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Impact of agriculture
Effect of organic farming
Essay on organic farming- human health and pollution
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There are many reasons why organic farming techniques are becoming all the rage, but the most important reasons have to do with preserving people’s health, the animal’s health, and the earth’s health. Organic farmers are as skilled in the use of biological and mechanical controls of insects as conventional farmers are in spraying chemicals. The argument starts because there is no denying that ingesting chemicals are harmful to people. Feeding a kid non-organic apple juice might be like putting Windex in a sippy cup. The word organic refers to a natural method of farming that produces food without using any artificial pesticides, chemicals, or hormones while relying on soil organisms, insects, and birds to keep bugs in check. If society is serious about eating healthier, there appears to be an opportunity to change things. Although the government regulates pesticides in food in conventional farming, to a larger extent, organic farming benefits a person’s health because the food one eats has a bearing on one's state of mind and well-being and ingesting chemicals is unhealthy.
A cultural shift to organic is critical for human and environmental benefits for three reasons. First, a person’s physical condition depends on eating high-quality foods. Organic foods do not contain any artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, or pesticides making them good choices to build a fit body. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 60 % of herbicides, 90 % of fungicides, and 30 % of pesticides, all chemicals used in conventionally grown agriculture, cause cancer (“The Top 10 Reasons. . .”). The conclusion is that these chemicals are poisons designed to kill living organisms and can harm humans. Second, because organic far...
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...ou Need to Know about Organic Foods. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 2002. 12 24 29. Print.
Goldsmith, Sheherazade. A Slice of Organic Life. New York: DK, 2007. 32. Print.
Halweil, Brian. "CAN ORGANIC FARMING FEED US ALL?" World Watch 01 May 2006: 18. ELibrary. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
McIver, Heather. "Organic Hip." Better Nutrition 1 Feb. 2004: n. pag. Organic Trade Association. Ota.com. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
Pimentel, David., Hepperly, Paul., Hanson, James., Douds, David., Seidel, Rita.. "Environmental, Energetic, and Economic Comparisons of Organic and Conventional Farming Systems." Bioscience 7(2005):573. eLibrary. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.
Sanchez, Lena. "Reasons to Buy Organic." Reasons to Buy Organic. Environmental Illness Resource, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
"The Top 10 Reasons to Buy Organic." CCOF.org. California Certified Organic Farmers, 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
Check your supermarket, there could be lies on your food, telling you that what you are eating is organic and cared for but most of it is not. The documentary In Organic We Trust by Kip Pastor focuses on organic foods, what they are, how they are grown, and what makes them “organic”. What he finds is shocking and relevant to society today in every way possible. Pastor proves this to the audience by using a strong form of logos throughout the documentary. He conveys it to those watching by using pathos to play on their heart strings, but lacks via ethos to win over the rest of the audience. A great job is done in this film of convincing the audience that Pastor is on their side and fighting for the health of America, even questioning what “organic” actually is.
Today’s economy and the environment are hurting due to the lack of nurture we have been providing. Conventional farming rules the world of agriculture, but not without a fight from organic farming. Organic farming is seen as the way of farming that might potentially nurture our nature back to health along with the added benefit of improving our own health. With her piece “Organic farming healthier, more efficient than Status Quo,” published in the Kansas State Collegian on September 3, 2013, writer Anurag Muthyam brings forth the importance behind organic farming methods. Muthyam is a senior at Kansas State University working towards a degree in Management. This piece paints the picture of how organic farming methods
7. T, Pragya. "Organic Food Vs. Non Organic Food." Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. .
Steven Shapin is an expert when it comes to telling people the reality of the situation. In his, article “What Are You Buying When You Buy Organic?” Shapin exposes and explains the truth behind the word organic. He explains that our view on organic is not a reality. The small farms that we picture in our heads are really just big business in disguise and these big businesses are trying to do good by supposedly not using harmful pesticides. Which are supposed to not damage the environment but in reality they are probably not making any sort of difference. Some people care about the environment, while others are buying taste when it comes to organic food but using different pesticides are going to help the taste, only freshness tastes the best.
Organic has long since been a highly accredited term for food. To be organic is to be pure, natural, and above the dirty industrial system that food production has become. This definition however has become tainted. The truth is that organic foods are anything but healthier. In Michael Pollan’s research book The Omnivore’s Dilemma the validity of organic foods are discredited. Pollan argues about organic food, as it is misleading consumers.
Currently, there is a global demand emerging for organic products specifically a huge consumer demand in the United States and Europe. The United States ranks fourth in organically farmed land globally, and sales of organic food have increased by almost a factor of six, from $3.6 billion in 1997 to $21.1 billion in 2008 (Reganold, Andrews, Reeve, Carpenter-Boggs, Schadt, Alldredge, Ross, Davies, Zhou, 2010). In the United States, organic farming has gained much popularity in the farm sector, mainly due to the new wave or generally recognized as healthy food products (Uematsu, Mishra, 2012).
Organic foods have become more and more popular over the years, and consumers may or may not be knowledgeable when shopping for organic and/or conventional foods. This report will help define the difference between organic and conventional foods and farming, including the health benefits and risks. The demand for organic foods will also be discussed briefly. The purpose of this research is to describe and identify the advantages and issues that are involved with organic and inorganic foods.
Perry, Luddene, and Schultz, Dan. A Field Guide to Buying Organic. New York: Bantam Books, 2005.
For years organic farmers and conventional farmers have feuded over which is superior. Organic farmers argue that their product is more eco-friendly because they do not use the synthetic chemicals and fertilizers conventional farmer’s use. Conventional farmers argue that their product is healthier and yields more. People tend to have stereotypes regarding the two types of farmers. Organic farmers are usually thought of as liberal, hippy, tree-huggers while conventional farmers are usually thought of as right-wing, industrialists. Obviously, some do adhere to this stereotype, but a majority of these farmers are normal, hardworking people. Although these farmers, both believe in their methods, one is no better than the other. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but there is no true superior method of crop farming.
"Organic Food." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 8 June 2007. Web. 18 May 2011. .
The term “organic” is almost everywhere in modern society, whether it’s used to promote a product or it’s debated on whether it really benefits the human diet. Organic food is heavily debated on as it appears more and more in local grocery stores and farmers markets begin to populate, it raises questions such as “Is organic food better than food grown with pesticides and biologically engineered genes?” and “Are there benefits to eating organically over foods grown in any other way?” In terms of what data and results show in research may help lead to answers to most of the heavily debated issues throughout discussions on organic food.
II. Transition to Main Point 1: I’m sure you all have heard of organic food but may not know exactly what it is or what makes it organic.
A study of 362 datasets found that organic agriculture produces 80% of conventional yield with 21% standard deviation (Tomek et al. 2012). Second, organic farming requires less energy input which equates to less money spend from the farmers in addition to lowering carbon emissions. A study by the Department of Environment shows that organic agriculture uses 25 percent less than energy than their chemical counterparts, and certain crops like organic leeks and broccoli use 58 and 49 percent less, respectively (Bialis et al. 2013). Third, organic farming does not use pesticides. According to the World Health Center, 20,000 people die annually from the exposure of pesticides (Costa et al. 2014). Fourth, the methods that organic farmers use are better for the environment in the long run. And lastly, organic farming creates more jobs. A study done in United Kingdom shows 93,000 jobs could be created if Britain were to make a full scale shift to organic farming (Herro 2006). Although conventional agriculture is the primary producer for food currently, a large scale shift to organic agriculture is better suited to feed the world because organic agriculture can produce at adequate yield, requires less energy input, do not use
Thirty years later, organic farming was in high demand, but suffered developing pains. Although there was agreements being made, there was no regulations put forth towards organic farming. Fast forwarding to present time, many consumers are starting to purchase organic food products even making it a trend. Written in Inouye, Alena, and McCauley’s 2006 article “Organic Farming Should Be Pursued”, “organic farming is gaining in popularity due to Americans ' increasing concern about food safety and environmental protection.” This quote assumes the reasoning behind the sudden popularity in organic farming is society’s attraction towards the idea of a cleaner food industry and environment. The article also mentions, “As a result, sales of organic foods in the United States have increased by more than 20 percent every year since 1996, reaching $7.8 billion in 2000.”(Inouye, Alena, McCauley) The fact that popularity towards organic farming grows at a rate of 20 percent every single year further proves how its movement has such an impact towards the consumers of
Organic food is food that is grown without any pesticide or fertilizers. In recent years, sales for organic foods are increasing every year. A lot of people go to supermarkets in order to buy some organic foods, because they think that organic foods are healthier than conventional foods. People purchase organic foods for different reasons such as personal health, the quality of organic foods, and taste, but the most important reason is personal health. The topic that whether organic foods have more benefits or not is very controversial for a long time. Maybe some people believe that organic foods are beneficial to human health, but some other people disagree with the viewpoint, so buying organic foods depend on people’s choices. People believe organic foods are healthier because they generally think organic foods have less pesticide and fertilizer residue, more nutritional values, and are beneficial to environment.