The book makes an evidence-based case for organic agriculture indeveloping countries, particularly those in Southeast Asia. It starts byexamining the data from organic agriculture farms, comparing themwith those from nonorganic agriculture farms to see what can be saidabout the effects of organic agriculture on the livelihoods of comparablepeople and in terms of the MDGs (Chapters 1, 8, and 9).The book then goes on to look at the economic dimension of promotingorganic agriculture and actual experiences in implementing it. Itexplores the following questions: Are the benefits of such programs justified in terms of their costs (Chapter 2)? Does certification helpfarmers in terms of increased incomes for their products (Chapter 3)?How well has certification worked to increase incomes and livelihoodsin particular cases (Chapter 4)? Which benefits motivate farmers toadopt organic agriculture (Chapter 5)? (This is important as a guide towhich policies to use to promote the practice.) Is organic agriculture thebest way to improve rural livelihoods, or can we do better through otherinterventions, such as promoting biofuels (Chapter 6)? What are themacroeconomic impacts of promoting organic agriculture (Chapter 7)?Following these chapters, the book looks at evidence on some of the bigenvironmental questions related to sustainable agriculture. The first isits role in sequestering carbon, a major issue given the threats we facefrom climate change (Chapter 11). A second is enhancing biodiversityand preventing the loss of genetic material (Chapter 12).Finally, the book considers some of the big issues in the debatesurrounding agriculture which touch on organic agriculture indeveloping countries. One deals with the environmental costs ofshipping agricultural products over large distances (food miles,Chapter 13). Another is whether organic agriculture does indeed loweryields and thereby reduce our capacity to feed the growing populationof the planet (Chapter 14).
