Organic Agriculture

What is Organic Agriculture?

Organic agriculture means different things to different people, and the definition of organic varies from country to country. Generally, something is thought to be organically produced if it has been certified that no man-made chemicals were used to grow the food. In the case of organic meat, that also means no hormones, antibiotics or other drugs that may have an impact in people who consume them.

Growing food and animals in an organic way involves thinking about nature as a whole and working with natural forces to produce food. Organic farmers have to think about the condition of their soil, natural cycles, the animals that live in their fields, and how their work impacts the health of the soil and the people who live near it, among other issues.

Organic farming is much more holistic than conventional agriculture methods. It uses more natural methods of pest and weed control and is mindful of the impact different soil amendments and beneficial insects, for instance, have on the whole ecosystem.

Benefits of Organic Farming

Environmental protection is a huge benefit of organic agriculture methods. Pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and other chemicals used on conventional fields often run off into nearby water supplies, harming animals and the people who drink the water. Such chemicals are often responsible for huge fish kills or the altering of local ecosystems such that certain animal and plant life can no longer live there. Farm chemicals are also harmful to those who work with them. People who work with these chemicals tend to have more health problems like asthma.

In addition, organic farming tends to be more mindful of the farm workers’ needs to make a decent wage. This is not to say that all workers on organic farms are paid well or that all those on conventional farms are paid poorly, just that the good stewardship involved in organic farming methods seems to extend to the larger community as well.

It is thought that organic agriculture is generally better for the economic development of rural areas because wages tend to be better. More workers may also be needed for a smaller acreage than on a conventional farm because of the non-chemical methods used.

Organic methods also are better for the animals that live near farms, because they are not being blasted with harmful chemicals or having their food supply killed by pesticides.

Disadvantages of Organic Foods

The main negative having to do with organic agriculture is for the consumer, since organic food tends to cost more. Farming this way is more labor intensive and requires careful crop monitoring and rotation, which may mean that not all available land is being used for a cash crop in any given season.

Another potential negative for farmers is that organic farms tend to have smaller yields than conventional farms. The amount of produce per acre is smaller and the fruit or vegetables themselves are often smaller as well. That means that a farmer who converts to organic methods will probably harvest less on the same land than he or she did before. But with the increased cost of organics, this may not be a big issue, depending on what the farmer is growing.

There is a learning curve involved in going organic, and the process can be costly. Farms also have to register to be certified organic, a process that requires having gone without chemicals for three years before you can be certified. It’s a huge commitment in terms of time and money, but the rewards can be great, both economically and in terms of helping the planet.