| One
of the first proponents of organic farming was the British
agriculturalist Sir Albert Howard, who, in his 1940 book
An Agricultural Testament, advocated farming without synthetic
fertilizers and pesticides. British agriculturist Lady
Eve Balfour was also involved in the 20th-century organic
farming movement. Her 30-year research farm, the Haughley
Experiment, was the site of numerous experiments comparing
organic and conventional farming. Balfour's book, The
Living Soil (1943), corroborated Howard's studies and
documented the importance of healthy soil for farming.
The work of Howard and Balfour inspired American researcher
and publisher J. I. Rodale to found Organic Farming and
Gardening magazine in 1942 (now called Organic Gardening),
which educates the public about organic techniques. Rodale
also established the nonprofit Soil and Health Foundation
research center (now called the Rodale Institute). |
|
|
| Rachel
Carson, a marine biologist with the United States Fish
and Wildlife Service, added momentum to the organic farming
movement with her book Silent Spring (1962), which chronicles
the harmful effects of pesticides on wildlife. Also in
the United States, Helen and Scott Nearing pioneered in
organic farming. Their book Living the Good Life (1954)
and their numerous other publications promoted organic
farming and helped inspire the back-to-the-land movement
of the 1960s and 1970s. |
| |
|
|
| Is
a system of agriculture that uses environmentally sound
techniques for raising crops and livestock that are free
from most synthetic pesticides, growth hormones, and antibiotics.
Organic farmers typically rely on pesticides and fertilizers
derived from plants, animal wastes, and minerals. They
incorporate biological methods, such as the use of one
organism to suppress another, to help control pests. The
methods used in organic farming seek to increase soil
fertility, balance insect populations, and reduce air,
soil, and water pollution |
|
|
| Organic
farming is a small but rapidly growing sector of agriculture
World over. Sales of organic foods Exports of organic
food products are also growing, particularly to Japan
and Europe to name a few of the developed countries. |
|
|
| ORGANIC
FARMING TECHNIQUES |
|
|
| Organic
farming combines a variety of methods to maintain the
health of soil, prevent soil erosion, and control pests
with minimal or no use of synthetic pesticides. Conventional
farmers also use some of these methods, but to a lesser
degree. |
|
|
|
|
| Fertilizers
are used to provide the minerals lacking in some soils,
and to replace the minerals removed from the soil by crops
as they grow. Many conventional farmers rely on concentrated
chemical fertilizers that are rapidly absorbed by plants.
These fertilizers produce quick growth but at the same
time may kill important soil organisms, such as earthworms
and bacteria. Organic farmers use manure, compost (a mixture
of decaying organic matter that is rich in beneficial
soil microorganisms), and other natural materials for
fertilizers that nourish soil organisms, which in turn
slowly and steadily make minerals available to plants.
|
|
|
| Organic
farmers are more likely than conventional farmers to rotate
crops, a technique that replenishes soil nutrients without
the use of synthetic fertilizers. In crop rotation, a
field is used for one to several years to grow one type
of crop, such as corn or wheat, followed by a season in
which a legume such as alfalfa or soybeans is planted.
Legume roots harbor beneficial bacteria that incorporate
nitrogen from the air into the soil (see Nitrogen Fixation),
enriching the soil and reducing the need for nitrogen-containing
fertilizers. Crop rotation also conserves nutrients since
the roots of the first crop may be near the surface and
the second crop's roots may be deeper, so that nutrients
are drawn from different depths in the soil. |
|
|
| Soil
held in place by plant roots is less likely to blow or
wash away, or erode, than bare soil. Organic farmers minimize
soil erosion with cover crops-short-lived plants, often
grasses or legumes-that protect the soil between the harvesting
of one crop and the planting of the next. Many organic
farmers also conserve soil by practicing no-till or low-till
farming, avoiding the use of plows to turn the soil, or
using implements that only slice or slightly turn the
soil. They may also leave the unharvested portion of a
crop in the field to cover the soil, preventing soil erosion
from wind or rain. |
|
|
| Pest
and Disease Management |
|
|
| Conventional
farms rely on an array of synthetic pesticides to kill
weeds, disease-causing fungi, and harmful insects. These
pesticides are manufactured by chemically processing petroleum,
natural gas, ammonia, and a number of other raw materials.
They include active and inactive ingredients, both of
which can be highly toxic and long lasting. Organic farmers
typically use pesticides primarily derived from chemically
unaltered plant, animal, or mineral substances in which
the active toxic ingredient breaks down rapidly to become
nontoxic after being applied to the crop. Pyrethrum, a
substance extracted from chrysanthemums, a variety of
soaps, and oil from the neem tree are among the insecticides
used by organic farmers. Bordeaux mix, a combination of
calcium carbonate and copper, is used by organic farmers
to control disease-causing fungi. |
|
|
| In
addition to using natural pesticides, organic farmers
use a variety of methods to control insects and disease-causing
fungi. In a technique called intercropping, farmers plant
different crops in wide alternating bands. This interrupts
the movement of disease-causing organisms through a field,
since many insects and fungi feed on just one type of
crop. Organic farmers also reduce insect damage by spraying
crops with bacteria that kill larvae (immature insects)
and planting crops that attract ladybugs, lacewings, and
other beneficial insects that prey on unwanted insects. |
|
|
| Organic
farmers use many methods to control weeds. Mulching involves
covering the soil around crops with straw or other materials
that smother weeds. Cover crops can be planted in the
fall and turned under in a few months; they help control
weeds by competing with them-an oat crop, for example,
grows faster than weeds and deprives them of the nutrients
they need to produce seeds. Other types of cover crops,
such as cereal rye, release substances from their roots
that inhibit weed seed germination. Organic farmers sometimes
use a variety of tractor-drawn equipment to uproot weeds
that emerge with crops (see Weed Control). |
|
|
| Organic
farming is sometimes referred to as sustainable agriculture,
although the two concepts have subtle but significant
differences. Sustainable agriculture seeks to improve
the entire food and agricultural system by balancing production
and consumption. For example, a farmer practicing sustainable
agriculture may use the manure from the animals to fertilize
the fields of grain that are grown to feed the animals.
Eliminating the purchase of fertilizer reduces the cost
of growing grain, and growing grain for animal feed rather
than buying it reduces the cost of raising livestock. |
|
|
| Sustainable
agriculture also addresses the environmental, economic,
and social issues related to agricultural systems. It
attempts to ensure that arable land is protected so that
current and future generations will be able to farm from
it successfully; many involved in sustainable agriculture
also seek to preserve the vitality of family-owned farms
and rural communities. A sustainable farm may not be organic,
and an organic farm may not be sustainable, although they
may use similar techniques. |
|
|
| BENEFITS
OF ORGANIC FARMING |
|
|
| For
consumers, the most obvious benefit of organic farming
is health-related-the food produced has little or no pesticide
residue. Some advocates of organic farming believe that
organic food is more nutritious than food produced by
conventional farming, although no valid studies support
this claim. |
|
|
| Organic
farming, however, has less obvious, longer-term benefits.
Because it preserves and enhances topsoil, it increases
the chances that future generations can continue growing
food. It helps preserve aquatic life by minimizing the
flow of toxic pesticides into streams, rivers, and lakes.
And it encourages healthy populations of beneficial insects
that keep destructive insects under control. |
|
|
| Opponents
of organic farming argue that organic farming is less
profitable, requiring more labor and management skill
than a conventional farm. Savings on pesticides, fertilizers,
and fuels, however, usually offset the cost of the extra
labor. And the environmental benefits of organic farming
represent long-term savings, not just for the organic
farmer, but also for future generations. |
|
