Organic Insider: Natural Resources and Biodiversity

15 Oct 2020


Core principles in organic farming systems include protecting natural resources and enhancing biodiversity. USDA organic regulations require operations to maintain or improve the natural resources of the operation, including soil and water quality. These are broad categories encompassing a range of activities impacting wildlife, water, soil, and air quality on a farm. 

This course teaches certifiers and inspectors how to assess natural resources and biodiversity requirements as indicated in organic system plans (OSPs) and on-site during annual inspections. The course provides tools that help you know what to review and what to include in inspection protocols and reports.

Self-Enrolling in Learning Center Courses

Getting Started

How to Register for a Course
Once logged into the USDA AMS National Organic Program, Organic Integrity Learning Center, signing up for a course is like buying a product at an online store, but all training is free.

To register for an NOP course in the Organic Integrity Learning Center, follow these steps:

  1. Click on Register for Course in the menu.
  2. Available courses in the program will appear.
  3. Click the green Register button for each desired course.
  4. The green button will change to a blue button that says, Added to Cart.
  5. You will see a shopping cart with the number of courses selected. 
  6. Click the link that says Proceed to Checkout.
    Note: The tuition is $0 – All training in the Learning Center is free!               
  7. A list of the courses you selected will appear. To confirm enrollment, select the green Confirm button.
  8. Go to your Dashboard to launch the course.
  9. Click on the course title from the list of Active Courses. 

Need more? Access more detailed instructions with screen shots

Notes:

  • Once you have completed a course, it will appear under the list of Completed Courses. 

To access all completed course content, register for the National Organic Program Training Archive course to review (read-only) material from all OILC courses.