Organic farming has a smaller carbon footprint, conserves and builds soil health , replenishes natural ecosystems for cleaner water and air, all without toxic pesticide residues. Organic farming practices help preserve biodiversity in the natural world while growing healthy, abundant food.
Skip to content. The difference between organic and conventional The essential difference between organic and conventional farming is that conventional farming relies on chemical intervention to fight pests and weeds and provide plant nutrition. The Effects Conventional and organic farming methods have different consequences on the environment and people.
Economic pressures have led to a tremendous loss to the number of farms, particularly small farms, and farmers during the past few decades. More than , farms were lost from to Economically, it is very difficult for potential farmers to enter the business today because of the high cost of doing business.
Productive farmland also has been swallowed up by urban and suburban sprawl—since , over 30 million acres have been lost to development. Many potential health hazards are tied to farming practices. The general public may be affected by the sub-therapeutic use of antibiotics in animal production and the contamination of food and water by pesticides and nitrates.
These are areas of active research to determine the levels of risk. The health of farm workers is also of concern, as their risk of exposure is much higher. Historically, farming played an important role in our development and identity as a nation. From strongly agrarian roots, we have evolved into a culture with few farmers. Less than two percent of Americans now produce food for all U. Can sustainable and equitable food production be established when most consumers have so little connection to the natural processes that produce their food?
What intrinsically American values have changed and will change with the decline of rural life and farmland ownership? World population continues to grow. According to recent United Nations population projections, the world population will grow to 9. The rate of population increase is especially high in many developing countries. In these countries, the population factor, combined with rapid industrialization, poverty, political instability, and large food imports and debt burden, make long-term food security especially urgent.
Modified from the original by Matthew R. Experts maintain that in the heated debate over organic versus conventional farming, there needs to be more information available for consumers when it comes to labeling and even understanding the certification processes in industrialized countries like the U.
For now, in the developed world, the industrialization or commercialization of organic farming has resulted in a lot of difficulty for both consumers and researchers, who are trying to understand what the goals of this booming industry are. In the U. McDermid said that even she sometimes feels uncertain about what to buy in the supermarket.
That being said, both Wirsenius and McDermid agree that it is far more environmentally sustainable to eat organic chicken instead of beef that was produced conventionally.
Yet, consuming large portions of organically produced meat will still have a bigger environmental impact than eating conventionally produced crops and fruits.
Taking into consideration the high costs involved in going percent organic, especially when it comes to buying fruits and vegetables, McDermid said if you can afford to spend extra, she would recommend buying them. It might also help to look for organic food that was grown locally. Organic spices are also gud for ur health nd environment also… because i m person using organic spices. Dear Maria, Please consider both the Price and the Cost.
The price is the few cents the delta between commercial and organic produce but the Cost is the enduring and cumulative dangerous effects on much of the life on this planet. Which includes our children and grand children. Marty The best thing for our children and the environment is to have a lot less children.
Kristin, though the population is growing and we need to consider that, we currently produce enough food globally to feed everyone despite not everyone having access to food. The solution is not about population control so much as it is about food access. Conventionally there were no artifical poisons added to the soil. It should read traditional or chemical farming, that way there is no confusion when people choose thier food. They can choose chemicaly altered , genetically modified or artifically manured, or traditional and unaltered.
Another example of misunderstanding. Organic will greatly more impact and hurt our future generations with greenhouse gases, loss of crops, and stripping soil of minerals leaving it less useful.
This is an old discussion. We must try to look things in a circular way. Which is the final outcome to buy regular food so much cheaper , buying an hamburger McDonald so tasty … A. If you are a young person, you are storing in your body-fat all the toxins that you are eating. They can increase the incidence of hormonal changes with for ex. And what is preferable in the long run? Just food for thought, and maybe we can start an honest and respectful discussion about it! Very true. Be more specific what do you mean toxin.
So many things can be called toxins it is such a vage term. What leads you to that conclusion? IARC currently holds a minority viewpoint that glyphosate is a probable carcinogen. Unfortunately, lawsuits like the one in the SF Bay Area that sided with the plaintiff skew public opinion, despite the lack of scientific evidence.
Not to diminish the costs and problems of cancerous results. Please provide one scientific reference that will confirm your accusations.
Interesting points made in the article and challenges to organic farming methods. I think its not just important but, key and critical for us specifically representing both science and higher education to resist narrowing our view of food production on this planet to a comparatively fine slice view as this example held in a vacuum.
I doubt any of the contributors to this effort would challenge the key role insect pollinators play in survival of most plant eating species on the planet, or the facts associated with the increasing threat on honey bee populations from non organic food production methods, though this was not mentioned at all in the article.
Once the pollinators fail both methods; toxic chemical-based and organic food production will fail. That alone should be reason enough for solid science to adopt both scrutinizing examination and a healthy skepticism for methods chemically divergent from those found in our natural bio-system. Thanks for breaking down this debate on both sides of the coin.
The amount of food wasted by U. I recognize this is a giant, systemic issue to solve, but we can start at the consumer level by being careful to use everything we buy. Consumer practices and expectations around seasonality of produce should also be considered here. The agricultural system has developed in a way that caters to our demand to have most fruits and vegetables year-round I have certainly been guilty of this.
This leads to unnecessary mass production of crops and GHG emissions that could be avoided. Of course farmers markets help toward this cause, as they promote eating both local and seasonal produce. But farmers markets are only accessible to a sliver of society that can afford them. Great blog! This is a great question, and it refers to a study reported on in Nature in See original article.
This is stupid. Organic production got its beginnings with an aim to protect the environment. This is false. The NOP lists a chemical inventory of pesticides that are allowed in organic farming. These are less toxic than conventional insecticides, so farmers use more to control pests.
Again, not true. Arsenic, cyanide, and death are all natural but no one would argue that they are desirable. Nitrogen is the largest soil input for most crops and under organic principles, the source pretty much has to come from the south end of a northbound animal. The water table does however… Compost applications regularly leach into the water table because chemical release cannot be practically controlled like it can with synthetic applications.
Another myth. The water table contamination issue mentioned above really comes into play here. When pest pressures spike, many organic crops do not survive without conventional solutions. There is more, much more but this is not about bashing organic production.
To the contrary, the intent of organic production is good but the religious fervor behind it does not reflect reality. Where does will the manure come from?
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