Humans initially began farming organically when European farmers began to notice a decrease in soil quality and crop health due to the use of chemical fertilizers (UCSC). This problem that presented itself to crop farmers left no other alternative than to cease the use of chemical fertilizers and begin implementing less harmful supplements in order to improve crop quality, otherwise known as organic farming. Organic agriculture takes into account “the medium and long-term effect of agricultural interventions” (“What are the environmental benefits of organic agriculture” 1), by taking preemptive measures, whereas industrial farming addresses problems as they arise. Organic agriculture is carried out by several soil building practices such as …show more content…
These organic produce are spotted next to a less expensive nonorganic alternative at your local organic grocery store. Unlike organic produce, nonorganic produce is grown with chemicals that “cause produce to mature faster, thereby eliminating many of the nutrients that the natural ripening process would create” (1). By disrupting the natural rhythm of the ripening process, chemical fertilizers and pesticides eliminate the development of many micronutrients that are beneficial to the health of the consumer (CITE). This health advantage that is created by eating organic produce motivates consumers to buy organic produce over nonorganic produce regardless of the price …show more content…
The pesticides used by industrial farmers usually kills off all the nutrients within the soil that the soil can not adequately yield the same quantity of produce as before, resulting in the clearing of new land for future harvests. Every time land is cleared for industrial farming purposes, habitats are being destroyed and soil nutrients are being deleted. Alternatively, organic farming is the equivalent of reforestation. Organic farms provide an excellent habitat for many insects and other organisms thereby increasing biodiversity within the environment. If you’ve ever walked within fifty feet of an organic farm, you might remember the pungent smell of manure. Even though the smell isn’t so pleasing to the human senses, manure is used as natural fertilizer for the growing of fruits and vegetables consequently eliminating chemical fertilizers and their health
A gene used for pest control, Bt, has infected these foods. You would never know this gene existed because it’s not included in the label. Organic foods are specifically labeled as organic whenever you may find them at a grocery store or elsewhere. These foods are known as being essentially grown in healthy soil, in other words, a soil that isn’t infected with poisonous, synthetic fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, or fungicides. Although organic foods are more expensive, it is only the result from the frequent crop rotations completed by the farmers during long, hot hours under the sun. Conventional farming methods destroy topsoil whereas organic farming can improve the overall health of the topsoil. Farmers who partake in organic farming view it as feeding the soil and not the plants. Due to this thinking method, a healthy soil provides healthy plants, healthy people and a healthy environment. Organic farming has the ability to feed an entire population and put an end to starvation. The dangerous pesticides that are added with conventional farming are outdated and risky to mankind. Relying on synthetic fertilizers and chemicals are paralyzing our
In the other hand, in the last few years, many studies have been confirmed that organic food is more nutritious than non-organic. According to Crinnion, the mineral and vitamin content in organic products were discussed in earlier studies, while recent studies looked at pesticides and hormones levels. For example, Lairon reported ...
Organic food is one of the fast growing markets in the world. Only in the U.S., retail sales of organic foods were $6.2 billion in 2015: California made up the biggest part of the country’s organic food market, with $2.436 billion of total sales; Colorado was on the ninth place with $155 million of total sales (“2015 Certified Organic Survey” 9). Today, organic products are available in almost every conventional grocery store and often have a higher price over conventional products. In fact, the majority of consumers believe that “organic” labeled products are actually completely organic, and they are better for health and the environment. Because the U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates the use of the “Organic” and “USDA Organic” labels, it is a primary driver of the marketing success of organic products in the U.S. Misunderstanding of the principles and practices of organic farming, labels and quality of organic food, values and motivations of consumers, have made many debates in our society.
Many believe that organic farming must be local and transporting around the world defeats the purpose of organic farming. Michael Pollan, a well known food critic and the Author of The Omnivore 's Dilemma, asks “So is the industrial Organic food chain finally a contradiction in terms?”The size of the industrial organic industry has increased greatly in the past decades: “It 's no longer the image of a small organic farmer with four acres and a hog. This is mainstream now—this is an industry worth over $31.5 billion.” Src 3. The large organic companies have grown to be worth billions of dollars and because of this it would be hard to defeat them and change the standards. The industrial food system as a whole has decreased the amount of farming in America vastly. Pollan states that in the United States there is “One Farmer, 129 Eaters.” This means that for every farmer there is he/she is feeding 129 people across the United States. Organic farming and conventional farming produce the same yields with crops and animals.The large scale organic system could be beneficial if the standards are changed and made better for the environment. It is
In her article, she gives many reasons why organic foods are not only a better choice for people but also for the environment. “Although the cost of organic foods is high; these form a key component in consumer trend known as a whole health solution – diet that promote health and well-being, prevent disease, help cure illness and protects the environment” (202). Organic food production benefits the environment in ways such it reduces pollution, lowers the level of pesticide use, and improves soil conditions. In a health perspective, some organic foods are said to have significantly higher levels of cancer fighting antioxidant, better flavors, safer than conventional food, and have a higher percent of minerals and vitamins. All these benefits are explained in her article that counter argue the position that organic food is just a fad.
As we stroll the aisles of our local supermarkets we see all kinds of food products, but does it ever occur to you how fresh or natural these products maybe. Organic farming prohibits any use of artificial chemicals, growth hormones, or antibiotics in the production of its crops and livestock. Organic farming has existed for centuries, but after the industrial revolution factory farming was arising. Organic farming does not allow the use of any pesticides in its crops or livestock production, but also helps sustain a good economic flow in rural communities. Although there are many benefits of organic farming, there is a lack of credibility some farmers provide within the distribution of their products and some argue that there’s no difference
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.
Many consumers and farmers have discovered that living in an industrialized culture where the focus has become faster, bigger, and cheaper is not the best way to produce our food. Obsessed with productivity, the agriculture industry is reaping the negative consequences of creating an unsustainable environment for food production. Time and time again, the media captures stories regarding deadly bacterial contamination and dangerous pesticide contamination causing illness and death in our communities. The environment is also damaged and contaminated. This devastating trend, due to irresponsible farming practices as a result of the industrialization of the food industry, has become all too common. Returning to organic farming, which our grandparents referred to as farming, and reclaiming our food is not only our choice, it is our right.
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.
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.
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
“Some people live to eat, others eat to live,” as rightly said by an anonymous author. Food is a source of life, we need to consume food everyday to survive and having nutritious food is essential to have a healthy living. Food that we consume today is an outcome of industrial farming which uses lot of chemical and pesticides to grow plant and use hormones and antibodies in animal and also to store food for longer period. So in this we have a question, what options do we have, this could be simple by consuming organic food, naturally grown vegetables and animal sources and sustainable growing methods. When we talk about organic food, we might not know much about it but we know it is good for our health and might consider it to consume everyday if readily available. So what is organic food? According to Allen, Gary J. & Albala, ed. (2007). Organic foods are produced using methods of organic farming, with limited modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, though organic pesticides, such as Bt toxin, are still used. Organic foods are also not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical additives. Thus organic food is comparatively nutritious, use less pestisides and is sustainable and less harmful to the environment
Agriculture is an integral part of the general development system. The development of agriculture and sustainable development are interdependent and interrelated in more than one way. Thus to maintain the sustainability of agriculture, the state government encourages the people of the state towards organic farming. Organic farming is considered necessary to conserve natural resources and safeguard our environment. It is, thus, not only eco-friendly farming but also contributes in improving the quality of fruits and vegetables which have a potential export market. Some of the major components of organic farming that has been in practice is the adoption of crop-rotations, enhancement of soil fertility through biological fixation of nitrogen, the addition of organic manures, IPM and use of micro-organisms.
Organic farming produces nutrient rich, fertile soil which nourishes the plants. Keeping chemicals off the land protects water quality and wild life.
Organic farming has mushroomed drastically in importance and influence worldwide from its modest beginnings in the first half of the last century. Organic farming is production of food and livestock without the use of herbicides, pesticides, weedicides, fertilizers or genetically modified organism and use natural resources such as manure and compost instead. In other words, it is a production system which maintains the quality of soil ecosystem as well as human beings. According to IOWA State University, “the chemicals were not used for farming before World War 2. A number of munitions used in farming have contributed to field of agriculture. For instance, ammonium nitrate used as ammonium nitrate fertilizer”.