ORGANIC AGRICULTURE is a type of agriculture which focuses on producing long-term crops while having minimal effects on the environment or ecosystem. It is an agronomic practice that includes the production of crops, plants, and fibers utilizing farming techniques. It is a type of agriculture which tries to find a good balance between the need for food production and the preservation of the ecological system within the environment.
The organic agriculture helps to produce healthy food, preserve the environment, protect public health, and improve animals health. It concentrates on helping farmers to improve their techniques, quality of life and maintaining economic stability of farms.
The crop residues and kitchen wastes are recycled and used to produce low cost organic compost for organic farming system. Organic agriculture is based on compost farming and avoids using hazardous and toxic pesticides. Hence, consumers can expect safer fruits and vegetables to eat. Additionally, by using the waste product in organic farming, farmers using organic agriculture protect us from the harmful effect of pathogens, toxins and other harmful gasses.
If asked to choose between food that is grown more naturally or food that is enhanced by spraying it with pesticides or applying chemical fertilizers; it is certain that mostly people in the World would prefer the natural food, which is free from chemicals and artificial enhancements and full of nutrients. In terms of human health, crops grown through organic agriculture are better for people. The crops produced through organic agriculture can also be more nutritious as compare to the industrial agriculture farming, because the overall crops are healthier and more natural. In addition to producing food, there are several overall goals associated with organic agriculture, including conserving water, reducing the use of fertilizers and pesticides, and promoting biodiversity in crops grown and the ecosystem.
There are many farming methods that are used to help organic agriculture. Some of the most common techniques include growing plants that can create their own nutrients to reduce the use of fertilizers and rotating crops in fields, which minimize pesticide use because the crops are changing frequently. Another common technique is mixing crops, which reduces the risk of a disease destroying a whole crop and decrease the need for pesticides and herbicides. Organic farmers also utilize water management systems that waste less water.
Organic agriculture has also had positive impacts of the environment. This reduces reliance on fossil fuels results in the release of less chemicals and pollution into the environment. Organic agriculture also benefits the environment by maintaining soil quality (fertility), reducing soil degradation and erosion, and conserve moisture. In addition to these benefits, organic agriculture also increases biodiversity of the area by providing a variety of organisms with healthy and natural environments to live in.
The majority of food we consume is produced using industrialized agriculture, which is a type of agriculture where large quantities of crops and livestock are produced through industrial techniques for the purpose of sale. This type of agriculture relies heavily on a variety of chemicals and artificial enhancements, such as pesticides, fertilizers, and genetically modified organisms. This type of agriculture also uses a large amount of fossil fuels and large machines to manage the farm land. Although, industrialized agriculture has made it possible to produce large quantities of food.
Although there are so many benefits of organic agriculture, but some losses are also linked with it. The main concern is that organic agriculture does not produce as much food as compared to the industrialized agriculture. The lower productions rates of organic agriculture raise concern that sustainable agriculture will not be able to produce enough food to feed the growing population.