How a farm becomes organic

A farm becomes organic by following the organic standard for a set period, called the conversion period, while keeping records and being inspected. Only after that can its produce carry an organic label. In Thailand, the organic standard TAS 9000 sets the minimum at 12 months before planting for short-lived crops such as vegetables, and 18 months before the first organic harvest for perennial crops such as fruit trees.

Why there is a waiting period

TAS 9000 explains the reason in its own words. Moving to organic production takes time to build fertile soil and a stable farm ecosystem, and to reduce contaminants, before the land can be certified as organic.

The clock starts when the farmer has begun applying the standard and has applied to a certification body.

The period can change. The certification body may shorten it when there is verifiable evidence that prohibited substances were not used on the land. It may lengthen it after assessing risk, for example if earlier chemical use or contamination is found. If a prohibited product is used during conversion, the crop goes back to the start of the period, with narrow exceptions, such as treatments that the authorities require for pest control.

Other countries and bodies set different lengths. Codex asks for at least two years before sowing, or three years before the first harvest of perennial crops other than grassland, and says the period may be shortened but not below 12 months. The United States requires that no prohibited substances were applied to a field for the 3 years before harvest. These are not Thai rules.

What happens on the farm during conversion

The farm works to the standard from the first day. Thai TAS 9000 expects, among other things:

Seed and planting material from organic sources, unless the farmer can show that none is available.
Soil building with green manure crops, compost and crop rotation.
Buffer zones or other barriers against contamination from neighbouring land.
No switching back and forth between organic and non-organic management on the same land.

A farm does not have to convert everything at once. It may convert in parts, if the organic, in-conversion and non-organic units are clearly separate, with separate storage and records showing that the separation works.

Records are central. Each production site must have a name or code and be marked on a map. The farm must keep records of purchases, handling, inventory and sales, so that the origin and use of materials can be traced. Those records must be kept for at least 5 years.

How inspection and certification proceed

In Thailand a farmer applies to a certification body. For crops, the Department of Agriculture offers certification and publishes a public service manual. It says the applicant must already be running the organic system before the assessment. An assessment team inspects the fields, and the farmer must allow access to all land covered by the application and agree that samples of produce may be taken.

The manual gives 65 working days from application to certificate for short-lived crops when no defects are found. Tree crops and mixed plantings can take longer. Defects found can be corrected, with a limit of 180 days for the corrections. A certification committee meets at least once a month. The farmer must report major changes, keep records continuously, and apply for renewal at least 90 days before the certificate ends.

International texts follow the same pattern. Codex asks for a signed description of the unit, the date prohibited substances were last applied, a yearly production plan and a full physical inspection each year. Under United States rules, a certifier makes an on-site inspection every year.

In short

Conversion is a waiting period in which the farm follows the organic standard before its produce can be called organic.
Thailand's minimum is 12 months before planting for short-lived crops and 18 months before the first harvest for perennial crops.
Codex and the United States set longer periods. Those are not Thai rules.
Records, separation from non-organic land and inspection run through the whole process.