Organic farming: the future of agriculture

As the international population began to rise quickly, the need for a more bearable technique in food production became more urgent than ever.

Techniques of organic farming presented a perfect solution to various problems resulting from the forms of agriculture we are now familiar with. Let's find out more about this promising method and what it has to offer.

What is organic farming?

Organic farming is an agrarian technique that utilizes fertilizers of organic origin like compost manure, green manure, and bone meal. It emphasizes techniques like harvest rotation and companion farming.

It started early in the 20th century in response to quickly altering farming practices. This method of farming is divided into two types: pure and integrated organic farming. The first one means preventing all unnatural chemicals. All the fertilizers and pesticides are replaced with products extracted from natural origins like bone meals or blood meals. Pest management and nutrients management are integrated into the second one to fulfill ecological requirements.

So, what is organic farming? It simply avoids whatever chemical products people are used to in order to optimize production. Instead, the focus is on natural methods.

The organic food's history:

The idea of organic food was formulated in the early 1900s by Sir Albert Haward, F.H.king, Rudolf Steiner, and others who believed that the use of animal manures, cover harvests, harvest rotation, and biologically founded pet controls resulted in a better farming technique. Howard, having functioned in India as an agricultural researcher, was very motivated by the traditional farming techniques he experienced there and supported their adoption in the West. Such techniques were further promoted by different supporters like J.I. Rodale and his son Robert, who published organic gardening and agriculture magazines and several texts on organic agriculture, from the 1940s onward.

The need for organic food was elaborated in the 1960s by the publication of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, which reported the extent of environmental harm caused by insecticides. Organic food sales increased quickly from the late 20 century onward. Greater environmental awareness and capitalist interests came together to boost the field.

Organic farmers also use harvest rotation to protect the qualities of soils and avoid monoculture. Chemical pesticides destroy or weaken many of the natural enemies of pests, like birds or frogs.They can also exterminate those insects that play a vital role in the cycle of plants...etc.

Weeds are regulated by using special vehicles. Instead of chemicals, organic farming used a lot of organic matter to provide crops with the nutrients that they need to develop. Clover, for instance, has a lot of nitrogen in it and farmers utilize it to make the soil better. Manure from animals and compost are also used to boost fertility.

Advantages of organic farming:

Farmers can reduce their crop costs since they are not obliged to buy expensive chemicals and fertilizers.Also, farms are healthier for workers. In the long term, organic farms conserve energy and safeguard the environment.

1) It boosts the natural defiance against pests and diseases. By abolishing the use of synthetic products to maximize the crops, it works, instead, on developing healthier soil, highlighting the link between healthy plants and protected soil. No chemical herbicides or pesticides are utilized. Only natural soil enhancement processes are allowed. Healthy plants, grown in healthy soil, are commonly protected against disease and pests. These plants foster powerful natural defense tools through this technique.

2)It permits specialization chances: traditional farming techniques concentrate on the development of certain commodity crops.

The benefit of being able to develop a specific crop is that these products usually demand a higher price at the market. Organic foods are already eligible to be priced about 20 percent above commodity crops. Many organic farmers can sell directly to their consumers as well, which removes the taxes that other farmers often pay.

3)Healthier soil: soils from organic farms are recognized as producing products that are rich in antioxidant quantity, vitamin E, and omega-3 fatty acids when consistent practices are used. There are higher micronutrients and minerals in organic food products.

4) No fears about genetically modified foods: organic farming does not utilize GMO crops at all.

5) Healthier working environment: planters who are involved in the organic farming technique are not harmed by potentially dangerous synthetic as they organize their fields.

Disadvantages of organic plantations:

Foods are high-priced since farmers do not get as much outcome of their land as traditional farmers do.Organic crops may cost up to 40 percent higher. Then, marketing and distribution are not efficient since organic food is developed in smaller amounts and on small farms.So organic plantations still cannot provide enough food and remain unable to meet the global needs to survive. This could lead to famine in countries that do not produce enough food today.

1)Lack of compensation: practicing organic farming encounters a lack of subsidies usually given to conventional farming techniques.Therefore, they receive a huge hit when bad weather situations damage their products as they are not compensated accordingly. This may result in the loss of their lands and even their livelihood as they are dependent on their lands as a source of revenue. This is of course true in some countries.

2) Organic food is costly because it demands more care and effort than conventional farming. Organic crops may cost up to 40 percent more than conventional products. And harvest prices are greater since farmers want more workers.

Organic food has a tighter life shelf because they are not treated with resins or preservatives, unlike conventional techniques, to store it for a long time.