The Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) is a member-owned,

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, which provides research, education and

certification Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

services to

organic Organic may refer to: * Organic, of or relating to an organism, a living entity * Organic, of or relating to an anatomical organ Chemistry * Organic matter, matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or is the product ...

growers, processors and handlers around the world. OCIA certifies and verifies farm, livestock, processor/handlers, broker-traders, Community Grower Groups (CGGs), and Private Labels to various programs. With its headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska, OCIA has regional and chapter offices in Canada, Mexico, Nicaragua, Japan, Guatemala, Peru and the U.S. OCIA was founded in 1985 (incorporated in Pennsylvania 1988) near

Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( ; ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional count ...

, Quebec, by a group of farmers, modeled on the "crop improvement associations" that came out of the Dust Bowl era. These associations started as informal meetings where farmers could discuss and ask advice about their land. In the 1970s as the

organic movement The organic movement broadly refers to the organizations and individuals involved worldwide in the promotion of organic food and other organic products. It started during the first half of the 20th century, when modern large-scale agricultural pr ...

developed, "organic" crop improvement associations were formed. OCIA mandated that farmers would hold farmers to one of the first international organic standards in 1985. An international organization, OCIA continues to have a local approach with the organization largely being made up of local "chapters." The organization had members primarily in Canada and the U.S. until a group of Peruvian farmers joined the organization in 1988. Expansion throughout Latin America continued, and now OCIA has members across the world.

Controversies

Certification company spin offs

OCIA grew the organic industry as new organic certification companies split off since its founding, including Global Organic Alliance, OneCert, TransCanada Organic Certification Services, and Quality Assurance International.

Suspension in China

OCIA was suspended from operating in China in 2010 for one year by the USDA after it reportedly used employees of a Chinese government agency to inspect state-controlled farms and food processing facilities, which constituted a conflict of interest. In China, OCIA had joined forces with the Organic Food Development Corporation, an agency affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection. The association kept a small staff — one or three people in Nanjing — while inspectors from the Chinese agency went out to farms and factories. Their findings were translated into English and sent to OCIA headquarters in Nebraska, where staff members reviewed the material and made the final decisions on certification.

External links

Organic Crop Improvement Association

Notes and references

{{Authority control Organic farming organizations Organic farming in the United States Product certification Agriculture in Nebraska Organizations based in Lincoln, Nebraska Non-profit organizations based in Nebraska Environmental organizations established in 1985 1985 establishments in Nebraska Agricultural organizations based in the United States