1.Organic farming: pros and cons
Organic farming can be understood as an agricultural method, in which chemical fertilizers and pesticides are not used. It was introduced by Sir Albert Howard, recognized as the Father of Organic Farming, who wanted to evolve a more eco-friendly way of agriculture. It depends on different other farming methods, like crop rotation and the use of compost. Organic farming thrives on the benefits obtained from recycling and use of natural products. Green manure, biological pest control methods and special cultivation techniques are employed to maintain soil productivity. Presently, organic farming is catering to a huge market worldwide. Explore the article to know its advantages and disadvantages.
Pros And Cons Of Organic Farming
Pros
Organic farming is more economical than the other farming techniques. Its range of benefits includes reduced soil erosion (retaining fertility and reducing the need for fertilizers) and less use of water. Therefore, organic farming is more profitable.
Organic farming results in less nutrient contamination, since it stays away from artificial pesticides. This leads to reduced carbon-emission and increased biodiversity.
Organic farming is capable of producing the same crop variants that are produced by the conventional farming methods, even as it brings down the expenditure on fertilizers and energy by 50%. This type of farming also retains 40% more topsoil.
The issue of soil management is effectively addressed by organic farming. It involves techniques like crop rotation and inter-cropping and makes extensive use of green manure, which helps even damaged soil that is prone to erosion and salinity, to feed on micro nutrients.
This type of farming helps the farmers clear the weeds, without using any mechanical and chemical applications. Organic way of farming relies on practices like hand weeding and enhancement of soil with mulch, garlic and clove oil, corn gluten meal, table salt and borax, to get rid of weeds and insects, while ensuring crop quality.
Farming in the organic way is environment-friendly and non-toxic, as it uses green pesticides like neem, composed tea and spinosad. These pesticides boost the crop defense systems, by identifying and removing diseased and dying plants in time.
Cons
The UN Environmental program conducted a study and survey on organic farming in 2008, which concluded that farming by organic methods gives small yields when compared to conventional farming methods.
Norman Borlaug, the Father of the Modern Green Revolution, has argued that since organic farming is capable of catering to a very small consumer group, world ecosystems are being destroyed by the expanding cropland in an alarming way.
Danish Environmental Protection Agency conducted a research and concluded that the organic farms which produce potatoes, seed grass and sugar beet are barely producing half of the total output produced by conventional farming, in the same area.
Organic agriculture is hardly contributing to addressing the issue of global climate change. It does reduce CO2 emissions to a certain extent, but there is no dramatic contribution.
In 1998, Denis Avery of the Hudson Institute publicized the increased risk of E. coli infection by the consumption of organic food.
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2.Pros and Cons of Organic Farming
With the help of traditional methods of farming, food levels in the food banks of the world have increased. But very often the produce is full of chemicals, pesticides, etc., which eventually has adverse effects on human and animal health as well as the condition of the soil. Organic farming came into being due to the shortcomings of traditional farming. Read on to more about its advantages and disadvantages.
What is Organic Farming?
Organic farming is a technique used in farming without the use of any chemicals or synthetics. Its aim is to produce crops which have the highest nutritional values with least impact on nature. Crop rotation, green manure, use of natural fertilizers, and biological pest control form the crux of organic farming. It is a proactive ecology management strategy. This strategy enhances the fertility of the soil, prevents soil erosion, and at the same time protects the humans and animal kingdom from the side effects of chemicals and synthetics. Many of the farm products such as vegetables, fruit, herbs, meat, milk, eggs, etc., are produced organically by some farmers.
"Organic", as defined by law, implies quality assurance. The words "natural" and "eco-friendly" mean that organic farming techniques might have been used, but it does not necessarily mean completely following organic techniques.
Pros of Organic Farming
The most important of the advantage of organic farming is that it maintains the life of the soil, not only for the current generation, but also for future generations. Water pollution is reduced with organic farming. Most of the time after it rains, the water from the fields, which contains chemicals, gets drained into the rivers. This pollutes the water bodies. In organic farming, since no chemicals or synthetics are used, water pollution is reduced as well.
Organic farming helps in building richer soil. Rich soil is obtained by intelligently rotating crops. The rich soil helps in plant growth. The rate of soil erosion is reduced drastically. A French study has revealed that the nutritional quality and micro-nutrients is present in higher quantities in organically produced crops. The micro-nutrients promote good health. Organically grown food tastes better too. The overall cost of cultivating crops reduces as the farmers use green manure or worm-farming to replenish the lost nutrients of the soil. The other option that the farmers use is to grow legumes in rotation with other crops. The life of organically grown plants is longer than the plants cultivated by traditional methods. An organically grown crop is more drought tolerant. The chemical fertilizers cause the plant to ripen fast. Moreover, when the crop does not get water, it withers and dies, which is not the case with organic crops.
Cons of Organic Farming
The first disadvantage is low productivity. With the highly developed chemicals and machinery, the farmer is able to multiply his harvest manifold times. The organic farmers use the cultivation method as opposed to drilling method used by the traditional farmers. The cultivated soil is prone to wind and water erosion. The traditional farmers opine that direct drilling does not cause any disharmony in the soil structure. The next argument is that the organically produced food is expensive. The cost is very high, often 50-100 % more than the traditional food. The other valid argument is that organic food is not always available. There is a reason behind that. The organic farmers grow crops in accordance to the season. Neither do they artificially grow any crop nor do they extend the life of the plant or use chemicals, synthetics, or pesticides. Therefore, oranges will be found only in winters and mangoes only in summer. Looking at it from the health point of view, there is no doubt that you will benefit if you eat a particular food item, when it is actually in season.
After weighing the pros and cons, it is noticed that the pros outweigh the cons. It is, therefore, best to consume organically grown food, although it is expensive.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pros-and-cons-of-organic-farming.html
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Advantages and Disadvantages of Organic Farming
Organic farming is a type of agriculture that benefits from the recycling and use of natural products. Extensive use of dried foliage and kitchen compost not only reduces the investment overheads, but also ensures the growth of crops that are devoid of synthetic interference. The technique is characterized by the use of green manure, biological pest control methods and special cultivation techniques to maintain soil productivity. Limiting the use of synthetic fertilizers or completely doing away with them reduces the risk of exposure to ailments that arise on account of synthetic pesticides, ingrained plant growth regulators and the presence of genetically modified organisms in organic food products. Today, organic farming caters to a major and preferred industry, worldwide. Organically grown food products have a huge market catered to, by farmlands covering approximately 10% of the total world-farmland cover. The initial effort made by Sir Albert Howard, the Father of Organic Farming, has paid off, metamorphosing into a practice that sustains soil health and ecosystems, by relying on biodiversity, ecological processes and the progress of innovative health sciences.
Advantages of Organic Farming
Lower Growing Cost: The economics of organic farming is characterized by increasing profits via reduced water use, lower expenditure on fertilizer and energy, and increased retention of topsoil. To add to this the increased demand for organic produce makes organic farming a profitable option for farmers.
Enhances Soil Nourishment: Organic farming effectively addresses soil management. Even damaged soil, subject to erosion and salinity, are able to feed on micro-nutrients via crop rotation, inter-cropping techniques and the extensive use of green manure. The absence of chemicals in organic farming does not kill microbes which increase nourishment of the soil.
Resistance to Disease and Pest: Farming the organic way enables farmers to get rid of irksome weeds without the use of any mechanical and chemical applications. Practices such as hand-weeding and soil enhancement with mulch, corn gluten meal, garlic and clove oil, table salt and borax not only get rid of weeds and insects, but also guarantee crop quality.
Increased Drought Tolerance: Organically grown plants are more drought tolerant. The soluble salts in cells of fertiliz