I’m sure you have all heard of the term “organic” at least once or twice. The organic craze is rapidly growing in popularity, but in fact, organic farming has been around forever. The word organic simply means that nothing unnatural, toxic, or harmful are used in any step of the production process. Organic produce is different from normal produce in a wide variety of ways, but not all of these differences are very significant at all. In order to better understand just how beneficial organic farming is we have to look at both sides of the fence.
The Advantages of Organic Farming
1. No Poison Is Always Great
Organic farming does not use any type of harmful chemicals to keep pests away, unlike the majority of industrial farming. They use all natural methods that do not harm the consumer or the environment that they are grown in. Herbicides, pesticides, and artificial growth hormones are all forbidden on an organic farm.
2. Closely Regulated
In order for a food to be labeled as organic, the entire process of which is was created is thoroughly investigated. The organic food industry is internationally regulated, which means that organic means the same standards where followed, no matter where in the world it was made. This helps the consumers to know that they are truly getting what they think that they are.
3. Better Taste and More Nutrition
Fruits and vegetables that are organically raised have a much better taste than other mechanically farmed ones. This is due to the fact that they are given a much longer time to develop and are not pumped with artificial things. The sugar structures in these crops have more time to mature and develop into a tasty and nutritious product.
4. Costs Are Lowered
There is a deep stigma around anything organic that it had to have cost an arm and a leg to cultivate. This is actually the opposite of the truth. When you cut out the time that is spent to farm organic crops, the actual costs are minimal. These farmers do not have to shell out large amounts of money for expensive chemicals and massive amounts of water, unlike industrial farmers.
5. The Environment Doesn’t Suffer
Another thing that benefits from the use of organic farming is the environment! In industrial farms, the chemicals that are used are seep into the ground and contaminate the soil and local water sources. Humans, animals, and plant life are all affected negatively by this. With organic farming, there are no chemicals used, so no pollution occurs either.
The Disadvantages of Organic Farming
1. It’s a Whole Lot More Work
It takes a whole lot of hard work to successfully grow crops organically. There is a high amount of farmer interaction time with their crops. Whether it be to ensure that the plants remain pest free in an organic way, or to act as weed prevention, the time required is significantly higher than plants and crops produced industrially.
2. The Consumer Pays The Price
Organic foods in the supermarket are infamously higher than others. This is one of the biggest reasons that people do not fully support the use of organic farming, and not nearly enough people are enjoying the great benefits that it could bring. For example, a pound of non organic red peppers cost right around $2.76, while a pound of organic red peppers run a whopping $5.89! That’s double the price!
3. Cross Breeding Happens
GMO crops, also known as genetically modified crops, are plants whose DNA structure have been altered. These seeds, once planted, create GMO crops. These crops then produce seeds and the patter continues. It is very difficult to truly tell if an organic seed has not been affected by GMO’s in anyway. This cross breeding could completely wipe out the idea of organic and non GMO crops very soon.
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Important Facts About Organic Farming
