Organic agriculture relies heavily on an ecological balance within the production system and avoids the use of many synthetic inputs. The management of organic agricultural systems can therefore be particularly complex and challenging. Despite these challenges, the demand for organic products continues to increase, and organic systems are an important and growing part of Hawai'i agriculture. It is therefore the mission of Organic Agriculture Working Group at the University of Hawaii's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) to:

• Improve the production, marketshare and quality of organic agricultural products in Hawai'i,
• Increase our understanding of ecological processes in organic systems, and
• Develop new academic program options for undergraduate and graduate students interested in organic agriculture.

In working towards the accomplishment of this mission, we strive to demonstrate the benefit of promoting ecological processes in all agricultural systems and to make CTAHR the premier resource for ecological farming research and training in the Asia-Pacific region.