The Maharishi Vedic Organic Certification Program

(for more information please visit Certification Services on our Web site)

Overview

Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture Institute offers three different certification options: (1) a USDA National Organic Program organic certification program for use of the word "organic" in the USA; (2) the MVOAI International Certification Program for use of the word "organic" in Japan, the EU or other international locations, and (3) an additional, optional Maharishi Vedic certification program for clients who wish to meet the additional label requirements of the MVOAI Vedic Agriculture Program. The Maharishi Vedic program uses the ancient Vedic agricultural technologies recently revived by Maharishi to produce food of extraordinary purity and vitality, in which all the Laws of Nature have been enlivened.

All of the Institute’s certification programs also operate in compliance with the internationally accepted ISO Rule 65 governing the management and operation of certification agencies.

MVOAI offers an efficient 7 STEP program for gaining USDA organic, International, or Vedic certification. At MVOAI we consider it part of our responsibility to help you to understand and proceed comfortably through the steps of certification. Although certification, by law, involves extensive documentation to protect the integrity and quality of the certification process, we have made every effort to make the process comfortable and manageable, and to provide a program and quality guarantee that allows us to be sure that the organic or Vedic quality is met and maintained from farm to market.

Organic Agriculture, the Foundation of Vedic Organic Agriculture

Organic agriculture is a term used to include all systems of agriculture that support the healthy and life supporting production of food through environmentally and socially sound production methods. Organic farmers adhere to globally accepted life supporting principles that are implemented in local economic, climatic, and cultural settings. Organic farming generally promotes health in the farmer, the food, and the environment. It uses methods that respect and uphold the natural capacity of plants, animals, and the landscape. Research Studies indicate that organic farming produces food of a higher quality with more nutrients than conventional farming.

However, at Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture Institute we feel that there are deeper and more comprehensive principles that must be introduced into agriculture to ensure that our food supply is reliable, sustainable, and of the highest quality. In Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture we want the totality of Natural Law to be enlivened in agriculture. These new principles produce the best quality food while maintaining a high quality of life for the farmer. The Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture Program is described in its completeness in the Institute Publication, Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture Institute: Re-enlivening Natural Law in Agriculture.

Quality Policy

MVOAI is devoted to quality in agriculture. The Institute will enhance the quality of life of individuals throughout the world by creating a food supply that will maintain individual life in harmony with Natural Law. The Institute’s central focus is creating purity, vitality and freshness in our food while providing for the full development of the farmer and the environment.

The systems, standards, policies and procedures provided in the MVOAI Certification manuals are at the heart of MVOAI’s certification quality system. The MVOAI quality system provided by these manuals is designed to provide adequate confidence to the public and regulatory institutions that the products certified by Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture Institute meet the Institute’s and the United States Department of Agriculture requirements for quality and are in compliance with the international ISO Guide 65 standards for 3^rd party certification.

We have created a quality standard for those who are truly aware of the full range of life. With Maharishi Vedic Organic there is no compromise. It is a matter of life. We are a friend to life. We want to promote the highest quality of life, and that is Enlightenment. For this we need food that is lively in the full value of Natural Law.

USDA Organic and Maharishi Vedic Organic Standards

Food certified to the USDA National Organic Program standards meets all the standards of the USDA National Organic Program Federal Rule. Please refer to the MVOAI Policy and Standards Manuals available in the Certification Services sections or our web site..

Food certified in the Maharishi Vedic Agriculture Program meets all the required National Organic Program organic standards plus the Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture standards. It further provides the assurance that the knowledge of Vedic Agriculture used in the food production comes from the scientifically validated programs of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the greatest living expert in the Vedic tradition. This gives us confidence that the knowledge is complete, effective, traditional, and of the greatest practical value for nourishing life.

The Maharishi Vedic Organic Certification Program standards are listed below:

• Maharishi Vedic Organic food should be organically grown in accord with the USDA National Organic Program standards for USA consumption, and in accord with the appropriate national standards and/or the international standards of IFOAM and ISO Rule 65 for marketing in other countries. This means it is grown naturally, without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and is not in any way genetically modified.

• Growers and their staffs must be practicing the Maharishi Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs including Yogic Flying to enliven the full value of Natural Law in their awareness, their crops, and the environment.

• Farmers should be practicing the appropriate Maharishi Vedic Farming Methodologies, time tested methods of farming from Veda and the Vedic Literature, that are appropriate to their crops and farm location.

• Farms and fields must be designed to adhere to the design principles of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda architectural design.

• Soils must be balanced, healthy and pure in accord with the principles of Maharishi Vedic Agriculture.

• The appropriate sutra and shloka of the 40 branches of Veda and the Vedic Literature responsible for the growth, nourishment and vitality of each stage of development of the plants and livestock should be recited at the appropriate times.

• Food should be plant, vine, or tree ripened to develop its full nutritive value and then shipped immediately to the market to preserve its vitality and freshness.

• Livestock should be lovingly cared for in a natural environment, given organic feed and open grazing conditions, and allowed to live their full natural lifespan.