Northeast Organic Farming Assoc's Organic Land Care Program

The mission of the Northeast Organic Farming Association’s Organic Land Care Program (NOFA OLC) is to extend the vision and principles of organic agriculture to the care of the landscapes where people carry out their daily lives.

Organic land care is a sustainable ecological landscaping system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-site inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony and beauty in urban and suburban landscapes and gardens. Organic, in particular, means landscaping with no synthetic pesticides of any kind (insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.) and with no synthetic fertilizers or soil amendments.

Learn More About OLC

Train in Organic Land Care

Find Organic Land Care Providers

New AOLCP Business Listing

We have a new Organic Land Care Guide and Map to help clients find your organic business. To have your business added to the map, you must fill out the new business listing.

AOLCPs - Get on the Map!

Professional Accreditation

NOFA OLC trains professionals in organic land care practices and offers the credentials of Accredited Organic Land Care Professional (AOLCP) to individuals who complete training and demonstrate an ongoing commitment to the organic land care approach defined by the Standards of Organic Land Care.

Learn more about professional credential (AOLCP)

Continuing Education for AOLCPs

The Organic Land Care Program offers in-person and online workshops relevant to organic land care. Registration fees for workshops are waived for AOLCPs who have priority registration. AOLCPs looking to satisfy continuing education requirements may also look to many other organizations.

Continuing education

Find Organic Land Care Services

Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals (AOLCPs) listed on our companion Organic Land Care Guide website site have satisfied all accreditation requirements with the NOFA Organic Land Care Program and adhere to the NOFA Standards for Organic Land Care when offering organic services.

Start Your Search

Resources

Resources for professionals include high-level guidance for lawns, gardens and landscapes—including a directory of soil testing labs, a list of products in the Northeast consistent with the NOFA Standards, publications, and more.

FOR PROFESSIONALS

Resources for homeowners include a searchable map to help you find an organic land professional, instructions on soil sampling, an organic lawns and yards guide, and more.

FOR Homeowners/Land Managers

The Standards for Organic Land Care

The NOFA Standards for Organic Land Care: Practices for Design and Maintenance of Ecological Landscapes present a vision of how organic agricultural principles can be applied to the landscaping profession, defining "organic" for landscaping as the USDA defines "organic" for agriculture.

Read the Standards