In this article, I reevaluate the equivalence between organic agriculture and environmental restoration. Soil and crop management techniques in organic agriculture vary greatly and have distinct impacts on crop productivity, soil health, and environmental remediation. To fulfill the green strategy, expanding organic agriculture alone is not enough; we must also consider its environmental restoration function. We anticipate that ecosystem functions will play a crucial role in achieving environmental restoration through the expansion of organic agriculture.
California leads organic production in the US. However, as it continues to grow, conventionalization of and cooptation in organic agriculture has occurred. Some counter-movements are fighting against such trends in California and the US, trying to maintain traditional organic values and practices. Based on California studies and experiences, some suggestions for Japanese organic agricultural research, extension, and education are offered, including the use of agroecology, a participatory transdisciplinary approach encompassing science, practice, and movement, a farmer-to-farmer network-based extension approach for organic agriculture, and the importance of studying successful organic farmers’ systems.