IOPA
Islands Organic Producers Association

Certification Body Information

The Islands Organic Producers Association is a non-profit association of organic growers and producers on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.

Our central mandate is threefold:

• to maintain written standards for organic farming;
• to administer a fair and strict process to assess the operations of organic producers;
• and to award certified organic status to those who qualify.

We also work to promote and strengthen sustainable agriculture and to establish a cooperative relationship among organic producers.

IOPA has grown steadily since its inception in 1990 and now has over 75 certified organic or transitional producers. IOPA is a certifying body of COABC (Certified Organic Associations of British Columbia ). We require our members to abide by both IOPA guidelines and COABC standards

Organic agriculture is both a philosophy and a way of farming. The main focus is maintaining sustainable, productive farms, based on living soil ecosystems. The farmer's role is to use and support a community of organisms, both plant and animal, that maintain and build the soil, minimize predation by unwanted pests and weed plants, and produce healthy, nutritious food for the farm and the community. The process is as important as the product, and the quality and sustainability of life is paramount.

Environmental degradation is widely recognized as the most serious threat to life on our planet. The environmental crisis is a consequence of misdirected human activity, and modern orthodox agriculture -- with its dependence on heavy machinery, high energy inputs, chemical fertilizers and poisons -- bears its share of responsibility for this crisis. Soil structure and fertility have been seriously degraded in most agricultural regions of the world. Food crops and domestic animals alike no longer possess their former vitality, and poisonous residues on crops and in animal products are viewed world-wide with increasing concern. In order to arrest and reverse this trend, it is necessary for farmers to develop a sound ecological relationship with the land.

Membership Listing, Found 62 entries

Transitional Assessed to the BC Organic Standards and in transition to full organic status. For more information click here.
Pending Application for assessment to the BC Organic Standards submitted - certification review decision pending. For more information click here.