Organic - Hype or Real?
The "Green Revolution" has the world's attention but with every one hopping on the bandwagon, what does the future hold for the food we eat?
Agribusiness and the multinational food producers over the last 75 years have done a wonderful job of providing substantial amounts of nutritious food for a fast growing world population, but is this scenario sustainable? Currently there is a tremendous amount of debate between organic farmers and conventional farmers who are looking for common answers to this debate.
In many countries including the United States, China and most of Europe; organic farming is defined by law, so that the commercial use of the term organic is regulated by the government. Unfortunately, these laws are constantly usurped by greedy and unscrupulous parties.This is due to the fact that families' demand for organic products in developing economies has grown at about 20% on an annual basis due to of increasing awareness of organic farming methods.
Organic pest control, one of the mainstays of organic farming allows for a certain amount of pest crop damage, it encourages or introduces beneficial organisms, utilizes careful crop selection and crop rotation and mechanical, thermal and mulch controls for weeds. Organic pesticides; which are derived from plants and not chemicals, allow for the use of natural methods of protection.
Conventional farming requires farmers to precisely apply only those necessary fertilizers to the soil in order to minimize waste pollutants. Organic farmers on the other hand do not have that option because they depend on natural supplements such as manure, which contains fixed amounts of various elements which can not be adjusted. The most common problem is over application of these organic fertilizers because of their relative lack of potency. These over applications will very easily lead to pollution of the water supply.
Organic farming proponents claim that the full impact of chemical genetic engineering on food quality and plant and animal health is not yet fully understood. Opponents argue that genetic engineering is vital to create higher volumes of food in the fight to end world hunger without requiring additional land. Often forgotten in this debate, is the fact that true genetic engineering is a technique, also known as grafting and propagation has been used for centuries, and has done much good for mankind.
The pro-organic point of view regarding the environment is that conventional agriculture is depleting our natural resources such as fossil fuels and potable water at a rapid rate and is seriously polluting the air,soil and water. The large quantities of chemicals, water wastage through inefficient high volume irrigation and the fuels required for the farm machinery and long-distance transport to market are some of their arguments. On the other hand the organic farmer using natural compost and manure on a large-scale may cause as much of a burden to groundwater and soil as does chemical fertilizers.
Organic farming is at a crossroads. Even though there are laws that ensure that the rules are the same for producers and consumers, these laws have been found to be full of loopholes that have led to charges being leveled against the major certifiers in our government such as the FDA and the USDA.
If agribusiness can convert to large scale organic farming and will they still be able to make a profit without raising consumer costs to unacceptable levels?
The current food distribution system, as it now stands favors high volume production with large farming corporate operations and will not be easily changed. What we know as organic farming may change very dramatically in the coming years. A growing and aware consumer market will be the main factor driving force encouraging conventional farmers to convert to organic agricultural production methods. I believe this trend will continue.
Families are making their own decisions regarding this argument by doing the only sensible thing; growing their own foodstuffs. The "Green Movement" is not just a slogan. It has become a way of life for those who are choosing unite in making this world a better place to live. - 17268
Agribusiness and the multinational food producers over the last 75 years have done a wonderful job of providing substantial amounts of nutritious food for a fast growing world population, but is this scenario sustainable? Currently there is a tremendous amount of debate between organic farmers and conventional farmers who are looking for common answers to this debate.
In many countries including the United States, China and most of Europe; organic farming is defined by law, so that the commercial use of the term organic is regulated by the government. Unfortunately, these laws are constantly usurped by greedy and unscrupulous parties.This is due to the fact that families' demand for organic products in developing economies has grown at about 20% on an annual basis due to of increasing awareness of organic farming methods.
Organic pest control, one of the mainstays of organic farming allows for a certain amount of pest crop damage, it encourages or introduces beneficial organisms, utilizes careful crop selection and crop rotation and mechanical, thermal and mulch controls for weeds. Organic pesticides; which are derived from plants and not chemicals, allow for the use of natural methods of protection.
Conventional farming requires farmers to precisely apply only those necessary fertilizers to the soil in order to minimize waste pollutants. Organic farmers on the other hand do not have that option because they depend on natural supplements such as manure, which contains fixed amounts of various elements which can not be adjusted. The most common problem is over application of these organic fertilizers because of their relative lack of potency. These over applications will very easily lead to pollution of the water supply.
Organic farming proponents claim that the full impact of chemical genetic engineering on food quality and plant and animal health is not yet fully understood. Opponents argue that genetic engineering is vital to create higher volumes of food in the fight to end world hunger without requiring additional land. Often forgotten in this debate, is the fact that true genetic engineering is a technique, also known as grafting and propagation has been used for centuries, and has done much good for mankind.
The pro-organic point of view regarding the environment is that conventional agriculture is depleting our natural resources such as fossil fuels and potable water at a rapid rate and is seriously polluting the air,soil and water. The large quantities of chemicals, water wastage through inefficient high volume irrigation and the fuels required for the farm machinery and long-distance transport to market are some of their arguments. On the other hand the organic farmer using natural compost and manure on a large-scale may cause as much of a burden to groundwater and soil as does chemical fertilizers.
Organic farming is at a crossroads. Even though there are laws that ensure that the rules are the same for producers and consumers, these laws have been found to be full of loopholes that have led to charges being leveled against the major certifiers in our government such as the FDA and the USDA.
If agribusiness can convert to large scale organic farming and will they still be able to make a profit without raising consumer costs to unacceptable levels?
The current food distribution system, as it now stands favors high volume production with large farming corporate operations and will not be easily changed. What we know as organic farming may change very dramatically in the coming years. A growing and aware consumer market will be the main factor driving force encouraging conventional farmers to convert to organic agricultural production methods. I believe this trend will continue.
Families are making their own decisions regarding this argument by doing the only sensible thing; growing their own foodstuffs. The "Green Movement" is not just a slogan. It has become a way of life for those who are choosing unite in making this world a better place to live. - 17268
About the Author:
Dick Murray is a concerned American who cares about the quality of the food that our families eat on a daily basis. Our commercial food system supplies us with food that does not contain the nutrients and health benefits contained in the food we consumed not that long ago. Learn how to raise your family's food and beat this system. It is not difficult and will probably be a lot of fun. To learn more visit vegetablegrowingbasics
posted by X - Men at
8:21 AM
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