Organic Farming Show to be Superior to Conventional Farming

Organic Farming Show to be Superior to Conventional Farming

Organic farming has become one of the most favoured options for the production of safe, highly nutritious food and long-term sustainability. The market for the produce from organic farms is growing, especially as consumers have become more aware of food-safety issues, environmental preservation and wildlife protection.

Organic farming is practiced in over 100 countries worldwide, and, as of 2007, there were over 26 million hectares managed under organic farming techniques. Of this total, Australia had the biggest share (43.3%) with its 11.3 million hectares; Argentina was a distant second with 2.8 million hectares.

From its inception, the position of organic farming has been against large-scale, chemical-farming agriculture. The debate between organic farming and chemical farming is far from settled. Some of the points involved are described below.

Natural controls of insect pests and diseases

An organic-farming system does not use synthetic chemicals, including inorganic fertilisers, insecticides, fungicides and herbicides. To keep pests at acceptable levels, natural pesticides may be used. Chemical-farming advocates say natural pesticides are crude and are actually improved upon by synthetic pesticides, and that the distinction between the two is arbitrary. Organic-farming advocates point out that pest control in organic farms is achieved by encouraging the presence of predators and natural enemies of pests, following crop rotation, using cover crops, and growing healthier plants; natural pesticides (such as soybean oil, rotenone and pyrethrum) are only used as the last resort.

Research from the early 1990s has shown that organic farms have lower populations of insect pests than conventional farms or that there is little difference between them. A comprehensive analysis by Letourneau and Goldstein (2001) who studied organic and conventional tomato farms in California showed that there was no difference in the abundance of plant-eating animals (herbivores) but the organic farms had higher abundance and a wider variety of natural enemies to pests that affected the crops, which led to better pest control.

Soil ecology

Proponents have always asserted that the organic system maintains high levels of biological activity and fresh organic matter in humus, thus promoting soil health. Numerous studies investigating various aspects of soil ecology, including the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil, and its ecological processes such as nutrient cycling, in organic and conventional farming systems have confirmed the claims of organic farming advocates.

Some of the most significant studies involved the organic and conventional farming trials in Switzerland (called DOK trials), which covered a 21-year period. One study by Siegrist et al. (1998) found that organic plots had significantly greater earthworm biomass, soil aggregate stability, and population diversity than conventional plots. Another study by Mäder et al. (2000) showed colonization of beneficial fungi was 30-60% higher among plants growing in organic farming systems, which implied that organic systems had a greater capacity to achieve plant-fungi symbiosis.

Nutrient loss

Many studies have shown that nitrates leach out at slower rates in organic farms than conventional farms. For example, Eltun et al. (1995) found that nitrate runoff in conventional cash crop systems in Norway was at least two times higher than in organic cash crop systems. Among farms producing forage crops, loss of nitrates in organic systems was 36% less than that in conventional systems.

Soil productivity

The basic criticism against organic farms is that yields are lower than conventional farms. The Swiss DOK trials found that the organic systems had 20% lower yields than the conventional systems, but it was also noted that fertilizer consumption in organic systems was 50% lower. Organic farming advocates point to the economic costs of conventional farming systems such as the cost of environmental clean-up and the depletion of non-renewable energy resources; in contrast, organic systems avoid these hidden costs.

Another factor that contributes to lower yields in organic farms is the presence of weeds. Several researchers have found higher weed densities and weed biomass in organic farms compared with conventional farms. On the other hand, researchers have also reported the presence of rare and endangered weed species on mature, decades-old organic farms, which may indicate a contribution to encouraging plant biodiversity. It may not favour short-term economics but it does support long-term ecological concerns.

Keywords: soil ecology, organic farming, sustainable farming, conventional farming, soil health, most profitable form of farming.

VVH-TV News Special Organic Farming: Can It Feed Us? Part 1 Karl Grossman Chief Investigative Reporter examines Organic Farming on Eastern Long Island. What is organic farming? Organic farming can be defined as an approach to agriculture where the aim is to create integrated, humane, environmentally and economically sustainable agricultural production systems. Maximum reliance is placed on locally or farm-derived renewable resources and the management of self-regulating ecological and biological processes and interactions in order to provide acceptable levels of crop, livestock and human nutrition, protection from pests and diseases, and an appropriate return to the human and other resources employed. Reliance on external inputs, whether chemical or organic, is reduced as far as possible. In many European countries, organic agriculture is known as ecological agriculture, reflecting this reliance on ecosystem management rather than external inputs. The objective of sustainability lies at the heart of organic farming and is one of the major factors determining the acceptability or otherwise of specific production practices. The term ‘sustainable’ is used in its widest sense, to encompass not just conservation of non-renewable resources (soil, energy, minerals) but also issues of environmental, economic and social sustainability. The term ‘organic’ is best thought of as referring to the concept of the farm as an organism, in which all the component parts – the soil minerals …
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Question by charley: organic farming?
please give me the pros and cons of organic farming, thank you x
thank you everyone. x

Best answer:

Answer by byderule
BELLA HAS THE BEST ANSWER FOR THAT

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AtE0yKXRJapR5DKU9Yiizo7sy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080505171652AANKmtM

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There are no cons in the long run at least not for the small farmer ,

I am not talking about Corporate organic farming

The only concern of Corporate farming is profits and the long term health of the Environment( like water supplies and soil) is to them less important nor The bad effects on our
bodies,Because of the chemicals they use .

But this is the short term view,because many lands end up exhausted , Polluted or as desert .

Incas ,Mayas ,Aztecs thought about farming for centuries ,so their vision and application had more depth

Organic is about sustainability
and that means ,both the production and the soil improve with time ,http://byderule.multiply.com/journal/item/4

And It requires Intelligence,knowledge of the elements and plants ,and love for the soil and integrity as well as more labor ,so it seems more expensive, at first .

One begins to get the idea, after a few years ,but it can be
a few hundred ,when one has healthy soil ,without pests , and a fruitful diverse production in a healthy community,when it really makes sense.

PERMACULTURE

Permaculture is the best form of Organic farming because it includes so many other concepts
like land design and water harvesting ,organic pest control ,diversity and guild planting,using and creating energy flows,
mulching ,working with niches ,etc

so first what is Permaculture

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvwzVgiEYEuCyWR5maE2O0_sy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20070621234541AAcarVJ

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aqc9OaSnYsr0K1ea50CmRO3sy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20070815183923AA8E0NK

how does Permaculture compare to other types of land management

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Arw6NKRkiTGIjTDA58DvDBjsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20071021180237AAwlr6Q&show=7#profile-info-uVH3IoTjaa

ORGANIC FARMING

The only real organic farming you can be sure of is if you do it yourself or personally know the people.

.The label Organic sells for more ,and some farmers will adopt the label to make more money.

Some think that not to use chemicals means

organic farming.

Chemicals is cheaper ,because one works with kilos ,pick up trucks and less labor

But real Organic signifies many tons of organic material ,compost ,mulch and so on..so bigger equipment is needed,tractors and trailers big trucks ,and more labor .

In theory pure Organic means no Harmful Chemicals ,no Pesticides ,herbicides or fertilizers ,

But when faced with a plague it is easy to reach for an emergency method ,

And people that set out on Organic Farming face these problems especially in the beginning,

Because Organic pest control,.
takes time to set up and running,such as producing wasps to combat caterpillars ,breed Chooks ,Silkeys or Bantams(for running or hopping pests) get them living as a component within the concept ,with their shelters etc .
or encouraging birds to eat caterpillars
the potions made from tobacco ,Lavender,Chilli,etc are a lot quicker.

The production of sufficient compost or to grow for mulch also takes time.

All in all a 100 % Organic situation may take a few years before it is established .

So instant Organic farming is not possible and the change over takes time .

During which time even the best intended person can stoop to half truths.

As to why Organic is better
for the consumer it is of course much healthier.
no nasty chemical to have sterile babies from and a whole range of possible health hazards

For the soil it is much better because the soils gain in quality instead of tiring it out or polluting it

But is is a lot more work . So it takes enthusiast ,a demanding Market and energy to make it happen .

the Ancient agricultural method were Organic because there was nothing else ,and some of this farming has proved to be sustainable after even a thousand years
such as the Inca terraces or the Aztec Chinampas

Modern farming is about cutting costs ,and with less and less labor ,and we are paying the price for that ,
with desertification and a range of illnesses loss of land ,loss of water ,and loss of soil

In Mexico are many examples of sustainable ancient farming ,but the Mexican farmer is very hard headed about taking advice from mere natives
Their invading culture wiped all Native memories of the board including the agriculture

And on top of that It has been and is the Government who is peddling the chemicals as well as high bred seeds to addict the farmer to these products and then control them and profit from them .

in 100 years thousands of species of local seeds have been systematically destroyed .
Everybody must start to produce their own seeds again and preserve indigenous ones that are still around ,because they are hardier and more disease resistant ,even though they may not look as pretty on the shelf -

Why do people prefer Organic

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AlVYPF3bcwczStsflWDo1EgAAAAA;_ylv=3?qid=20080505171652AANKmtM

Pesticides

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AipYXT_2Inncd.19oS8vfyjsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20070605194122AAv6Hzn

you will find more relevant questions and answers here http://byderule.multiply.com/journal/item/5,under Soil,Plants and Permaculture

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!