural life, he never strayed far from it. Raised on a farm in England, and educated at Cambridge, he served for a time (1899 -1902) as mycologist in the Imperial Department of Agriculture for the West Indies, before returning to England to teach agricultural science from 1903-1905 at South-Eastern Agricultural College at Wye. He then moved to India where, for twenty-six years he directed several agricultural research centers before permanently returning to England in 1931.
It was after his return that he became well known for his concepts and philosophy of organic farming. Drawing on his many years of agricultural research experience, he wrote several widely read books espousing his concepts and theories of composting, soil fertility, and health and disease.
In 1943, Howard published the book, An Agricultural Testament, in which he described a concept that was to become central to organic farming--the importance of utilizing available waste materials to build and maintain soil fertility and humus content.8 According to what he called "the Law of Return," he strongly advocated the recycling of all organic waste materials, including sewage sludge, back to farmland.
In Farming and Gardening for Health or Disease (later published as Soil and Health), Howard introduced the idea that disease, whether in plants, animals or humans, was caused by unhealthy soil and that organic farming techniques would make the soil and those living on it, healthy.12 As evidence he cited his observations that animals fed with crops grown in humus-rich soil were able to rub noses with diseased animals without becoming infected. More generally he argued that crop and animal health was a birthright and that the correct method for dealing with a pathogen was not to destroy the pathogen but rather to try to learn from it or to "make use of it for tuning up agricultural practice."
Clearly Howard favored the study of whole systems over reductionism. Such a study comparing organic and non-organic farms was attempted from 1939 to 1969 in England by Lady Eve Balfour. Her observations from this comparison of whole farms were described in her widely read book The Living Soil and The Haughley Experiment first published in 1943 and republished in 1974.
It was after his return that he became well known for his concepts and philosophy of organic farming. Drawing on his many years of agricultural research experience, he wrote several widely read books espousing his concepts and theories of composting, soil fertility, and health and disease.
In 1943, Howard published the book, An Agricultural Testament, in which he described a concept that was to become central to organic farming--the importance of utilizing available waste materials to build and maintain soil fertility and humus content.8 According to what he called "the Law of Return," he strongly advocated the recycling of all organic waste materials, including sewage sludge, back to farmland.
In Farming and Gardening for Health or Disease (later published as Soil and Health), Howard introduced the idea that disease, whether in plants, animals or humans, was caused by unhealthy soil and that organic farming techniques would make the soil and those living on it, healthy.12 As evidence he cited his observations that animals fed with crops grown in humus-rich soil were able to rub noses with diseased animals without becoming infected. More generally he argued that crop and animal health was a birthright and that the correct method for dealing with a pathogen was not to destroy the pathogen but rather to try to learn from it or to "make use of it for tuning up agricultural practice."
Clearly Howard favored the study of whole systems over reductionism. Such a study comparing organic and non-organic farms was attempted from 1939 to 1969 in England by Lady Eve Balfour. Her observations from this comparison of whole farms were described in her widely read book The Living Soil and The Haughley Experiment first published in 1943 and republished in 1974.
