farming organically

Organic farming is another form of agriculture, a form that bans the use of artificial products. These products include synthetic fertilizers, plant growth regulators, and livestock feed additives. Instead of these artificial products, organic farming relies on crop green manure, rotation, biological pest control, compost, and mechanical cultivation to replace them and also maintain soil productivity and control pests. The chemical conventional farming is the direct competitor of organic farming. However, conventional farming uses large quantities of artificial products, some even toxic. Organic farming is certified in accordance with legal standards. The increased consumer awareness of food safety issues and environmental concerns has contributed to the growth in organic farming over the last few years.

The market for organic products experienced a fast growth rate, between 20% and 25% per year. In 2005, it reached $33 billion. Because of the high demand, a substantial increase in organically managed farmland can be seen. Organic farming has almost 306,000 square kilometres (or 30.6 million hectares) worldwide. This represents approximately 2% of the total world farmland. Also, organic wild products are farmed on almost 62 million hectares.

What methods does organic farming employ? First of all, enhancing soil health is the most important part of organic farming. "An organic farm, properly speaking, is not one that uses certain methods and substances and avoids others; it is a farm whose structure is formed in imitation of the structure of a natural system that has the integrity, the independence and the benign dependence of an organism", by Wendell Berry, "The Gift of Good Land". Organic farmers use crop rotation, green manure, covers cropping, compost, and mulching to enrich the soil without any artificial elements. Some farmers use processed fertilizers, like seed meal, and many mineral powders like rock phosphate and greensand. These are very useful in controlling erosion, promoting biodiversity, and enhancing the health of the soil. Another problem organic farming has to deal with is pest control. This targets animal pests (including insects), fungi, weeds and disease. Organic farming allows an acceptable level of pest damage and encourages beneficial organisms, careful crop selection and crop rotation. Sometimes, even mechanical controls like row covers and traps are used to control the pests. These methods also help the soil, fertilization, pollination, and water conservation. A key characteristic of organic farming is rejection of genetically engineered products, including plants and animals. Conventional farming methods rely on pesticides to maintain higher yields. Because of this, most agricultural landscapes favor mono-culture crops and very little flora or fauna co-existence. Modern organic farms feature the removal of pesticides and the inclusion of animal manure, crop rotation, and multi-cultural crops, providing the chance for biodiversity to thrive. Is organic farming more profitable than conventional farming? Recent studies show that organic farms have lower yields than conventional farming in developed countries (about 92%) and much higher yields in developing countries (about 132%). Several studies showed that organic farms withstand severe weather conditions much better than conventional farms and sometimes yield between 70% and 90% more than conventional farms during droughts. Organic farms have lower yields but require no synthetic fertilizer or pesticides. Because of this, along with the premiums which consumers pay for organic products, organic farmers obtain higher profits.

Why should you buy organic products? Because of the risks posed by pesticides and other artificial elements added to the crops. Conventional farming uses large quantities of pesticides in techniques such as crop dusting. According to several studies, people who work with pesticides have an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease. On the other hand, organic farming uses few or no pesticides at all. The pesticides organic farmers use are natural and are not toxic to humans. In the UK, around 31,000 tones of pesticides are used every year. In 2004, an astonishing 40% of fruit, vegetables, and bread samples from the UK were found to have pesticide residues. Another big concern is children's health. In 2001, a study showed that children fed organic diets experienced significantly lower organophosphorus pesticide exposure than children fed conventional diets. It is clear that children whose diets consist of organic food items would have a lower probability of neurological health risks. If you are concerned with your or your children's health, consider buying organic products and helping the organic farming industry.