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eOrganic is the organic agriculture community of practice (CoP) and resource area for eXtension. eOrganic’s primary community of interest (CoI) is organic farmers and the agricultural professionals who support them. The 250 members of the eOrganic CoP include farmers, researchers, certifiers, and extension/other agricultural professionals. eOrganic’s mission is to build a diverse national CoP and use web technologies to synthesize existing information, emerging science, and practical knowledge into information resources and training materials for its CoI. eOrganic strategies to achieve that mission include collaborative publication, stakeholder engagement, community development, project management, evaluation, and fundraising. eOrganic’s public site currently offers 240 articles, 250 videos, 80 webinars and broadcasts, and 100 frequently asked questions (FAQs). eOrganic CoP members have answered more than 1000 “Ask an Expert” questions. eOrganic authors collaboratively develop articles in eOrganic’s collaborative workspace, which undergo review by two anonymous reviewers and National Organic Program (NOP) compliance review. eOrganic will offer online courses in 2012. eOrganic stakeholders evaluated eOrganic articles and videos in 2010 and overall they stated that they were relevant, science-based, and useful. Three quarters of webinar and broadcast participants said the webinar improved their understanding of the topic, and 83% said they would recommend the webinar to others. Sixty-nine percent of webinar survey respondents stated that they changed practices or provided others with information as the result of the webinar. eOrganic surveyed active CoP members in 2011. Members view eOrganic as important because it is the only national organic agriculture resource with direct ties to university research and they considered all of eOrganic’s core activities important. eOrganic is supported by small grants from eXtension and subawards in more than 20 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) research/extension projects. To enhance its financial sustainability, eOrganic will work to solidify its partnership with NIFA programs and diversify its funding sources to include course fees and underwriters.
Plastic mulches made from nonbiodegradable polymers (e.g., polyethylene) provide an essential service in commercial horticultural production systems by enhancing crop productivity through weed suppression, soil moisture conservation, and moderating soil and canopy temperature conditions. Plastic mulches are particularly important in organic agriculture because weed management options are limited. Nevertheless, there is increasing concern about addressing the negative environmental impacts of plastic mulch waste. Soil-biodegradable plastic mulch (BDM) films that are designed to biodegrade in soils after incorporation are promising alternatives to nonbiodegradable plastic mulch. However, although the US organic standards technically permit the use of BDM films, no commercially available products meet National Organic Program (NOP) requirements for 100% biobased content and 90% degradation after 2 years following soil incorporation (7 Code of Federal Regulations, section 205.2). Other concerns about biodegradable film mulches include high perceived cost, esthetics, and uncertainties regarding the impacts of soil incorporation. New mulch technologies have emerged to diversify sustainable mulch options and overcome barriers associated with BDM film use in organic production. The objective of this study was to provide an overview of alternative and emerging mulch technologies, with an emphasis on biodegradable mulches, including water-based sprayable mulches such as hydromulch and foam mulch, and biobased agrotextiles. Information about how these mulch technologies contribute to organic and sustainable agriculture is provided, along with definitions, opportunities, challenges, and recommended areas for future research.