Negative Effects of Organic Farming

Proponents of genetically engineered food, pesticides, and added growth hormones occasionally release alarming warnings about organic farming without overtly revealing their own interests in the matter.

Potential Negative Effects of Organic Farming

While organic farming generally receives high praise from the media and environmental experts, there are also some critics who make the claim that the negative effects of organic farming outweigh the benefits. Some critics doubt that organic farming can be a global solution.

Effects on the Earth

Organic foods are marketed as being more environmentally sound that other foods are because they utilize farming methods that have less of an impact on the environment. Organic farmers also use methods prescribed for organic farms to deal with pests and other problems.

In other words, organic farming will generally not include the use of pesticides, herbicides, and other compounds that have been shown to be potentially detrimental to the environment.

Critics of organic farming point out that conventional farming methods yield more product than organic farms, concluding that organic farming is inefficient. They point out that while organic farming may be attractive to consumers who can afford the foods, one of the negative effects of organic farming is that it may not be able to feed everyone within the world.

Naysayers of organic foods have doubts that organic farmers can produce the foods needed to match the current amount of farming outputs.

Since organic farms are not located as prevalently throughout the world as conventional farms are, some critics point out the environmental impact of shipping the organic foods to merchants. Although organic farming strives to have as small of an environmental impact as possible, the food may still be shipped using less than environmentally friendly methods. Some environmentalists make the claim that it may be better to purchase foods that are produced locally, regardless of whether they come from an organic farm, because of the lack of environmental impact of shipping.

Effects on the Body

Organic foods are generally regarded as more healthy than conventionally produced foods because they lack added growth hormones and other questionable elements. This does not exclude organic foods from criticism, though, as many critics attack the methods by which organic foods are produced and the effect they may have on the body.

For example, organic farms turn to natural fertilizers for growing crops, which often translates into using animal feces combined with other components instead of chemically constructed fertilizers. Opponents of organic farming warn that some foods – such as lettuce, parsley, and other foods – may harbor harmful bacteria that can be passed on to the consumer. While foods produced through conventional farming have similar risks, critics warn that the threat is heightened in organic foods.

Consumers may be less likely to take the same precautions with organic foods that they do with other types of food. For example, some consumers may buy organic apples and then assume that there is no need to wash the apple thoroughly prior to eating it because of its organic origins. This issue, of course, is not the fault of organic farmers, but it is a cited concern nonetheless.

Source of Information

Savvy consumers know to pay attention to the source of criticisms for anything, and criticisms to organic farming are no different. While no method of farming is perfect – organic farming included – you might be less likely to trust a warning about organic farming that is issued through an organization funded by farmers who utilize genetic modifications to their crops.

Always seek out the original source of the information. Is the information based on a study? Who funded the study? Do the researchers have any potential conflicts of interest with the study? Don’t take the information at face value, but instead be a savvy consumer and dig a little deeper.