What is Organic Farming?
Most people see organic farming only as a method of crop or livestock production that doesn’t use any damaging chemicals like pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics, growth hormones and genetically modified organism. Organic farming is much more than that, it’s a holistic system that can be used to optimize the yield of plants, livestock and soil organisms. The purpose is to make the systems environment-friendly, with no damaging effects to nature.
Organic farming is based on eco-friendly principles such as crop rotation, green manure, biological pest control, organic waste and mineral and rock additives. It only uses pesticides or fertilizers if they are considered natural.
There are several reasons why we should use organic farming. The first is the quality of our foods and the nutrients we get. All the foods that come from organic farms are full of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that conventional farming can’t provide.
Another good reason to use organic farming is that this way we can avoid genetically modified organisms. The problem with these GMO’s is that they are not labeled, and we don’t have a clear understanding of their negative impact on the human body.
Foods that were organically farmed taste better as they come from a well-nourished soil. They healthier, diverse and help preserve the environment.
The common conception is that organic farming means going back to traditional methods used long ago, but organic farming takes all the knowledge and techniques used in the past and combines them with modern technology while in the same time keeping in mind the effects farming has on the environment.
Organic farming works hand in hand with nature instead of opposing it. This means that the farmer achieves crop yield without harming the environment or the people. Thus, the farmer creates a healthy balance between farming and the nature around them. The farmers aren’t the only ones who demonstrate this environment centricity but also the other people in the business, like organic processors, marketers, food distributors and even consumers.